Pool, roundabouts, plaza, space for seniors included in plans for $30.1 million addition, renovation of Municipal Way complex

A soaring, two-story pool complex, two roundabouts and a common plaza are among the elements of the proposed master design plan for the Grapevine Community Activities Center.

The pool would be visible through a glass wall from the new, second-floor fitness area, and the front entrance would move to the opposite side of the building to face east.

The City Council saw the plans from Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture of Denver at its Feb. 5 meeting.

Voters in November approved a $30.1 million bond issue to expand the 48,000-square-foot center to 110,000 square feet. The addition will house the Senior Activities Center, the new natatorium and the fitness center.

The design also includes a roundabout at Municipal Way and Vine Street and another that would connect to future convention center parking.

Architect Steve Blackburn showed the council plans that include a festival plaza for community gatherings between the new natatorium and the convention center.

A trail looping around the complex would go through a park on the west side.

Vine Street would be extended east between the library and convention center as a campus access road.

Inside the Community Activities Center, a racquetball court would remain on the lower level, which also would accommodate classrooms, a game room, lockers and family cabanas for the pool.

The existing 1/8-mile track on the upper level would be resurfaced. The fitness area on the second floor would extend over the pool complex.

The council saw three proposed designs for the exterior, and chose a traditional style over one that was more contemporary and another that looked more like the existing center.

The council plans to meet later to discuss the fee structure for the activities center after the expansion.

Now, users pay $35 annually for a card that provides access to the entire center. The option being considered would have different fees for different combinations of usage.

"We would program the card and they'll have access to some facilities and not to others," Mayor William D. Tate said.

The council is scheduled to hire a construction manager in March.

Correction: This story was updated Feb. 25 to show total square footage of the center will be 113,000 square feet, the figure provided by architect Steve Blackburn. The square footage was incorrect in the original and in the print edition of this story.