Photo by Victoria Hernandez.
The first public input meeting for the renovation of the Martin Weiss Recreation Center took place Tuesday, April 7. City staff and project managers introduced expansion options, including discussion of a potential aquatic center addition to the property.
District 1 Council member Chad West said at the meeting that thanks to the efforts of the seniors who frequent the center, the last bond election secured approximately $9 million to go toward the improvements of the recreation center.
West said that with city plans to close all nine of the community pools in Dallas within the next three years additions of aquatic features were included at the community meeting.
“For the seniors that are like, ‘Wait a minute, this money and everything we did, we raised for the rec center.’ No one’s forgetting that,” West said. “No one has forgotten that, but if there is an opportunity to get more money for the pool, whether we raise it privately, whether we get it from a future bond, whatever, it makes a lot of sense for us to include design elements for that pool, for the future, instead of having it as a separate entity all by itself over there in a cage and somehow incorporating it into the design of the new building, of the new elements of this building.”
Charles McNeel with the City of Dallas Park and Recreation department will be the project manager of the renovation, working with Robert Croysdale, an architectural project manager for GSR Andrade, on the design.
At the start of the presentation, Croysdale noted that there is a set amount of money that is available for the renovation.
“We want to make sure that we can get you as many features as possible, and that’s what this team will do as well,” he said. “We’re going to try to optimize what we get for your rec center.”
The current needs for the center include fixes to drainage, leaks in certain portions of the roof, exterior windows and doors that need to be repaired and replaced, trees impacting the roof, and improving the accessibility of the building.
As for the new components of the center, Croysdale said they are looking at an estimated addition of about 8,700 square feet to the property. Within that space, those changes could include converting the gym to a multipurpose space, a move for the front entrance of the building to the addition, larger restrooms and new storage.
Throughout the presentation, the phrase “exploring” was used to describe the elements of the renovation. Croysdale said that at this time there are no floor plans, but after gaining community feedback for what is desired for the space, a second meeting will be held to present the plans.
Some of the feedback from the audience for the recreation center included the desire for a new kitchen, a dedicated space for seniors, outdoor receptacles and stage.
As for the timeline of the renovation, Croysdale said the design will go out for bid in October with construction estimated to start six months later.
The estimated completion of the project is April 2028.
The second phase of the presentation included the options available for a new aquatic center. Features discussed that could be included in the center were a climbing wall, basketball goal, diving board, body flume slide, multi-level play unit, tot slide, spray feature and a zero-depth entry.
Following the presentation, audience members were invited to participate in a dot exercise to rank their first, second and third choice for the facility. In the coming weeks, a community survey will also go out to gather more feedback regarding the preferences for both the center renovation and the potential aquatic center.
