Construction Begins on Lopez Swim Center; Local Contractors Chosen for Project
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | August 2024
Construction Begins on Lopez Swim Center; Local Contractors Chosen for Project
The long-awaited construction of the Lopez Swim Center, located on 2.5 acres just off Center Road, is officially underway, marking a significant milestone for islanders. With two pools—one four-lane lap pool and one warmer-water wellness pool—the Center promises to be a beacon of health, wellness, and recreation for residents and visitors of all ages.
Friends of Lopez Island Pool (FLIP) board and committee members were on hand for the first shovel in the ground. Plans are underway for a community event to celebrate this milestone moment later this fall.
Sage Building Solutions, owned by longtime Lopezians Jenny and Doug Poole, is the general contractor for the project. They bring their expertise and commitment along with Donnie Poole as site superintendent. Other local contractors are involved: MR Buffum of Lopez Sand & Gravel is currently doing excavation and site work; local architects Lois and Bob Wardell of Wardell Architects are helping shepherd the project; and Tom Froning of Lopez-based design-build firm Soundesign is FLIP’s Owner’s Representative.
“There has been a tremendous response by local contractors to help bring this long-awaited vision to reality,” says Executive Director Anne Marie MacPherson, “and to do so in the most cost-effective way possible.”
Construction kicked off with site mobilization and preparation during the first week of August. Utilities are getting placed and, once site grading is complete, excavation for the two pools will begin. The steel-framed Myrtha pools purchased earlier this year are already in storage on-site.
Construction is expected to take about 12 months, with the Swim Center slated to open in Fall 2025. Final fundraising efforts will run synchronously with the construction project to complete the capital campaign.
The Swim Center will be a year-round place for the community and visitors alike to come together for fun, fitness, and healing. From community gatherings to outdoor BBQs on the lawn; to exercise classes and physical therapy; from lap swimming to camps and family Dive-In Movie nights, the Swim Center will have something to offer everyone. In the summer, the pools will be open-air, so that swimmers can bask in the sunshine. In the winter, the pools will be enclosed within a heated, air-supported structure, which offers significant cost-savings upfront compared to a conventionally built natatorium.
Operating as a nonprofit, the Swim Center will be open to the public but will not rely upon property tax monies or levies. Instead, user fees (including memberships, drop-in and weekly passes), fitness class and training fees, summer and winter camp tuition, and special event and facility rentals will support the Center’s financial viability, now and in the future. Scholarships, sponsorships, and discounted memberships will ensure all who want to swim can join the fun. (For more details on proposed membership tiers, visit FLIP’s website.)
The Center is currently recruiting skilled swimmers, aged 15 and up, to participate in lifeguard certification training in preparation for paid positions as lifeguards, junior lifeguards, and swimming instructors. The first informational meeting this fall will be on Tuesday, Sept. 10, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the Lopez Library’s meeting room.
As operations unfold, FLIP is looking for more community members to join the inaugural crew and help with events and prepare for opening day! Visit www.lopezislandpool.org/volunteer.
It’s Happening! Groundbreaking at Pool Lane!
Board and Committee members were on hand for the first shovel in the ground (see video below) and we invite the ENTIRE community to celebrate this milestone moment this fall! Look for announcements coming soon
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The Pools are HERE | Winter Appeal Update | Interview with Pool Pro Stu Isaac
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The Dream Has Arrived:
THE POOLS ARE HERE!
The two Myrtha pools arrived on Lopez on January 30th and are in storage on Pool Lane.
We are eagerly anticipating the culmination of the construction campaign to close the gap in fundraising. We’re almost there, and getting closer every day, thanks to your ongoing support. The Islands will Swim!
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Winter Appeal Brings in More Than $720K!
We are thrilled to announce that our 2023 Winter Appeal was a tremendous success, raising $723,154.35! We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of our donors who generously contributed to this important fundraising effort. Thanks to your support, we are getting closer to construction. We truly could not have done it without you. You are making the dream come alive!
P.S. Did you donate to FLIP in 2023? If you’d like a duplicate report of your tax-deductible giving, we can help! Please contact info@lopezislandpool.org.
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“Pool Progress: Behind the Scenes of the Lopez Swim Center” is an eight-part informational series about the Lopez Swim Center. These articles are possible thanks to a Lopez Thrift Shop grant. This is part five of the series: FLIP interviews Stu Isaac of Isaac Sports Group, FLIP’s Aquatic Advisor.
Financial Sustainability & Membership at the Lopez Swim CenterFLIP: How did you approach this project? What is the Center’s model for operating and how will it be affordable to all? The Center will not rely on levies or taxes for funding. Instead, it relies upon user fees and pool passes, which make up 65% of overall revenue. The estimates of pool-pass sales is also conservative, with Year One projections at only 68% of projected full use by Year Three. Summer-season prices will reflect peak demand, and allow annual and monthly pool-pass prices to be kept low for the nonpeak season (eight months of the year). We strongly feel the pool-pass projections are very conservative. These projections assume that, by Year Two, only 14% of Lopez families with children under 18 will have an annual Swim Center family pool pass. The market penetration for seniors is even lower, with our senior annual pool-pass projections showing only 9% of Lopez seniors having passes. We estimate adult-specific annual pool-pass sales to only 10% of adult residents. Overall, we project that 19% of Lopez year-round residents will have some type of monthly or annual pool pass at the Swim Center. Having two pools offers the ability for concurrent programming, providing more opportunities for fun and significantly bolstering the Center’s financial sustainability. A wide range of programs, such as swimming lessons, special events (birthday parties or sunset gatherings at the pool), facility rentals, and a variety of classes, will generate an additional 31% of gross revenue, with only 4% of the total revenue coming from annual fundraising. |
…I am now very confident in the financial viability and the budget projections for the Swim Center—and in the incredible game-changer the Center will be in the overall quality of life for all Lopez Island residents. —Stu Isaac, FLIP Aquatic Advisor |
| Pools are expensive to run; how is this any different? Expense projections were based on best-practice operations to keep the Swim Center safely operating for years to come. We worked closely with Water Technology Inc. (WTI), the project’s aquatic engineers, to identify key technologies that reduce maintenance costs, as well as energy, water, and chemical use. The operational savings pay for the incremental cost of the technology in the first two to three years of the Center’s operation; the return on investment over the long term is very good. Utility costs constitute less than 10% of total operating costs, which is also excellent. Staffing costs make up 60% of total operating costs, which is right in line with best-practice aquatic facilities around the country.The Center has made strategic decisions to limit costs. For example, instead of having a permanent water slide, FLIP will rotate flexible activities, from inflatable obstacle courses to pool log-rolling, which collectively cost just 20% of what a water slide would cost and do not require additional assigned lifeguards at the top and bottom of the water slide. Rotating activities keep programs fresh so that people want to come back. We feel that the expense model for the Swim Center is realistic and conservative. What about long-term maintenance and equipment replacement? What provides some assurance of the Center’s financial sustainability? |
Swim Center | Online Public Board Meeting: Thursday, 1/18/24 from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Attend Friends of Lopez Island Pool’s annual (virtual) public board meeting, with election of officers and committee updates and reports. Time at the end of the meeting will be available for public questions.
Lopez Swim Center Public Board Meeting (Online)
Jan 18, 2024
5:00 – 6:30 pm
Online (Zoom) Meeting
Please email director@lopezislandpool.org for the Zoom virtual meeting link.
Thanks to the Lopez Thrift Shop!
FLIP’s 2023 series of informational interviews with pool experts and articles on pool progress was made possible by a generous grant from the Lopez Thrift Shop. We greatly appreciate their support in helping spread the word about the Lopez Swim Center!
