Orange County NC Website
To: Assembly of Governments Meeting <br />From: Lori Taft, Orange County Recreation and Parks Director <br />Date: April 22, 2005 <br />Re: HOMESTEAD AQUATICS CENTER UPDATE <br />Current Status: In design and permitting phase <br />Design Firm: GGA <br />This project involves the construction of an aquatics center within Homestead Park. <br />Currently the building program includes two tanks, locker rooms, and a small meeting <br />room. The main tank would be a 25 meter X 25 yard lap pool. The second would be a 25 <br />meter X 10 yard tank that would include a zero entry ramp and would likely be set at <br />warmer temperatures for youth, elderly, and mobility challenged persons. <br />The following has occurred or is ongoing: <br />• The Town Council reviewed a concept plan in .June 2004, , <br />• A Special Use Permit was submitted in October. The complete SUP schedule has <br />not yet been determined. Staff review has also started. <br />• Town staff and GGA completed an analysis of preliminary cost estimates and <br />determined that the budget was inadequate for the base program approved by the <br />Council and Commissioners. This situation was created by recent increases in the <br />costs of construction materials. Town staff and GGA have developed a new <br />building program that reduces the size of the building but retains the two tanks. <br />We should know by early May if the revised building program is within budget. <br />• Town staff and GGA are trying to determine if budget will support a LEED <br />certification for energy and sustainability.. <br />On April 15 the Town Council's Committee on Sustainability, Energy, and Environment <br />(SEE) discussed the proposed Aquatics Center and voted unanimously to recommend that <br />the project not seek LEED certification, However, the Committee was interested in <br />making sure that the building is built and designed in a manner that, if the Town were <br />seeking certification, it would earn as many LEED points as possible within the existing <br />budget. The Committee also explored possible uses of some of the Town's Energy Bonds <br />for this project. The SEE will review options <br />for use of Energy Bonds on May 6. <br />On April 19 the Project Planning Committee (2 members each of the CouncilBOCC) <br />reviewed a revised concept plan that reduces the size of the structure, but preserves the <br />main program elements ofthe earlier design. This new design reduces the overall <br />building size, deck space, storage space and the size of the offices. Locker room areas <br />were redesigned to maximize efficiency. The size of the tanks was not reduced. The <br />