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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMVP Renewal Concept Paper Earll M. Murman 325 Lincoln St. Port Townsend, WA 98368-4516 360-379-5372 murman@mit.edu Renewing and Repurposing Mountain View Pool March 6, 2020 Summary With the YMCA project on hold, there is an opportunity to consider a wider range of options to replace the current Mountain View Pool with a new aquatic facility that meets community needs. This concept paper suggests one possible approach worthy of consideration. The concept is based upon the assumption that the current Mountain View Pool (MVP) building structure is sound and that the existing gunite tank built in 1963 has a useful life of another 50 years or so. These assumptions would need to be assessed with an engineering study. If the assumptions are borne out, the suggested plan would renew and repurpose the current pool and add a separate competition size lap pool. The resulting aquatic complex would meet community needs and could have lower capital costs than a completely new facility. The plan would also honor a number of community values. This concept paper addresses only a conceptual design for an aquatic facility and summarizes some of the benefits of the proposed approach. The paper does not address important topics of capital financing, sustainable operational costs, engineering and design details, or governance. The Useful Life of Mountain View Pool It is frequently stated that “Mountain View Pool is near the end of its useful life.” A recent example of this is the draft 2020 Parks, Recreation and Open Space Functional Plan statement that “…the pool is beyond its useful life …” (page 93). Let us pause and explore what this means. The “pool” consists of a building, a tank with water, mechanical systems of pumps and purification equipment, electrical systems, boilers, HVAC, changing rooms, deck and bleachers, and office spaces. While indeed some of these components are beyond their useful life, others may have 50 or more years of useful life with some modest investment to fix deficiencies. In particular, if the gunite tank and building structures are sound, it could make economic and aesthetic sense to repurpose them. The aquatic core of MVP is the gunite tank constructed in 1963. Gunite is a form of concrete that is sprayed onto a steel (rebar) frame allowing quite free form structures. It is incredibly durable. Poolsbymurphy.com states “A poorly built Gunite pool certainly has the potential to crack. But a properly built Gunite - 2 - pool can and should last for 100 years or more, with no risk of cracking whatsoever.” The William Shore Memorial Pool (WSMP) in Port Angeles which was built about the same time as MVP is undergoing a major upgrade and reusing much of its original gunite tank. Would this be possible for MVP? An engineering assessment would need to be done to assess the integrity of the gunite tank. A study done in 2012 by KJ Design states: The pool shell is compromised due to the failing plaster, creating a structural issue and thus reducing the pool’s life-expectancy. It is the pool’s plaster that makes a pool watertight. Since this surface is compromised, the caustic nature of the pool water is penetrating the concrete and creating rust in the structural rebar. Over time this will compromise the integrity of the pool’s basin. Soon after that study, a new liner was installed and the pool made water tight. If an engineering study shows that the tank was compromised to the point that, even with repair, it does not have another 50 years of useful life, then the approach suggested in this concept paper may not make sense1. For now, let us continue assuming the tank could be reused. The current vinyl liner and underneath existing plaster liner would need to be removed and replaced. It is likely that all the existing mechanical systems of pumps, filters, purifiers and piping would need replacing. A modern purification system – either liquid chlorine or salt with secondary UV treatment – is needed. It is worth noting that WSMP replaced its antiquated purification system with a modern salt system about 5 years ago. The boilers and HVAC system were recently modernized and probably can be reused. The deck was recently repaired and would have to be assessed for further repair, replacement or other treatment. The other major component of the MVP is the building structure. From my visual inspection it seems sound. It would need seismic retrofitting, a new roof, and maybe some other repairs. However, the costs of these is reasonable and certainly less than a new structure. The locker rooms are functionally ok, but with a such a renovation they would deserve a make over. 1 On the other hand, it might still make economic sense to demolish the existing tank and rebuild it with a new one. - 3 - The Renewed Mountain View Pool Assuming that from engineering and economic considerations it makes sense to continue to use the existing tank with a new liner and mechanical systems, a renewed MVP with an added competition lap pool and associated features could create a modern aquatic center that meets community needs. The below sketch shows a possible layout for the current tank and surrounding areas. The shallow end could be reconfigured with a zero entry ramp and a lazy river type of recirculating flow. Of all the features to add to an aquatic center, the lazy river is the most useful. Recreationalists like to float with the current, while exercisers like to walk upstream. The layout in the figure is only one possibility. Circular flows are also possible. Beyond the entry ramp and lazy river, there is close to 800 square feet of shallow water suitable for exercise classes and swim lessons. The 9.5 foot deep end is retained and can serve a variety of fitness, recreation and special uses. The combined shallow and deep ends retain four short course lanes which could be used for therapy lap swimmers. The deep well might accommodate a climbing wall, a rope swing, or a modest water slide – all popular recreational amenities. - 4 - The existing bleachers could be reconfigured into a single level terrace with tables and chairs for comfortable viewing and/or parties. Pool rental for parties both meet a community need and generate good income. I saw just such a space at the Gray’s Harbor YMCA. The terrace could also accommodate team meetings, training, or other small gatherings. The large part of the deck is currently used for fitness, sauna and storage. With the current mechanical room decommissioned, it might be used for storage, or maybe for a sauna or steam room. A hot tub could be installed somewhere on this deck. There might be space for some of the existing fitness features. Thought needs to be given to reconfiguring the locker rooms to include family and caregiver changing areas. The office might not be needed after the competition pool building is added with new office and entry space. There are plenty of details to work out, but even more possibilities. The New Lap Pool One advantage of the Mountain View Commons is the large amount of property. The below figure schematically shows a possible location for an added lap pool natatorium, additional locker rooms, and new pump and mechanical room with a modern filtration system that serves both tanks. Competition pools are 75 feet 1 inch long (for the timing pads) and have 6 to 8 seven foot wide lanes. Price competitive stainless steel Myrtha Pools are quick to construct and are durable. They should definitely be considered over a gunite pool. Lap Pool Building - 5 - Assuming 6 seven foot wide lanes would be adequate, and allowing for extra width for the two wall lanes, the lap pool would cover about 3375 square feet. With some bleacher and deck storage space, the natatorium might be 5000 square feet. Additional locker rooms will be needed as the two pools are physically separate and the current locker rooms would be undersized for the new complex. Adding in office space, visitor entry and the pump room, the added square footage might be 12,000 or more square feet. With the new pool on a different level than the existing pool, an elevator and/or ramps and stairs would be needed. Integration with the existing gym and lower level rooms has to be worked out. Part of the new building might have two stories to help blend into the existing building and provide second story office or other space. These don’t seem like insurmountable design problems. Site considerations include parking, ingress and egress, and other features. It might be feasible to access the new pool from Gaines Street with added parking below the access road to the boilers. This might improve overall traffic flow with some entering from Blaine St and some from Gaines Street. The existing outdoor basket ball/pickle ball courts would need to be relocated. Consideration has to given whether to keep or decommission the dog park and the vegetable garden. The new building could be constructed to modern energy and environmental standards. A sloping south facing roof could be considered for a solar hot water system to lower dependency on propane fired boilers. It should also be constructed to minimize glare on the pool surface which lessens lifeguard needs. A Phased Approach The lap pool complex could be constructed first, allowing the existing MVP to continue to serve community needs. Once operational, the current pool could be closed for renovation while the new pool serves existing needs. A lap pool that is 4 feet to 4.5 feet deep in the shallow end would meet competition standards while serving community needs for shallow water fitness classes, swim lessons and recreation. A deep end of 6-7 feet for the lap pool would meet most the deep water needs. Once closed, the current pool could be renovated and connected into the newly built pump and purification system. When completed, the repurposed existing pool would be a warm water facility serving recreation, swim lesson, water baby, therapy, light exercise and rental needs. The on-deck hot tub would handle therapeutic as well as relaxation uses. There should be adjacent women’s, men’s, family and caregiver changing rooms. The new lap pool would be the cooler pool for lap swimming, competition, and more vigorous workout. Additional men’s and women’s locker rooms should be co-located, but family changing rooms may not be needed. - 6 - Although having two pools in different buildings is not the norm for modern natatoriums, it can work. Bainbridge Island added a new pool in a separate but adjacent building to its existing lap pool. There are also some advantages to having separate natatoriums. The acoustics from one space would not interfere with the other. When JAC board members toured YMCA facilities in 2014 and 2015, we were struck by how noisy some were. The Gray’s Harbor YMCA had to do acoustic retrofitting to reduce the background noise which interfered with instruction and conversation. Two different natatoriums would also allow for one to be used without the other being open. Honoring Community Values This approach would honor many community values, including: • Maintaining pool access during all but short periods of construction. • Complementing and not competing with existing athletic clubs • Retaining a historically interesting pool building structure • Reusing or repurposing existing assets. • Continue using improvements financed by the Mountain View Commons Improvement Bond • Retaining a community pool which has served generations for swim lessons, recreation and fitness • Hopefully providing a cost conscious capital project which would garner community support • Providing multimodal transit, bicycle, walking, and auto access • Minimizing neighborhood congestion with two access roads and parking lots Summary If an engineering study shows that the existing Mountain View Pool and gunite pool tank (with modest repairs) have 50 or more years of useful life, the option of repurposing the current pool and adding a new lap pool could provide a cost effective approach to create a modern aquatic facility that meets community needs and honors community values.