Alamogordo considers new aquatic center though $12M for the project remains elusive

Alamogordo is considering the construction of a natatorium to replace the Alamogordo Recreation Center outdoor pool at 1100 Oregon Avenue.

At a Feb. 27 City commission meeting, Rob Price, principal architect with ASA Architect, and George Dines, a national aquatic consultant, presented drawings and estimated costs for the proposed project. Both worked on a similar project in Las Cruces, the construction of a 50-meter competition pool with 10 lanes that opened in May 2023.

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The project would cost about $12 million. Price said the project could cost an additional $3 million if the building is built with brick and mortar.

District 4 Commissioner Josh Rardin suggested several ways to save on the cost, including a metal building, inexpensive construction materials and omitting updating the parking lot.

“We have done an assessment of the existing pool. We prioritized the needs of what a new pool might look like. We have had assessments and conversations and discussions on what type of exterior the building should have,” Price said.

Dines pointed out that the current pool cannot be used year-round as the Recreation Center closes seasonally.

“It just does not allow for year-round fitness, wellness, competitions, and aquatic programs here within the city. So, we looked at both the pools built in 1995 and the children’s pool added shortly after that,” Dines said.

He said pools usually start to see their expiration date within a 30-year mark.

“We usually see a life span of 30 to 40 years on an outdoor pool, that depends on a lot of different factors, but we also see a major renovation around that 20-year mark and this pool still has the original filtration and it's starting to get some structural cracking in the shallow end,” Dines said.

“You can see the rust and corrosion and plaster surface, concrete for the pool are wearing and tearing over the past 30 years of life.”

The proposed aquatic center would be an estimated 19,957 square feet and have a 25-yard pool and eight lanes.

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“You can offer shallow and deep-water aerobics with 10 to 15 people per class. You could also divide it during the weekends. We feel like the layout we came up with for the pool really has a good multipurpose, multifunction aspect to it,” he said.

"The water depth would start from 3 to 4 feet, the lap pool would be 4 feet and the competitive starting blocks would be 7 to 8 feet; this area allows for deep water aerobics and hardcore fitness lap swimmers,” said Dines.

The water temperature will be between 82 to 84 degrees.

“I’ve worked at numerous pools where we kept the water temperature between 82 and 84 and we were able to run all the programs I mentioned,” he said.

The Commission said it would continue to discuss the proposal at future public meetings.

Juan Corral can be reached at [email protected] or on twitter at @Juan36Corr.

This article originally appeared on Alamogordo Daily News: Alamogordo considers $12M aquatic center project