Proposed aquatic center presented

LOS LUNAS — Consultants working with the village of Los Lunas to develop a plan for a new aquatic center presented the final report on the feasibility of the project late last month.

Kevin Post, a representative of Counsilman-Hunsaker, the Colorado company the village hired to conduct an aquatic feasibility study, updated a handful of community members on the project, including estimated costs to design, build and operate an aquatic center.

Village of Los Lunas - Aquatic Center Study

For more information about the village of Los Lunas aquatic center study, click the image above.

The feasibility study included a full site analysis — an area at Daniel Fernandez Memorial Park — as well as estimated costs for construction, permitting, soft costs, long-term operation and maintenance.

In his presentation, Post said public feedback indicated support for indoor recreation and lap swimming with an outdoor recreation pool.

Of the 1,397 people who responded to the online community survey released last December, 69 percent identified an indoor recreation pool as one of their top two choices for amenities in an aquatic center. That was followed by 62 percent indicating an outdoor recreation pool. Indoor and outdoor lap pools followed, at 58 and 11 percent, respectively.

The market demographics gathered by Counsilman-Hunsaker indicated there are 914,700 residents within an hour drive of the proposed site for the center, with 41 percent of the local population within a 30-minute drive. The study estimated most of the users would come from Albuquerque.

The survey also asked whether community members would be willing to support a tax initiative to support design, construction and operation of a new pool. Of those who responded to the question, 72 percent indicated yes, with 22 percent undecided and 6 percent said no.

Items, such as water slides, a children’s play area, a deep-water activity area, as well as the opportunity for fitness and recreational programs were desired in an aquatic facility, Post said.

“Recreational swimming and lessons ranked highest. Aquatic fitness classes, lap swimming and water walking were also identified,” he said.

With the data from the survey and public input, Post said the company developed two options for indoor and outdoor aquatic centers for the village.

The first option, dubbed the “rebuild,” because it would be closest to the facility Los Lunas Schools closed in 2019.

The “rebuild” option, would feature an indoor eight-lane, 25-yard pool, with an outdoor recreation pool. The second option, labeled as “preferred,” also has an indoor eight-lane, 25-yard pool, along with a separate program pool. There would also be an outdoor recreation pool with a separate toddler pool.

The size of the complete facility, including locker rooms, changing rooms, a snack bar and mechanical space ranges from 31,932 to 60,250 square feet.

The first option, the “rebuild,” is estimated at a total cost of about $22.4 million, which includes construction costs as well as soft costs, such as furnishings and equipment.

The all-in estimated cost for the “preferred” option is about $39.7 million. Annual operating costs are estimated at almost $1.3 million for the “rebuild,” and $1.8 million for the “preferred” build.

Post said both options were likely to run in the red to the tune of about $633,000 to $858,000 annually based on estimated revenues. Revenues are based on attendance of about 111,000 people a year for the “rebuild,” and 160,000 for the “preferred” facility.

“Most aquatic centers don’t generate a profit,” he said. “We try to take a conservative approach on operating costs. We set it up to be realistic but most places can succeed. This is not set up to fail.”

Los Lunas Village Councilor Cruz Munoz was at the meeting and commented a $500,000 shortfall for operations was “definitely a workable number.”

Now that the feasibility study has been completed, Post said the next step is to seek funding, which could come from various sources, such as grants or public/private partnerships.

“I know the prices today are high, but they’re never going to go down,” he noted.

Post said the design costs for the facility would be about 10 percent of the cost.

Los Lunas Village Councilor Gino Romero was also at the presentation, and said the cost of an aquatic center is “a large number, but if you want something nice, you have to get creative.”

N.M. Rep. Brian Baca (R-Los Lunas) said asking for funding for the design from the New Mexico Legislature would be more feasible than requesting a large amount for construction.

“Say you ask for $3.6 million, you might get $2 million. That’s a doable number and might be a way to create interest,” Baca said.

Post said it could be two to three years from the time of funding before people are “getting in the water.”