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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark and Recreation Advisory Commission Packet 05-12-1988Regular Meeting of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission May 12,; 1988, 7:30 p . to AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. Approval of Minutes 3. Visitor Presentations a. Athletic Associations. b. Staff. c.. Others. 4. Report on Past Council Action a. St. Mary's Park Award Contract b. 5. Unfinished Business a. Request for Matching Funds - Greenwood/Oakwood PIA b., Plymouth Creek Site Planning - George Watson c.; Park Usage/Cost Study Report Discussion (waiting for report from Edina) d. Lions Park Update (completed) e. Parkers Lake Update f. St. Mary's Neighborhood Park Update g. Community Center General Discussion h. 5. Now Business a. 1989-93 CIP b. C. 7. Conission Presentation 8. Staff Cowunicati'on 9. Adjournment Community Center Study Session - May 1$ Park Tour May 19 Minutes of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting April 14, 1988 Page 16 Present: Chair Edwards, Commissioners Hanson, Reed, _Anderson,, LaTour and, Beach; staff Blank,. Patterson and Pederson; and George. Watson of Brauer and Associates Absent: Commissioner Rosen 1, CALL TO ORDER Chair Edwards called the April meeting, to order at 1:40 p.m. in the Council Chambers. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Commissioner Reed and seconded' by Commissioner LaTour to approve the minutes of the March meeting as presented. The motion carried with all ayes. 3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS a. Athletic Associations. None were present at this meeting. b. ,Staff. Mary Patterson discussed the success of Plymouth's first out of state trip to Florida during spring break. to see the Twins at Spring Training Camp. A formal evaluation will be done by sending a questionnaire to the participants. She informed the Commission that 200 adult softball teams had registered: for our spring/summer softball season and that: play begins on Friday, April 22. She indicated that she continues to work on the Arta Advisory Council with members from the Art Center of Minnesota, Wayzata Community Education,, staff from Wayzata: Senior Nigh and interested. residents. The purpose of the Arts Council is to determine what direction to go with cultural events. in this community.. Mary discussed how busy staff is gearing up for summer recreation programs. The May/,rune Plymouth on: Parade is at the printers now and will be in homes by May I. She stated that it is the largest issue ever published and has many new programs..: Some of these classes are: Sunday evening t -ball for children with both parents working during the day, ball skills class for 4 b: S year olds too young to take t -ball, Friday afternoon special events for toddlers, etc; Mary stated that many vendors have contacted us wanting to sell concessions at Parkers Lake: this summer as well as at the playf`ields. She indicated that we are currently having the City attorney review, an agreement that would be signed by both a vendor and the City regarding the individual responsibilities of each.. PRAC Minutes/April 14 198$ Page 17 She also mentioned that Plymouth will be sponsoring a. Volksmarch in October which could be part of the Parkers Lake Pavilion grand opening if the timing is right. 4. REPORT ON PAST COUNCIL, ACTION a. P_ly=urh Creek SoccerField. Council approved the construction of a second. soccer field at. Plymouth Creek which will be constructed in 1988, but will not be ready for use until the spring of 1989. b. ,S,tMarv's Neighborhood Park Plans and Suecifications. Council approved the final plans and specifications for St. Mary's park. 5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. PlXMouth Creek Site Planning- Update. George Watson presented a preliminary master plan to the commissioners and staff and reviewed with them how it combined aspects of plans 2 and 3, which were studied, at the March meeting. This plan shows 10 tennis courts, two banks of four courts each, and one bank of two, which would be for spectator, tennis, with seating, surrounding it. One of the banks of four could be domed at a later time for indoor soccer, by placing a turf cover over the court's surface. Discussion also covered the theme park area, and an explanation of the sculptured garden and civic _plaza area. George, pointed out the proposed location of the handicapped accessible tot lot, and commissioners had some questions about this. They were concerned that it would be only for children with handicaps, but were informed by Director Blank and George that. it would .be an integrated playground for use by children of all ability levels, it would simply have ramps to allow wheelchair access to much of the equipment., Commissioner Hanson questioned whether or not the trees could rea.>lly be saved once construction begina on the expansion of the parking lot and the community center, Director Blank responded that it would be difficult. if the community center is moved farther north, onto the land that we do not own at the present time, more trees will be saved. Commissioners asked. George to amend the plan by adding an overlay showing the community center pushed farther north, and changing some of the descriptive titles for example, the title "civic, plaza/sculpture garden" was, confusing to the Commission,because of the many ways this could be interpreted. Following the Commission's review of the amended plan at their May meeting, the plan. would then be shared with the Council. bi Park Usage/Cost Study Report Discussion. Chair Edwards. sta,te t that this item does not have to be decided on at this meeting, but that some decision needs to be reached no later than next month, so that a recommendation can be forwarded to the Council in time for budget. preparation She suggested three possible recommendations to the Council. It was the general consensus of the commissioners that they are not comfortable at this time making a decision on charging user fees, until more information is available from other communities. Staff is still waiting on the. results of a survey being done by Edina on user fees, and this information should be ready by the May PRAC meeting FRAC !minutes/April 14, 1988 Page l8 C packers Lake_Ugdate• Belair Builders, is making great progress on the: pavilion and hopes to have it completed by July 1, although their contract specifies a September 7 completion date. They've agreed to have the picnic shelters finished as soon as possible. d.. Sti Mary's Ngighborh02d Park Update. The advertisement for bids has, been published in the, newspaper, with bid opening scheduled for April 27 at 2:00. The award of contract should go to the City Council on May 2, with construction, beginning sometime in mid or late May. e. Public Hearing to Amend-CoMgrehensiye Plan. This has been tentatively scheduled for the May PRAC meeting.. f i2ns Park Playground Update, Crews are now erecting this playground and should have it 90% completed by Friday, April 22. 6. NEV BUSINESS a,. Request for Matching funds -,Greenwood/Oakwood PTIJ, Director Blank reviewed the written request from the Greenwood/Oakwood PTA for matching funds from the City to build new playgrounds at these two school 'sites. Maps with circles showing the, walking radius to all neighborhood parka in the general vicinity of Greenwood and Oakwood were, also reviewed and discussed. Commissioners then reviewed the guidelines for requesting contributioxns to see if these two groups met the guidelines. It was decided that the Greenwood neighborhood did not meet the guideline for being 50% developed, although the school's attendance is estimated at between 600 and 700 children,_ and these children all use the playground. Commissioners then discussed that the majority of these children are bussed in from other parts of Plymouth. The Commission decided that the Greenwood request would be postponed until staff finds out how many children attending there actually live chose enough to walk to the school,. Bill Richardson, representing the Oakwood PTO, was present at the meeting to request assistance for their playground and to answer any questions. PRAC again reviewed the guidelines and discussed the fact that Oakwood is not designated as a neighborhood park, but rather as a community playfield, and that. Oakwood had received a new parking lot two years ago, which is considered: as an improvement and falls under guideline #8 Mr. Richardson felt that the new parking lot was not as much an improvement to the playground as it was to the community playfield, and therefore, should not be considered when reviewing this request. Commissioners asked Director Blank how funding these projects would affect the construction of other neighborhood parks in 1989. He stated that funds for the school playgrounds would come from the some budget as neighborhood parks and would have to be budgeted for accordingly. He felt, however, that no new neighborhood parks would be built in 1989, but, that two could be possible in 1990,,one of which might be Swan Lake. Kilmer Park needs minor construction and. would probably be the next park _scheduled for any redevelopment funds. PRAC Minutes/April 14, 1988 Page 19 Commissioners decided that neither of these requests for matching funds can be approved at this time, because both need further study, and the Commission would like an opportunity to look at the UP for 1989-94 Mr. Richardson Was asked to provide the Commission with a site plan and a. list of what equipment they would like added and, which Pieces: they will be removing prior to the May meeting. b unity Center General Discussion, Director Blank stated that the City Manager has requested that PRAC have a report prepared by Judy regarding the needs analysis for the community center. In consideration of this. request, he feels. that PRAC will need to meet twice. a month between now and then in order to accomplish this. Because so many interest. groups need to be heard from, it was suggested that, several could speak at one meeting and be given some guidelines in order to make their presentat,ons more effective and timely.. Groups would be limited to 30 minutes each and -should provide as much written information as possible to PRAC prior to making their presentation. Groups that need to be 'heard from include: both District 281 & 284 community education departments, youth hockey, swimming groups and senior citizens, as well as other smaller groups that will want to hold meetings in the community center. Meeting space is a. very important consideration, and in talking with other cities that have built community centers, Director Blank has learned that they did. not plan for enough meeting rooms.. Commissioner Hanson asked if the original plan for the community center included room layout, and Director Blank responded that it did. Chair Edwards stated that FRAC should review that plan to see if it's still appropriate now and that PRAC should also review the task force report prepared in 1984 prior to the May meeting. She suggested that commissioners start a separate folder on community center issues, Director Blank and Chair Edwards will work out a calendar of ineeting dates to discus's the community center and will inform everyone of those dates. c. Parkers Luke Peace Gardens. Unites Properties and Laukka:, the developers of Parkers Lake North, will cc.,tribute $5,000 toward the development of the peace gardens, and have had their landscape architect, Gene Ernst, prepare the concept plans. Director Blank shared, those plans with the Commission and discussed the various components of the plan. It consisted of several nodes, with each node priced separately. The peace gardens could be constructed in phasem, and it is anticipated that some of the gardens would be planted this year. A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER REED AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HANSON TO APPROVE ACCEPTING THE $5,000 DONATION BY UNITED PROPERTIES AND LAUKKA FOR THE PEACE` GARDENS AT PARKERS LAKE CITY PARK. THE MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES. 7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION None U y nU r•rti-.s.l.r e5-*' cg.s.-. ...— cam_. CA Jd 09 c800 agoo -y w t LaN, DRAFT CIP 1989-93 West Medicine. Lake Drive 46th Avenue between Zachary and .than Ferndale Road south of 101 Soo Line trail between Zachary & -,.rch County Road 6 just west of 10`1 Mission natural area Maplecreek Park east to Fernbrook Land Acquis ion :West Medicine Lake Park, 1-4 homes Plymouth Creek Park, Mrs.. Schulty Fernbrook & 9, wood Zachary Playfield, land to west 9th playfield site Develp,Fment Xx-oiects :West Medicine Lake Park Oakwood and Greenwood Elementary Schools 21.8 $742,338 S179,042 930,789 (revenue) $179,042 81,732 260,774 (April 30) 219 $275,497 81,732 4.053 361,282 (revenue April 30' 111,859) -St. Mary's 535)-St. Mary's 1,232) -St. Mary's 6.500)-St. Mary's 241,156 (balance May 1, 1988) $930,789 50,000 (soccer field) 77 645,01.6 (fund balance May 1, 1988) DRAFT 1-9 8 S_ 1 9 8 9 C A P i T A l I i, P R 0 Y E !i E N T S P R 0 6 R A M' 1 • wetni tuna 'increase _ weans fund decrease 2) federal revenue sharing fund 3 Storm serer tax district Y F A R 1 9 8 9 t) Public works reserve fund S) Tax increment financing 6) Hater revenue bonds Park Dedication Fund 1.P< No. Proect 0escri tionNo. Fs Cost Special:Assessments mea latera Tota Co"Mnity Utility N.S.A. Plyflds Neighbrhd Fund (1) Fund i Traits Parks State/ County/ G. 0, Federal Bonds Other PI o th Creek Park Tennis f Parkin 150,,000 ISO 0 Plymouth Creek Park Pond 5 Parkers Lae Garden 6,000 West Medicine Lake Drive h Ave to Park 75,000 8,500.0 0 Community Center 8.500.000 i val r weans Tunu Increast - 198 5 - 1989 SAP f T A L I KPROYE'MENTS Plt06RA11 means fund decrease 2 Federal revenue sharing fund Y E A R - 1 9_9 L 3Storm serer tax district 4) Public works reserve fund S) Tax increment financing 6) Water revenue bonds No. PrIDJeCt Sp--cial Assessments r tag . weans runs ncres%e . DRAFT 1 9 8 5 1 9 means fund decrease9CAPITAEIMPR0YEKEMTS' P R 0 6 R A M ( 23 Federal revenue sharing fund Y E A R - 19 1 3)' Storm sever tax district 4) Public works reserve fund 5) Tax increment financing 6) Hater .revenue bonds I.P. 10. Pro ect Description. Estimated Cost Special AssessmeInts Utilit M. S.'A. Neighbrhd County/ CIE /iII !Mw,,7-P--- Parkers Lake Playfield xi ..tarts tunu ncrease 1985 1989 CAPITAL IMPR0VEMENTS PROGRAM 'a eiksfunddeCreas' DRAFT ---" Federal revenue sharing fund Y E A R 1991 , J Store sewer tax, district 4) Public works reserve fund 5) Tax increment financing 6) Water revenue bonds r I P. Estimated No Pro *ct Descripti CostFund _Federal r R x wCinY tutor iTKrtasr means fund degrease 1 98 S - 1989 CAP 1TAt tMP ROVEMENT5 P'R0GRAM 14) p) Federal revenue sbgring fund 3 Stotw sever tax district Y E A R 1 9 Vii? Publiz works reserve fonda (s) Tax increment financing 6) Water revenue bonds a 1988 - 1992 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM RK S' MAP PROGRAM NO. DESCRIP110 1 1988: Q St. Mary's Neighborhood Park Development 2 1988 West Medicine Lake Park Land Acquisition 1988 12} Trail Construction 3 1,988 ot, Plymouth Creek Park Soccer Field Construction 4 1989 Swan Lake Neighborhood Park Acquisition(Developt,.ent 5 pg< Plymouth Creek Park Pond Dredging 6 1999 West Medicine Lake Park, Phase I Development (including road relocation) 498d Trail Construction 7 Plymouth Creek Park Tennis Court Construction 8 Bats Lake Neighborhood Park Development 9 1990 Kilmer Neighborhood Park Redevelopment 1 1990 Trail Construction 10 1990 Bass Lake Playfield, Phase I Development 11 Plymouth Creek Park Pond Dredging 12 1. 1990 West Medicine Lake Park,Phase 11 Development I 1991 Trail Construction i - 1,991 Neighborhood Park Acquisition/Development, (Northeast Site)' 13 1991 Bass Lake Playfield, Phase I1 Development 14 1 Plymouth Creek Park Pond, Dredging 1,992 Neighborhood Park Acquisition/Development Parkers Lake North and 1-494 b Co. Rd. 9) 15 1.992' Parkers Lake Park Playfield, Phase I Development 1992 Trail Construction 16 I,g Y. ' Plymouth Creek Park. Pond Dredging CITY C PLYMOUT + May 2r 1988 Thomas L. Bisanz dice President. Director of Residential Development Northland Land Company 3500 w 80th Street Minneapolis, MN 55431 Dear 'rom• Thank you for your kind letter and $5,000 donation to Parkers Lake City Park., The Laukka Development at Vicksburg Lane and County Road 6, and your Mallard Point Development will be outstanding additions to the City of Plymouth, I have enjoyed working with you during, the last two years.. We would not be able to develop projects like Parkers Lake: without the understanding and cooperation of developers such as ycu and Mr. Laukka. Tom, you are to be comtaended for your farsightedness. As we have discussed previously, I have tentatively set up a presentation for you and Mr. Laukka: prior to the May 16 City Council meeting.. Again, thank you for this most kind and generous contribution, Sincerely,, Eric J. Blank, Director Parks and Recreation EJBjnp cc: City Manages Fark and Recreation Advisory Commission 3400 PLYMOUTH, BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH: MINNESOTA 55447, TELEPHONE (612) 5592800 A SUBSIDIARY' OF T4E. NORTHLAND COMPANY April 29, 1988 Mr. Eric Blank Director, Parks and Recreation City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, Minnesota 55447 RE: Contribution to Parkers Memorial, Garden Parkers Lake Park, Plymtatath, Minnesota Dear 'Er is Please find enclosed a check in the amount of 15.5,-000.00 as a contribution to the landscaping of Parkers Memorial Garden. Although the check is from the Northland Land Company, this contribution is. made equally by L. A., Laukka Development Company and us:. I will be seeking reimbursement from Larry Laukka for half the amount. We appreciate this opportunity for communkty involvement. We share: your excitement in helping to create one of the premier city parks in the Twin Cities. We compliment you on; the fine park facility as well as the job you and the entire Parks Department. are doing to enhance: the high quality of life which the residents of the city of Plymouth enjoy. S`ncerely, omas L. Bisana Vine President Director of Residential Development TLB/ snm Enc. cc;. Larry Laukka, 3500 WEST WTN STREET MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 55431 -TELEPHONE 612.831-1000 A W.s wM-i aa_: xy/ltp wwcrt•+%F ... s , Fx wi \ Kik: rwd 1733saw NORTHLAND LAND COMPANY \.... l.,.x 3540 WEST 80TH STREET, NQ. 100 MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55131 22«t gn ofPAY M DATE AMOUNT TO City of Plymouth 4-28-85 5,000.00 OROt t 3400 Plymouth Blvd NORTHLAND LAND COMPANY or Plymouth, VN. 55447 N400 7 3 30, of:0960000 Ly1 20sc6 313 30u' i DETACH AND RETAIN THIS STATEMENT T4C 1kTT1kC4[0 CwRCK IS IN rAYMCNT Of ITEMS : OrSCRIRCO. RIC'-OW pNORTHLANDLANDCOMPANYkrNOTCONRCCT LcAsr NOTIKY` Ut "OkirTt y, NO RCCEI'T acal"ro DELUXE . FORM TWVO-2 SPL, DATE DESCRIPTION AMOUNT EXPLANATION (24) IDENT,NO. co DISTRIBUTION DEBT CREDIT CC JACCOUNT NO. SUB, MEMO CITY OF PLYMOUTH 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH,. MINNESOTA 55447 DATE: April 27, 1,988 TO: James G. Willis, City Manager FROM: Eric J. Blank, Director of Parks and Recreation Eb SUBJECT: WAYZATA SOCCER CLUB TOURNAMENT REQUEST The Wayzata Soccer Club has submitted a request to sponsor two tournaments in 1988:. The first tournament, scheduled for June 24-26, is consistent with their use of our facilities in previous years. I have granted approval of this tournament request. The. second 'request, which is a new program, is for July 15-17. They have requested the use of eight fields for this three day weekend.. I have denied this request based on my belief that this is an. increase in the use of our facilities over previous yes:. This concentrated type of use definitely has the potential for driving up our field maintenance costs Darrell. Johnson is the individual representing the Wayzata Soccer Club on, these. matters. I've indicated to Darrell, that, if he wishes to appeal my finding in this matter, I would be happy to prepare this item for the May 16 City Council. meeting. I will keep. you informed of any further information on this item. EBjnp Attachments cc Park and Recreation Advito y Commission Rick Busch CITY OF PLYNi7lCI't# SPECIAL EVENT/PARK USAGE APPLICATION 1. Organization '1%*2-aI„ co r-c,r 2. Person in Charge: Name 1)L ra Address d S 3 S Phone: Home G Z 7Wbrk+-f`O"P0 S' 3. Dates desired ,uwc Zq T Z socG•Lr 4 Fields/U49a desired AM t el , Z 5. Wi 11 food be sola? • p 6. Other A icdC u.f 't .y. s- nti. CEkA of a9S 7. Fields: Ply Grooms Outside Grouos Baseball/Sof tballAiockey/13roomball Baseball/ oftball/ :)ckey/-Brnb 10/game/fielcl or rink $20/game/field or rink 40/day/field or rink $60/day/field or rink Fbotball/Secoer Football/Sour 15/game/field $20/game/field 60/day/field $80/day/field Ejtimated Actgal (Office use Only) Field charges $ --- Lights ($20/hr/field) Staff($6/hour Tent ($175) Pitching Machine ($15/hour) TOTAL , 100` DEPOSIT IXE AT TIME OF APPLICATION. z. Zx rri hl1 AA1.U.-0 _ , understand that a, part or all of the deposit fee will be forfeited if condition of the park requires extra duties for. the Park and Recreation Department, and that I and the representative organization are r ible for conduct of participants and any resulting damages. Si ure Date Tournament request granted l% Rejected Park and Recreation Director's Signature,-'—'1--l" _ Date s CrI'Y OF PLYNM" SPECIAL E E14r/PARK USAGE APPLICATI®N 1. organization % Z4O CSC• C 2. Person in Charge: Name _N rri lC c i .vsQ r Addrest'a..+.Sfio Phone Home G Z 7 Work 3. Dates desired T _ /7 1a., first' iL1. lalt/, 4 . Felds/UiWw desired .p z 5. will food be sold? • P 6 . Other 1 . me( c e i I c 7. Fields:Outside Grout Baseball/Sof tball/Hockey/Hroomball Baseball/Softball/liockey/Brmb 10/game/field or rink $20/9ame/field or rink 40/day/field or rink $60/day/field or rink Football/Soccer Football/Soccer 15/game/field $20/game/f ield 60/day/field $80/day/field FActua1 (Office use only) Field charges Lights ($20/hr/field) Staff ($6/bour) Tent ($175) Pitching Machine ($15/hour) WrAL 100 I 06IT !XE AT TIME OF APPLICATICN. understand that a part or all of the deposit fee will, be forfeited if condition of thePa rk requires extra duties for the Park and Recreation Department, and, that I and the representative organization are responsible for oonducb of participants and any resulting damages. Si tura Date Tournament request granted Rejected Park and Recreation Director's Signature _ - Date PARKS AND RECREATION B.C. LEISURE POOL IS WAVE OF THE FUTURE The folks at the W.C. Blair Recreation Centre in Langley, B.C., a 1987 Facility of Merl, rightfully boast thatthar new pod facility—complete with a wave system, fide, bubble machine and an erupting volcano—rivals any of Europe's finest leisure facilities, By Tom Down Located 40 miles from downtown Vancouver, Langley, with a city giSurf's Up_ Surf's UPI" population of 16,000 and a township It's an old rallying cry population of 54,000, boasts the first that has gained new leisure wave pool in British Colum - popularity around Langley, British bia whose water is treated by the Columbia, these days. And it isn't first European -style ozone system in simply a trendy revival, subject to Western Canada. Those are just the the vagaries of youth, current trends first of the firsts incorporated into and the weather, lt's trumpeted by the W.C. Blair 'Recreation Centre, young and oldalike, and it will The 35,000 -square -foot indoor reverberate for years to come, facility was designed specifically to 30 meet the needs of an entire com- munity, focusing both on the seri- ous athlete and the recreational user. it features a lap pool,, diving area, play lagoon and tot area -all in one 200,000 gallon body of water; For ambience, the facility touts a volcano that erupts on schedule several times an hour and a mood setting, three-way lighting system, as well as a Mexican -style sauna and a swirl pool. It's all state of the art in design, functional in performance, and, with the benefit of fast-track construction, it came in under budget at $33 million Canadian. A HOLIDAY ATMOSPHERE. If you think the patrons who visit the Centre by the hundreds every day are pleased, talk to the people who researched, planned and executed it. You'll find out why buttons are popping all over Langley. For the money, they feel they have the finest facility of its type in the world. What we tried to do was in- troduce fun and a holiday at- mosphere," tmosphere," says Vic Davies of Davies & Smith Architects of Van- couver, "This is anattempt to get away from that cold, clinical feeling that most pools seem to be blessed' with. It's a fact that a vast majority of people who go to a pool go there for leisure swimming, as opposed to competitive swimming. In the past, ATHLETIC BUSINESS, May, 19" ATHLETIC NUSINESS,_May, M8 - 31 what we've done is cater to the com- petitive swimmer and all of the s pools were designed to accommo- date these people. We're turning the table on that. We're trying to accommodate the leisure swim- mers—the people who go there for pure enjoyment:" Davies concedes that the W.C. omeBlairRecreationCentreisstillsome- 1` -moi•;:: ..°.-=..... thingthing of a compromise from a true w ' leisure pool, since it does feature a. six -lane, 25 -meter competition area. fButagain, the purpose of the facil= a, ity is to satisfy the diverse recrea- tional tastes of 710,000 people. We knew what we wanted was a family recreation center, something that wasn't geared strictly toward competition," says Darchbborne, Langley's director of community services, who acted as the Centre's design and construction coor- With its vvokeno, pictured here in the background, and other eantic attributes, dinator, the pool helps create an environment that removes people from everyday life. We wanted to be able to accom- modate competition at a local that 80 percent of the responding, are the end result of a foundation level, but not offer ourselves for patrons were between the ages of built upon extensive research and something like a summer tourna- 25 and: 40, with 92 percent having planning. Originally, the facility was mentor Provincial Games. So we set children under 12 years old, It also intended to house two swimming the minimum competitive standard pointed out that 43 percent of the pools—a competition pool and a at the 25 -meter pool and added very respondents visited the Centre at passive recreation -oriented free- little bleacher capacity. least twice a month, and 31 percent form leisure pool—together with fit - We wanted a facility that would came once or twice a week. The tress facilities. Price; $4.6 million. be available for drop-in swimming main reasons for attending were However, a Langley referendum any time that the building was relaxationtstress reduction (27 per- mandated that one-third of the cap - open,'" says Oborne, "You don't cent), maintaining a desirable fit- ital funding must come from the have to carry a card in your wallet, ness level (23 percent), and learning Provincial Recreation Facilities saying `Here are the times for pub- and/or improving swimming skills Fund. Weeks after the referendum lic swimming; as we used to call it. 21 percent). was passed, the Facilities Fund was You can drop in any time and Millen says a new marketing study "suspended:' there'll always be a portion of the is underway in an effort to even out. In 1985, momentum for a pool pool available for lap swimming, the bumps in the attendance graph. resurfaced, and planners examined and a portion of the leisure pool They're also looking to improve ways to get the biggest bang forthe available for just having fun in, the numbers through group book- buck, if necessary, without Provin- water. The swirl, sauna and fitr ess ings—keeping in mind the open cial Funding assistance. in order to room also are always available, door philosophy of the Centre, ensure that the project would be How does this sort of free-f'row, Our comfortable maximum is the most innovative and technolog-- almost "classless" policy suit the 250 at a time in the pool area," he scally advanced in all of British aquanauts of Langley? Just fine, says. "So even with a large group of Columbia, the cotire design team, according to facility manage,- Dale say, 1o0 it wouldn't be a problem:" along with Oborne and the con - Miller, who actually works for the SOMETHING E011 EVERYONE. The struction manager, traveled to Eu- Langleywhich I beenYIo W.C. Blair Recreation Centre offers rope to research the top leisure rrun wrun Cmtr says when the facility opened on a full complement of swim and life- centers in the world. Anew pool referendum, with a Dec. 15,19K. initial enthusiasm was swim" classes, as well as a gym and price tag of $3.85 million Canadian, swim program, which combinetremendous. Average daily atter- dry land exercise with aquatics. was placed before voters and it dance was 1,200 with a peak of 1,923 received an 80 percent favorable patrons on. March 18,1987. By June, Admission costs range from $3.25 response in both the city and town - attendance figures had dipped to an a day for an adult to $126.75 for a Ship of Langley. Through Expo Lega- average of 760 a day, and in Febru- 3 -month pass. Because the Centre cyfunding, the Centre received $1.2 aryof this year, they had climbed to is a municipal public facility, no million from the Provincial govern - yearlong memberships can be sold, 880. ment of British Columbia, and area A marketing study completedjust The critical acclaim and numeri- service clubs and organizations after the facility opened reported cal success achieved by the Centre (conrintiedon next mase) ATHLETIC NUSINESS,_May, M8 - 31 LEISURE POOL Continued front page 31 donated another $30,000, The re- rrlainder came via a loan authoriza- tion by-law (bond issue), for a 20 -year amortization" Incidentally, thefacility in Langleyf-" marked the first use of Expo Legacy funding in British a r Columbia. That fund was established to "spread the W t \ r --- wealthy by providing money for facilities throughout the provincec v • ..- r,, r _ " n F a` followfollowing Expo '86 in Vancouver. m ' PAST -TRACK CONSTRUCTION. Once funding won approval, the project moved along quickly under fast- track construction, which mini- ini- mizedtheamountoftimespentonmized. the amount of time spent on the drafting period. In this case, the The pool, which ranges in depth from a zero beach near the play lagoon and lot areaCentre's foundation and shell were to 10!V. -feet for diving, is intended for both the recreational and competitive user. just begun when the project lead ers left for Europe. we didn't even have a site selected, voters, at 6 -foot maximum depth, When Nve dug the foundation of and. we started construction in and we added, the extra 4Yz feet to the building," explains Oborne, "we ' October. make the splash pool for the slide had the footprint of the building The fast-track construction a little safer and to add a diving designed. We didn't have the plans management allowed us to adjust board. completed ky any means. We did the budget—taking things out and "We also added to the fitness that as needed over the course of putting things in—as we went along, rocin, making it 1,500 square feet, construction. That was because for example, we added to the depth ratf -r that, 2M, We realized that when we passed the vote in June, of the pool. It was passed by the :ontinued on paga 341 IL Circle 27 on the Information Request Card 32 v 4 • f , S. L ae For over 100 Ye k* beer,Mritng the t vtt,iil rcvebCetaa a• a ttil3N'i p` a ct>"i'a" i'CiS Sti Eye, ztnic t t, '` \atP4 a d tlud Q le30toti",,;ta:ldt7tcn 4t `, .. t p 1,41iC itOP.pti' OUfeCtit ap Il`tU' tftl C 1 i`` 1 t tae? N\C t hCt11 YOUC, i CUstet a`.d taiartUvahle a) t iurQC41hi.3 1Qp edCrooveQC and 1pda1 phttlm $Potts? AdK iAeEubnpytgolkAW atA tCemurY R`i HURy tt set.. Ct tTOWELB,,tic. knXV 'A" Yrnat\ti4m FAX 0 tot 3%0v 000135055 1-8W-356-91681 ATHLETIC BUSINESf,, May, 1988 LEISURE POOL Continued 6om page 32)' when we started looking at the final plans, it just wasn't going to be able to accommodate the community we have here and its fitness desires" Fast-track construction also earned the praise of architect Davies, particularly in the area of cost control, if costs ran over bud- get in one area, it could be reduced' in another. When the lights catch the water and fog going up together, it's just like sheets of flame," The reaction that we're getting from some of the people from Eu- rope who are visiting us is that we are now leading the world," says Oborne, "It's exciting that a com- munity of 7+0,000 has a facility that is first and foremost in the worldfor this particular thing. Now we're not talking about a 150-metercompeti- tion swim pool, We're talking about a community facility, which serves an amazing percentage of the popu- lation, and is doing so at a deficit that is so low, it's almost unheard of; The heart of the Centre is, of course, the leisure/competition pool, Measuring 101'2 feet at its deepest, it gradually shallows to a zero beach near the play lagoon and tot area, Thegently sloping beach allows (or wheelchair access, as well as benefitting those who prefer to enter the water slowly. Water equip- ment includes a 1 -meter diving board, slide, bubble machine, foun- tain sprays and various spray heads. Rising above the deck at the deep end is the volcano, complete with asound and light package that pro- vides a two or seven minute erup- tion several times an hour. Why a volcano? We had a storeroom at the end of the pool hall," says Davies, "and. rather than just' leave it like that, we decided to try the volcano, We could introduce a sound and light situation and add a new dimension into the pool atmosphere. We worked with a guy to build the rock work and then we put a water fountain in it, which provides. the eruption, And there's a fog machine in there as well, with strobe lights and colored lights, and a sound machine, too. What hap- pens is when the lights catch the water and fog going up together,it's just like sheets of flame, The fog is actually scented. it's pHia colada. So that's another dimension. You have smell as well, as sight and sound," To the "unsuspecting" swimmer, the volcano acts as the impetus be- hind the waves that ripple through the pool, When surf's up, those waves can measure feet high in the deepest part of the pool, before breaking gently on the zero beach, The intensity and the frequency of the volcano and waves are sub- ject to what is going on in the pool at any given time. During times when classes are in progress, the natural disasters" tend to be less frequent, Architect Davies, believes that 34: Dicle 30 on the;loiornat on Request: Caro ATHLETIC BUSINUS, May, 1988 moving water is ideal for the leisure a place to sit and participate in the popular and practical attraction, pool concept. But surprisingly he conversation. "it allows the public to be in the adds, "One thing that tends to A DICK FOR LANDL000ERL Patrons pool area and watch the goings-on. get overemphasized is the wave who preferto keep both feet on dry ror instance, the parents: of kids in machine, ground are not excluded. The facil, the classes can be very close to the ity features a two-tiered deck area activity, whereas in many pools, for spectators and resting, parti- there is a glass partition separating cipants. It's lined with umbrella the paid area from the unpaid area, The fast-track constructiontopped patio tables, and nearby is Our way makes it more comfort an Orange Julius concession stand, able;' says Miller. management` allowed us to which sells soft drinks, sandwiches, "Also, we have the Municipal Hall adjust the budget --taking muffins, doughnuts: and other next door. Quite a few of them snacks. According to Miller, the con- come over regularly for lunch, just things out and putting things cept and design of the deck is a (continued on next pager in -as we went along." 7771TA777777f 77". One of our basic philosophies is we try to establish moving water in every pool' we do' says Davies. "The wave machine is just one of maybe 20 ways. It's not all that important. You. can get. a lot of emphasis out of the -smaller items like 'fountain sprays, spray hats, bubble machines, and all that kind of thing. That's. what the kids like. The wave machine, if it's affordable, is the icing on the cake:' The 4,000 -gallon swirl pool, like the main pool, ',s distinctive. Instead of being a nken rectangular receptacle, the swirl pool is raised' and is shaped similarly to three adjoining circles. The swirl pool is the resultof an evolution that we've worked up over the years," says Davies. "It's a con- versation pit style pool. Tradition- ally, swirl pools are rectangular or square. Years ago we decided to drop an island in it so you could have people sitting in the middle and along the sides talking to each other. Well, we watcl,,ed what was hap- pening, and we found ii -,at some of the older people and pet ple with arthritic complaints liked th,: shape because they could walk around the rock. But they would be bumping into knees and stepping on feet. What we've got now is a series. of 6 -foot circular areaswhich allow for conversation, and also an area right through the middle which allows people to walk up and down. So, you might get a group of teenagers in one part and older folks in another and it's really be- come a social thing:' in addition, the lip of the swirl pool is raised, allowing "outsiders" ATHMIC IUSINESS, May, VON T he "`Go -Anywhere" Filter MierocellT" Modular Pool Filtration Possibly the last filter you'll ever buy! After ,rears of engineering research, Recreonics has: revolutionized the design' and installation of hi -rate sand filtration systems: Mie ocell Tm filters feature:: Modular expansion & higher az, cities in limited access areas Easy "one-man" installation. - modular "cellsO' fit thru a standard 36" door Increased design freedom allows multiple tank configurations, even tank "stacking" Non -corrosive stainless steel Ten year replacement warranty We'd tike to talk to you about the benefits of MicrocellTmA odularPool Filtration! Call tall free today, National 800-428-3254 Indiana 800-792-34119 11111" r F Circle 31 on the Information Requ Card 35 LEISURE POOL SUPPLIER Institutional Fable" That philosophy of providing Even the central check-in area US. National time, space and equipment for the exudes a feeling of sociability. it'sContinuedfrompages) average person interested in fitness designed more like a hotel recep- to sit around the pool and be enter- lies at the root of the WC., Blair tion desk, rather than the standard tained by the kids in the water," Recreation Centre, The idea is to get recreation center check-in. That, as For the fitness -minded land- the entire family involved, rather well, is part and parcelwith the lubber, the Centre also has a fitness than just the serious athlete of the leisure concept: make patrons feel studio, stocked with Universal and family comfortable from the time they Hydra -Fitness equipment, and exec- Nowhere is the family' theme walk in the building until the time case bicycles. The variety of equip- more evident than in the Centre's they leave. ment is intended to provide the locker rooms. In addition to the I think that if you took your kids average patron with a good, healthy traditional changing area, the along, you'd find out what makes workout. But why a weight room Ito Centre features six self-contained a leisure pool facility? private changing rooms for use by A large component of keeping fit families, the handicapped and the is a drrland area where you can inhibited. The idea, again, was a The facility i S an ideal mar - have access to weight equipment," European import and it has gone says Oborne.. "We're looking at this over very well in Langley.. riage between modern tech - room more and more and finding it's a great feature," says Oborne. nology and old-fashionedthatitisn't, just for the muscle- Mom comes in with three children leisure. bound types. We're geared toward and just to contain them in one the average person off the street room is a plus; with an hour or so who can really While not intended to serve as a get a good workout. - Complete social center for the Lang - People in the fitness room look ley area, the Centre does feature the Centre special," says Davies. out over the pool and people in the a few amenities aside from swim- You can enjoy it and so can they. pool below can look up and see ruing and weight lifting. There are We don't have lifeguards anymore. they aren't all 'Schwa rtzenbu rgers' three multipurpose studios with We have social hosts and hostesses.: up there. They're just like you and rubberized flooring geared to aero- They're there to help you have a me,, so it's more inviting," says bics, a child-care area, and arts stu- good time; They're not; sitting on Oborne. dios for public use. lifeguard ,stands blowing whistles. CHEMICAL AUTOMATION t t.y 4 AWbmatic control of sanitizer (chlorine or bromine) and pH for dean and sate water at, all tunes: Call us or write bar your FREE `COMPUTER ANALYSIS of wnicels and labor savings and for name of dealer near you; eb6k* CALLTM FREE' e0114121.2279 113 W. Mission St. IN CAUFOPW Swft 8arWra, CA 93301 eO65Wt7M Circle 32 -on. the Information Request Cud 36 tIOTAt STRWIN TRA1Nt1i O PROQUM SELF MOTIVATING SELF COUNSELLING SELF EXPLANATORY 598" x 59899 a profeuionai Guidance system for universal gyms and other pulley systems. pr ftd in 4 dynamic colas on 110DESTRUCi'IKE PLASTIct irichedes mount'p kit, For a ins color brochure write: PACIFIC FITNESS SYSTEMS, INC. W7 Third Ave., Suite 300 S111113nb, Will. 98104 Phone collect. Canada, (eW) 393-95M Circle 33 on the. Information Request Card Always No. 1 en Table Tennis" STIGA ELITE ROLLER: The Ultimate SUPPLIER Institutional Fable" o Games US. National Tables • Rackets Championships Net/Posts • Balls 0 Accessories OFFICIAL. SUPPLIER 1987` Pan Am U,S. Open Games US. National 1988 Olympics Championships IR L Contact: TALE TENNIS AMERICA, LTD,. 6" 32111 • GkhOwm a City, OK 73123 405)0474"2 • T*N Fne: NO-rn-9441 ATHLETIC BUSINESS, May, 1988 iv n They're walking around, talking to you and encouraging you to get in there and enjoy it, The object is to go there and cre- ate something. You don't just go there to swim laps. You'll go into the sauna, you'll go into the swirl pool, you can sit above the bubble machine, play with the spray heads.. By the time you've gone around and done everything at the pool, you'll feel that you've gone around on a long track. it's an experience!' Oborne echoes those sentiments by explaining that the Centre serves as a haven from the hectic pace of day-to-day life. What the architect tried to do," he says, "is create an environment within the pool, rather than creat- ing windows through which you can look out onto the street. You're in that pool and you're in you: own environment, It seems that you're really quite removed from the every- day challenges and frustrations that a person might. have. You can really get a nice feeling:' LATEST TECHNOLOGIES. That's ad- mirable on a philosophical level, but on the, practical plane, the Centre has utilized the latest tech- nologies of ech- nologiesof the '80s to separate the inside environment from the out- side. utside. The facility's insulation is actually an outsulation wall system. Cou- pled with an inverted roofing mem- brane assembly system, it provides the building with a continuous What we tried to do was introduce a holiday atmo- sphere, in an attempt to get away from that cord, clinical feeling that most pools seem to be blessed with. vapor barrier. Davies says it's sort of like wrapping the building in a blanket. The Centre also boasts a heat recovery system that pulls the inside humidity out of the air and returns it to the water system as partially heated water. THERE'S NO NEED TO GET WET BEFORE YOU GO SWIMMING Let us tell you how our I Zephyr° dehumidifier keeps the water in the pool. and the air dry and warm. DUMONT REFRIGERATION CORP. P,o dor 119, Monmouth, Maine G4259 Tel (207) 933-4811 y11r P7Nmrt 0MVIrn IS ErC0110f)rc M N'urblIalNlUp & iffV1tr ATHLETIC BUSINESS, Msr, Thosewho have chilly childhood memories of swimming_ lessons in an icy cold pool will take comfort in the fact that at Langley, more warm water is injected into the tot, beach and lagoon, areas of the pool than anywhere else. There is a measure of calculating practicality involved, since hydrologytestsindicate that these areas provide the best start- ing points for the warm water to fan out to the rest of the pool. As far as the people at Langley are concerned, their facility is an ideal marriage between modern tech- nology and old-fashioned leisure. This ieisure!competition-type`facil- ity may be the wave of the future. I think any municipality contem- plating a pool should think twice before putting in just straightfor- ward, competition -type swimming pool;' says Davies. "They should look seriously into putting in a leisure -type pool. It need not neces- sarily have a wave machine, but at least; it should cater to the majority of the community, rather than to the minority." Tom Dorman is a tree -lance writer. LOOK FAST? Speed Isn't everything... The A%" KM@ Cominumedhite is the most advanced ,pool cleaning system on the market today. The Aqua Klw, CoswwawMr can operate in either automatk: Of marxtat nsodes. urvatteftded for an overnight vacuumkty of every inch of an 0kmipk pool or drive it to the center of s pool to whIsk away defacls mk+utes,before a meet. 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