Water Recreation Facility Feasibility Study
To accommodate the needs and desires of a changing and growing demographic of young families and children, the City's Park and Recreation Commission recently performed a survey of residents regarding a wide range of recreation and quality of life issues. The survey showed support for a variety of programming and physical improvements with the development of some form of water recreation facility identified as the most desired new facility or improvement. The City is in the midst of constructing and planning for many new capital improvement projects including an outdoor sports and recreation campus. Further information regarding the costs, feasibility, and programming of a potential aquatic center are needed. The next step in the City's process is to retain the services of a qualified consultant to identify the community's needs, opportunities, and challenges for the development and long-term operation of a water recreation facility.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The City of Pleasant Hill does not currently provide any public water recreation and is not aware of any private water recreation facilities currently in operation within the City. At this time, there is significant public interest in the development of a new facility to meet the aquatic needs of the City. The City is interested in reviewing the possibilities to meet those needs while considering the opportunities to capture usage by residents from outside the community as well as the challenges the community might face from outside neighboring competition. Pleasant Hill is part of the greater Des Moines metropolitan area that contains many opportunities for water recreation. The nearby communities of Des Moines, Altoona, and Ankeny all have municipally operated outdoor aquatic centers. Adventureland, a destination scale private amusement park located in Altoona, has recently added high end water park features to its operations and a long time privately operated water park in Pleasant Hill has recently ceased operations.
This project is envisioned to provide assistance to the City in evaluating the current and future needs for a new water recreation facility with the following project objectives and goals:
* Provide guidance regarding current trends, programming elements, and amenities.
* Identify the market conditions to include potential users and competition to recommend an appropriately sized water recreation facility.
* Consider the form and potential partners for a new water recreation facility i.e. indoor vs. outdoor, other public or private partners with shared interests.
* Develop cost estimates and potential phasing for a new aquatic facility.
* Evaluate an existing water park facility in the community for potential adaptive re-use.
* Determine specific recommendations for immediate, short and long-term action items.
* Integrate the public and stakeholders in the planning process.
* Provide recommendations regarding potential locations through the development of site selection criteria and consider the possibilities for the project acting as a catalyst for redevelopment of an existing site or to spur new construction in an undeveloped portion of the community.
The specific components of the project will be negotiated with the selected consultant and the City is considering proceeding with the study in two phases. The first phase would take the City to a point where cost estimates and site selection criteria are developed; the second phase would involve the review and selection of a potential site.
More information is available on the City's Website www.ci.pleasant-hill.ia.us or by contacting:
J. Benjamin Champ, AICP, ASLA
Community Development Director
City of Pleasant Hill
5160 Maple Drive, Suite A
Pleasant Hill, IA 50327
(P) 515-309-9460
(F) 515-262-9570
