These websites are under construction. Last updated Nov 3, 2006.
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Madras will have a new Aquatic Center. The assumption is they will then be able to add a HS swim team when the pool opens. We hope they would also add a HS water polo team at the same time.
Doug Calvin would likely coach it, as long as his son is able to play.
Aquatic center revised for rebid
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Story by: Holly M. Gill Date Published to Web: 9/27/2006
Madras Pioneer
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Nearly two years after voters approved a pool district, as well as funds for construction and operation of pool, members of the Madras Aquatic Center Board of Directors are cautiously optimistic that there are no more major setbacks ahead.
By mid-October, they plan to go out for bid on the project once again, but this time, they expect to have more than one bidder. When the project went out to bid in May, Robinson Construction of Bend was the only bidder at $8.2 million -- $1.7 million higher than the $6.5 million expected to be used for construction from the $8.1 million bond levy approved by voters in November of 2004.
Project manager Mike Marino negotiated with the company, but in the end, the MAC board decided to have some of the less important features redesigned by Opsis Architects of Portland to reduce costs, and rebid the project.
"We haven't touched the pools," said David Evans, board chairman. "There are aesthetic changes, finish changes, but in terms of functionality, it's still the same."
The main features of the project include a 25-yard long lap pool, to accommodate a future high school swim team; a recreation pool with a water slide and a lazy river; and a 10-person spa on the west end of the building.
The six-lane lap pool will accommodate flip turns in the 4-foot-deep shallow end and scuba diving lessons in the 12-foot deep end.
"We all wanted eight lanes, but we had to make some hard choices," said board member Ted Viramonte, explaining that each additional lane costs $150,000. "It won't stop us from having meets; they will be three-day meets rather than two-day meets."
The aquatic center will be located southwest of Jefferson County Middle School on a 3.5-acre parcel donated by the Bean Foundation. Site preparation has already been completed, Viramonte said, so when a winning bidder is selected by mid-November, "The contractor can go to work immediately."
The process of getting a pool district up and running -- with legal counsel, by-laws, a project manager -- and then selling bonds, selecting an architectural firm, and hiring a manager for the aquatic center has been fraught with unexpected difficulties.
"It has been harder than any of us thought it would be," said Evans, noting that the five-member board has met as frequently as once a week, depending on what needed to be done. "We've got a good, strong board that's very committed."
On Sept. 14, the board signed a contract with Robert DeSilva, who formerly managed five pools for the parks and recreation department in the Pasadena, Calif. area. As the pool manager, DeSilva will begin work Nov. 1 to set up policies and procedures, arrange for lifeguard training, and plan programming for the pool.
The board hopes that the new bidding process will yield a successful bidder who can construct the aquatic center over the next year. Originally scheduled for completion in March of 2007, the new timeline will have the MAC finished by next fall.
"It's been a very frustrating endeavor for everybody," said Evans. "We've got a saturated building market and escalating construction costs and we're trying to engineer the best value for the dollar."
The pools will be low-maintenance Myrtha Pools. The Italian firm pre-engineers modular swimming pool sections out of stainless steel, permanently laminated with a hard, PVC layer.
"On the rest of the planet, they are the number 1 manufacturer of swimming pools," said Viramonte. Juniper Swim and Fitness Center in Bend has two Myrtha Pools, he pointed out.
While most of the interior has remained the same, the exterior of the building has been modified to cut costs. "We have much more traditional lines now," Viramonte said, noting that in the previous plans, the walls were cantilevered out.
The exterior features architecturally-designed concrete masonry walls with a look similar to brick, extensive glass, and cedar planking to accent the walls.
Energy-saving measures remain a high priority, potentially including solar panels on the south-facing roof, which are expected to cut utility bills significantly, high-efficiency boilers for pool heating, automatic shutoffs for lavoratories, and low-maintenance landscaping. "It's designed with great efficiency in mind," said Evans.
Evans is confident that the community will be pleased with the end product. "It's better to do it right than fast," he said.
Copyright "http://eaglenewspapers.com/EaglePapers.html">Eagle Newspapers Inc., 2001 - 2006
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Aquatic center to go out for bid in May
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Story by: Holly M. Gill; Date Published to Web: 2/15/2006
Madras Pioneer
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If all goes as planned, construction on the Madras Aquatic Center is scheduled to begin June 1, according to project manager Mike Marino of Madras.
Opsis Architects of Portland has completed about half the construction documents for the $8.1 million facility. The documents should be finished at the beginning of May, when they will go out for bid.
In the meantime, Marino and the MAC Board of Directors are working to put together a preliminary site utilities and rough grading package. "That would allow us to potentially start with preliminary site construction by April 1," he explained.
He hopes to have the bid documents for that package out next week.
"We think this will help to get some local firms on board, and allow us to be more cost-effective," Marino said.
The board has decided to obtain Myrtha Pools for the facility's lap and leisure pools. Myrtha Pools, an Italian firm, pre-engineers modular swimming pools with a permanently laminated, hard PVC layer bonded to stainless steel. Vertical panels are assembled on reinforced concrete footings.
Myrtha Pools has been in business for over 40 years, and has supplied pools for Olympic competitions, Marino said. "The board believes they're getting a quality product, a product that will last, and they'll end up saving money."
In Central Oregon, Juniper Swim and Fitness Center in Bend is already in the process of installing a Myrtha Pool, he added.
The MAC steering committee is also pursuing Custom Track project incentives through Energy Trust of Oregon Inc., which could provide financial awards for designing the pool to conserve energy.
"There are a variety of different energy credits and a variety of ways to apply for them," said Dave Evans, board president. "Custom Track fits our needs best."
Evans and the board have been working to get the district up and running and a pool constructed since they were elected by voters in November of 2004. The MAC district was formed, and both a construction and an operating levy were passed in the same election.
"We're on schedule," said Evans. "We're hoping to break ground in the beginning of April."
Copyright "http://eaglenewspapers.com/EaglePapers.html">Eagle Newspapers Inc., 2001 - 2006
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January 30th, 2006
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Madras Aquatic Center Board of Directors
gEL government executive league
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The Madras Aquatic Center Board of Directors will meet January 30th from 6:00–8:00 PM in the downstairs meeting room of the Mountain View Hospital for the purpose of conducting a Strategic Planning/Visioning session. The public is invited to attend.
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MAC board begins design development
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Story by: Holly M. Gill; Date Published to Web: 10/26/2005
Madras Pioneer
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It has been nearly a year since county voters approved both a construction bond and operating levy for the Madras Aquatic Center.
In that time, the newly-elected MAC board has met the challenge of a steep learning curve: they set up the pool district, selected Mike Marino as project manager in March, got the $8.1 million bond sold and chose Opsis Architects of Portland in June. Last week, they wrapped up a major portion of the design phase of the project.
"We've finished the schematic design phase, and are entering the design development stage, which will last through the first of the year," said Dave Evans, chairman of the five-member board.
In the schematic design phase, a steering committee, consisting of three board members -- Evans, Janet Morgan and Margaret Kincaid -- and three community members -- Helmer Wallan, Clint Jacks and Martha Pine -- made recommendations that balanced the importance of certain features with their cost.
For example, Evans said, the committee wanted to build an eight-lane competition pool, but because of budget constraints, settled instead on six lanes.
"At $150,000 per lane, it would have been nice to have two more, but it wasn't in the budget," he said.
The 33,000-square-foot aquatic center will be built on about four acres located just south of the Jefferson County Middle School. The Bean Foundation is in the process of partitioning the property to donate for the project.
The facility will include three bodies of water -- the six-lane competition pool, a multi-purpose activity pool, and a whirlpool spa.
The six-lane pool is designed to accommodate lap swimmers and competition meets. The free-form activity pool will feature a wading pool with zero-depth entry, spray toys for small children, a current river area, lap-swim recreation area, and receiving area for a 19-foot water slide.
The lobby area will have a reception desk, fireplace to provide a warm area for patrons to relax before or after swimming, and snack vending area. Community rooms will be available for birthday parties, meetings and classes.
"From inside the pool complex, visitors will enjoy the mountain views of Central Oregon from Mt. Bachelor to Mt. Hood," said Evans, noting that the design features glass on both the south and west sides of the building.
The windows will collect passive solar heat during the day. "The building is designed to be as green a building as is reasonably possible in terms of site orientation and the way air will flow through the building," he said.
In the design development phase, the board will decide on details such as construction materials and colors.
Evans is confident that the project won't be adversely affected by bad weather and hurricanes in the Southeastern United States. "The cost of materials has gone up and availability of labor has gone down, but we're still within budget and plan to stay that way," he said.
"The goal is to make it affordable to everybody in the community," Evans said. "It's going to be a community centerpiece for years to come."
Groundbreaking is expected to take place in April, with completion by March of 2007.
Aquatic center to go out for bid in May
Copyright "http://eaglenewspapers.com/EaglePapers.html">Eagle Newspapers Inc., 2001 - 2006
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Madras Pool Update
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Posted on Wednesday, July 20, 2005 (PST)
KBND AM 1110
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You can’t see it yet, but the new Madras Aquatic Center is beginning to take shape. The aquatic center district board chair says a project manager has been hired and discussions with an architect are underway. Public meetings are planned over the coming months as the project progresses and the aquatic center should be open for public use by spring of 2007.
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