Director of Operations Jeanne Otter said the new-and-
improved pool exceeded everyone’s expectations and
that new family pool memberships numbered upwards of
660, more than doubling projections. Memberships were
established by pool-goers from 22 different zip codes,
indicating a draw from surrounding communities as well.
An end-of-summer post on the Burlington Community
Pool’s Facebook page last year described it as “a fantastic,
record-setting inaugural season.”
“The feedback was amazing. I heard the comment several
times, ‘Well, we don’t need to go to the Dells anymore,’ ”
she said, referring to Wisconsin Dells, about 120 miles
northwest of Burlington and often regarded as the
waterpark capital of the world.
Carving out a niche
Theisen, a recognized expert in the field of community
park and open space planning, has been designing aquatic
facilities since 2006 and has been responsible for the
design and management of nearly 30 pool and splashpad
facilities in Wisconsin and Illinois in that time. His broader
expertise includes comprehensive outdoor recreation
plans, park master plans, athletic complexes, skate
parks, and playgrounds – but he has a special interest
in community pool projects and a passion for aquatic
recreation.
Rarely do landscape architects lead an aquatic facility
design as it’s not the role of a traditional landscape
architect, he said. In fact, several aquatic engineering firms
in the country do nothing but pools and aren’t driven by
landscape architects.
“We’ve carved out a niche that looks at things a little
differently, and I think that’s why we’re having the
success we are,” he said. “Pools are really interactive
environments. You’ve got all ages of our demographics
covered, from infants and toddlers to our oldest seniors.
Everyone can get something out of a pool. It’s a very
different experience, but a well-designed facility should
cater to all sorts of populations.”
Walters said that has certainly been the case in Burlington.
“Closely, we worked together to design, with the help
of Ayres, an aquatic center that met the needs of the
community – not only for the short-term but for 50-plus
years into the future,” she said. “A key aspect of that
was ensuring that we had aquatic play from tots through
adults. Every age of the life cycle we wanted to try to offer
an opportunity there.”
Evolution of a
Pool Project
Although every project is unique, Ayres Associates’ Blake
Theisen explained the typical progression.
1. Feasibility analysis. Many communities hear from
the public that there’s demand for a pool or other
aquatic facility, but they aren’t sure where it should
go, what it should look like, what it might cost to
build, or what it will take to operate and maintain. The
design team reviews and considers these and other
factors.
2. Community analysis. Is there truly an appetite for
a pool facility? A market analysis of the community
will help determine that answer and also assess
whether there’s a suitable site for it and, if there is,
its scale. A review of what other communities nearby
have to offer is also a part of this phase.
3. Concept design. Here, the design team takes a
site or two and completes conceptual designs for
a building for the pool complex, parking scenarios,
traffic circulation patterns, a construction estimate,
and an operations and maintenance plan and budget.
4. Construction documents. This is the point where
all the nuance designs are done – pumps, filters, water
turnover rates, and structural elements of the pool
vessels and buildings. Parking, stormwater, sidewalks,
and utility design, as well as the design of the actual
pool complex, is also done during this stage.
5. Construction/construction oversight. Ayres isn’t
a contractor and therefore does not lead construction.
However, Theisen’s team almost insists on having
construction oversight because of the specialty types
of projects pools inherently are. “To have my team
involved through construction has really benefitted
the client in every scenario,” he said. “I can’t think of
one where it didn’t add value to them because they’re
not necessarily in tune with the decisions about
things like substitutions on pumps or filters – and the
trickledown effect in 10 years. We’re very, very hands-
on with our clients in these projects.”
Total time from concept to opening? About two years.
AyresAssociates.com
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