Work begins to refine rec center plan

An effort to build a community recreation center in Mountain Home continued to move forward as community representatives submitted their feedback on what the complex could offer.

A meeting hosted by the Western Elmore County Recreation District and Treasure Valley YMCA on April 1 represented the first step in a six-month process to refine the size and cost of the facility and what amenities and programs it would offer.

Representatives from LCA Architects in Boise, which is designing the building, addressed the group of business owners, community leaders and local representatives attending the public gathering.

During last week's meeting, the architectural firm gathered data from those individuals to determine what features the community wants to include in the initial stage of the facility, which it called the "base project." Feedback like that is important since it allows community members to understand the pros and cons of different building features within the constraints of the budget, said Steven Simmons, managing partner with LCA Architects.

The Mountain Home project is nothing new for the company. The Boise-based firm has designed 34 recreation and aquatic centers over the years, including 14 within the last 15 years.

The WECRD center represents a

"defining project for this community," said Jim Kalvelage, a representative from Opsis Architecture, which is consulting for LCA on the project. The Portland-based firm has considerable experience building similar types of recreation facilities.

The goal is to create a sense of civic identity and a magnet to draw people of all ages, according to Kalvelage. In addition, aspects of the building's design need to flow from one area to the next.

When people step through the doors, they should see the gymnasium and community areas from the vestibule, he added. That would, in essence, draw them into the building.

A draft program presented at last week's meeting highlighted key aspects of the proposed project.

The architectural firm estimated that the initial facility would include nearly 22,000 square feet of space. More than half of that space would go toward recreation facilities, including at least one basketball court, multi-purpose exercise areas and a cardiovascular training area.

Putting that into perspective, a standard football field measures 48,000 square feet, not including the end zones.

Kalvelage estimated the overall project would run about $3.7 million with about $700,000 of that money dedicated to site costs and landscaping in addition to fitness equipment and furnishings.

The goal is to get the most out of that remaining $3 million while ensuring that it remains sustainable and practical, he said. At the same time, the base project needs to build up enough "critical mass" to encourage the next step in the project, which could include an indoor pool in coming years.

For now, Kalvelage said this initial design could actually yield a larger facility and more amenities based on the community's feedback and the success of a capital campaign aimed at raising additional funds to build the complex.

Pointing to rough drafts of the proposed facility, the architects illustrated how many ways the facility could look and where to locate various rooms and the central gymnasium. For example, Kalvelage showed how the building could take advantage of available sunlight by moving rooms around or simply rotating them to change their orientation.

Moving the parking lot behind the building could be another benefit, said Nate Turner, managing partner with LCA Architects. It would open up the space in front of the facility that looks out onto South 18th East Street.

The proposed 3,600 square feet dedicated to community event rooms remained one of the main discussion topics during the meeting. Depending on the public's input, that area could remain one large room or divided into smaller areas and host more than one program at the same time.

In addition, these rooms could even connect to an outside patio area that would allow them to expand and accommodate other types of events.

Todd McCurry, president of the Mountain Home Auto Ranch, suggested building two community rooms versus going with just one large room. He expected that demand for those rooms will remain in high demand once the facility opens, and having more than one of these rooms would help better meet that demand.

During his presentation, Kalvelage recommended that the facility include a raised indoor walking or jogging path. These paths are very popular at other recreation facilities, especially during the winter months.

However, these pathways normally work best if the community moves forward with a gym area large enough to accommodate two full-sized basketball courts, he added.

Former county commissioner Connie Cruiser recommended that the recreation center needed two basketball courts versus one. Using both courts for various recreation and sports for children, teens and adults represents the best use of the community's money, she said.

Cruiser also suggested that the complex include an indoor or outdoor stage. It would serve as a place for music programs and performances hosted by the Mountain Home Arts Council and local area schools.

Looking at other proposed features, the construction committee tended to have favorable views of adding a "child watch" area in the building. This would allow single parents or couples to exercise while their children are supervised.

But the facility isn't limited to indoor features. With 20 acres of land to work with, the recreation complex could easily include an assortment of outdoor features, including walking trails with parcourse fitness equipment set up along the pathway, Kalvelage said.

In addition to planning for the base project, the facility needs to look to the future to accommodate new amenities, including the indoor pool. It makes sense to plan now for these types of large-scale improvements to avoid design problems down the road, Kalvelage said.

Robby Robinson, regional bank branch manager for Home Federal Bank, asked how the facility could plan for these future additions without making the building look incomplete.

That's factored into the overall design that begins with the base project, Turner said. The challenge is to make the building look complete despite knowing that it will grow with new additions added on down the road.

"You can meet your dreams with this" facility and not feel limited with the incremental changes that would happen down the road, Kalvelage added.

WECRD board president Jana Borgholthaus shared her enthusiasm for the wide list of options this facility could include.

"It shows how it can serve the community in so many ways," she said.

The architectural firm will take the ideas introduced at last week's meeting and work them into a new set of preliminary plans. The company expects it'll take another four months to put together the initial designs and finalized cost estimates and another two months to finish the actual construction documents.

Meanwhile, the YMCA continues to look for people interested in joining a construction task force, whose suggestions will be incorporated into the building's final look as well as features it will include.

For more information on joining the task force, call Keyra Elmo at 344-5502, extension 262.