The Friends of Lopez Island Pool are getting closer to their dream with the help of Heery International. They accepted the huge and complex job of creating a feasibility plan for the pool project development.
Linda Barton, a long time supporter and behind-the-scenes manager of the FLIP project, said, “Linda Koenig has been working on this for years, as well as Robin Bergstrom and Laurie Taylor who have been doing the accounting books and many other administrative tasks. It’s a magical group of people and we’ve had an amazing time. People are stepping forward wanting to write grants. We’ve been very lucky and this is the nicest group of people. We’re completely passionate about this. And so many people are coming forward to help,” Barton added.
With donated land at the ready, The Friends of Lopez Island Pool (FLIP) is eager to begin work on the design and construction of a community pool. To help ensure that donor and grant funds are maximized, FLIP has tasked the Seattle office of Heery International with leading and managing the conceptual design and programming process and coordinating the work of Aquatic Design Group’s Dennis Berkshire. The team’s first task is to study the feasibility of the initial concept. This concept incorporates a facility with a traditional rectangular pool for lap swimming and associated activities and a more shallow recreational pool, locker rooms, restrooms, and flexible use rooms for rentals and continuing education programs. FLIP’s goal is to construct a facility that is as sustainable as possible.
“This facility, which will be used to teach local children how to swim, fills an important community need,” says Heery Architect Richard Lundstrom. “There are many issues to consider in constructing a pool, from design and safety to operations and maintenance. Our goal is to help FLIP understand the opportunities and challenges and select the options that suit the community’s design, budget and schedule requirements.”
The community pool idea is not new, and has been the subject of development among several Lopez community members for 15 years.
Some of the input for the pool has included the desire for water park attractions like waterfalls and a diving board. The site will have at least two pools (one therapeutic pool and a heated lap pool), showers, and “any bells and whistles” that the budget will allow. “It’s going to be doable and small. It’s going to be expensive, but it’s going to be unique. It’ll be Lopezian,” said Barton.
“In our research we are finding that we will need attractions for families in order to provide revenue,” she said. There will be fees associated with the pool, but a main goal of the project is to provide accessibility to everyone: from kids all the way to the elderly…they also hope to meet the need for physical therapy for people with ailments that could be addressed through water exercises. Lopez Island Pool is a non-profit and is tax exempt, which decreases some of the costs of operation.
FLIP holds irregular community meetings, so look for their sandwich board for community announcements. It will also be available on FLIP’s website, www.lopezislandpool.org.
Now, FLIP has been offered land for the project. The organization is currently working with the deed transfer and has initiated re-zoning efforts. The feasibility study will be completed by May 2009. At this time we would like to invite local contractors, builders and others interested in the project to contact us.
Seattle is home to the Northwest Region Headquarters of Heery International, a 1500-person architecture, interior design, engineering, facility management, program management and construction management firm with annual revenues of more than $1.2 billion. Heery is organized on a regional basis with thirty five offices located throughout North America, and is ranked annually among the top professional services firms by industry publications such as Engineering-News Record, World Architecture and Building Design & Construction.
