Swimming Pool

[3-15-2011 update:  the Pool House Project is being reevaluated as part of the overall Master Planning Process endorsed by membership vote in March of 2011]

Our pool house is in need of attention. Its cinder block structure has served our community for many years and time has taken its toll. Dissatisfaction with the pool house for a variety of reasons has been the most common complaint among the membership for many seasons. In response, the pool board has engaged the Ponte Mellor architectural firm to perform a study to help assess our options for replacing the structure.

Condensing member feedback, we asked Monte Pellor to address the following concerns:

Accessibility. At present it is very difficult for safety personnel, seniors, and gear-laden adults to make the climb from the parking lot to the pool deck. The stairs are very steep and the ramp with its high incline and sharp turn doesn’t solve the problem. I was contacted by one of our seniors last year who told me that after many, many years of active membership, he has been unable to visit the pool for two seasons because he cannot make the climb.

Cleanliness. This probably doesn’t require much of an explanation. The floor plan, the materials, the ventilation, and other factors combine to give a general impression that the building is dirty. The staff does a reasonably good job of cleaning and washing and there is probably room there for improvement. However, there seems to be a limit to how clean the building appears.

Access control and traffic flow. In the present configuration (the steep stairs, small top landing, tiny guard office window, etc.) it is difficult for members to check in properly and for the staff to control access. It doesn’t take more than a few families arriving at the same time to clog the small landing and cause a backup down the stairs. When combined with the limited visibility from the guards’ office window, it is difficult for guards to check in each visitor properly.

Maintaining the value of our property and our standing in the marketplace. Mohican is currently enjoying a period of strong demand for memberships and rentals. However, over the last several years other local pools including Merrimack, Palisades, Carderock, and others have upgraded their facilities and are attracting new members. Pools that have lagged behind, such as Bannockburn, are having more trouble filling their membership rolls.

Proposed Designs

With instructions to address the concerns above and with their previous experience in designing our pavilion area, Ponte Mellor produced three concept designs. A brief explanation follows:

The first page, “A”, has two drawings. On the upper left is a plan of our existing building and it depicts the access provided from the parking lot via the stairs and the ramp. The diagram in the lower right shows the best layout for adding a code-compliant access ramp. As you know, ours is a hilly neighborhood and the pool’s property presents a challenge in providing access from the parking lot level to the pool deck. Note that the ramp is almost 300 feet long, requires six landings and 3 switchbacks, and will likely require the loss of several parking spaces in front of the building.

For these and other reasons, our architect recommends an elevator as the best solution for getting those who need assistance from the parking lot to the pool entrance. An elevator is an element of all three proposed designs and will solve access problems for seniors, safety personnel, and others in need. Naturally, improved stairs are also part of the plan and it is anticipated that the stairs will be the main route for the vast majority of visitors.

Earlier feedback from the membership indicates that some people feel an elevator may be overly lavish option for our rustic facility and they are concerned about the expense an elevator may introduce to construction and maintenance costs. This is probably a misconception. Construction costs for the type of elevator required are approximately $20,000 per floor and an annual maintenance plan runs about $400 per year.

The following three pages, B-D, show proposed floor plans and they share a few elements in common:

• ADA (”Americans with Disabilities Act”) compliant baths, doors, showers, halls, etc. to accommodate those with special needs.
• A central “breezeway” to allow visitors access to the deck without having to pass through the locker rooms. Among other benefits, this will reduce the number of people who will track dirt through the lockers and thereby immediately improving our ability to keep them clean.
• An expanded landing at the entry to allow people to gather and to allow proper check-in.

To accommodate the wider halls and breezeway, the new building would have an expanded footprint growing slightly wider to the left and to the rear. The three variations differ in the amount of “extra” space they provide and how they go about providing it.

The first plan, on page B provides locker and shower space, a snack bar, guards’ office and storage. Essentially the same functions as our existing building but with improvements in access, flow, materials, and ventilation that should address most of the membership’s dissatisfaction.

The second and third plans on pages C and D add an additional floor to the building. Plan C has a room below the main deck, level with the parking lot while Plan D envisions a second story above the deck. The space might be used for meetings, functions, watching swim meets, etc.

While there is no specific program or need for the additional space at the moment the most cost effective time to expand is concurrent with the erection of a new building while we would already be permitting, excavating, etc. Furthermore, it is possible (though not guaranteed), that a new shared space may open possibilities we have not yet imagined in the same way that the opening of the back Pavilion area opened new opportunities for birthday parties, entertaining, and gathering as a community.

Finance Issues

Naturally, the benefits described above would come at a cost. Randy Hoerauf, our Treasurer, has researched several available options for financing such a project. I encourage you to review the analysis. In the most expensive scenario in which we finance as much of the the construction as we can, it would add approximately $160 to each membership annually. This cost would likely be offset by exploring additional options for fund raising.

We have been advised that constructions costs would likely be in the neighborhood of $1 – 1.25 million. The estimate was approximate and would depend on specifying a number of details that have not been addressed at this phase. Some members have expressed concern that the estimate seems high for a building of the proposed size. That may be so but at this point it is only an estimate based on performing commercial construction in our challenging landscape. Naturally, if we move forward, we will have to refine the estimate and bid the project out to an appropriate builder.

Alternatives to New Construction

The question comes up often, “Why build a new facility? Why not just refurbish the existing building?” Renovations of various scope have been discussed for many years without reaching a clear conclusion. Invariably, the discussion leads to more questions. Do we renovate a little or a lot and how do you define each end of the spectrum in dollars and scope?

The issues become more complicated by an unclear regulatory environment. At some unknown threshold of cumulative improvements, we may be required to comply with ADA regulations which may not even be possible within the footprint of our existing building. In addition, the pool operates under a special exemption from Montgomery County. Any significant improvements that require permits have to traverse additional levels of review and approval. We could engage the services of real estate lawyers and other professionals to render opinions of what may or may not win approval but ultimately the decision would be made by the county board. It is quite possible that we may not be able to design a renovation that both satisfies the membership’s desire for an improved facility and current local building and permitting requirements.

Next Steps and Timing

Over the course of the next several weeks, I encourage you to review the plans and the issues and to discuss them your neighbors. Please contact me with any questions and I will distribute them throughout our community online, face-to-face, and through whatever means available to facilitate a public dialogue.

We will be discussing the topic during the upcoming budget meeting on November 15th. In December, we will hold a membership meeting to decide whether to move forward with a new building or to seek an alternative. I highly recommend you attend if possible to make your feelings known.

Whatever the conclusion, I am eager to make progress on the Pool House issue and I hope I can count on the participation of the whole membership to achieve a shared goal.

Thanks,

–Dave Charlton
President, MSPA