After 50 years, Coralville Recreation Center may triple in size with additional pools, gyms

The City of Coralville hopes to more than triple the size of a popular facility.

After five decades of serving families, the Coralville Recreation Center is ready for its $50 million makeover.

The city revealed two design concepts at a public meeting in June. One plan calls for a new building with three pools and three gyms, while the other would expand the existing 37,000-square-foot structure by constructing three pools and another gym.

The Coralville City Council announced plans for a new recreation center and indoor competition pool last year, teaming up with the Iowa City Community School.

Sherri Proud, the city of Coralville's Director of Parks and Recreation, hopes the city and school board adopt a master plan by the end of the summer.

The current facility is in dire need of an update, Proud said.

"Our spaces are pretty dated and don't have the bells and whistles like newer facilities in the community do," Proud said.

The current Coralville Rec Center, at 1506 Eighth St., Coralville, is located at ST Morrison Park. Neither plan includes moving the facility.

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New building promises plenty of facilities and community amenities

A new, two-story, 109,700-square-foot rec center that includes three gymnasiums and an elevated track is anticipated to cost $50 million to $54 million. The new building would also include three pools − a competition pool with spectator seating, a leisure pool with spray fountains and slides, and a community lap pool. The design also includes a spa, along with community meeting rooms and fitness rooms for strength and cardio training.

"In the new build, we would build and then move into the new facility," Proud said. "The existing facility would then be torn down and renovated into parking for the new facility."

In October of 2023, the rec center held an open house to better understand what the community wanted from a rec center. Surveys were also sent out in February and March of this year.

The biggest issue facing the current rec center is its lack of space. Each proposal adds more than 80,000 square feet as well as three pools and at least two new gyms.

"The community has been asking for a walking track and more gym space," Proud said. "We turn away people from being able to use the facility because of not having enough space to keep things open, as well as not having more space in our programs and classes because we don't have the space. Those are the things we want to address."

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Expansion plan aims to modernize and enhance existing facility

The renovation and expansion model would more than triple the size of the rec center, adding 117,700 square feet to the current 37,000 square-foot facility with a price tag between $52 million and $56 million.

The expansion design includes three new pools while it would also grow the existing strength, cardio, and fitness training spaces and community rooms. Two new gymnasiums along with an elevated track are included in the plan as well. The renovations would expand parking on the east and west sides of the building. Other enhancements would include a new roof, exterior walls, and enhanced mechanical and electrical systems.

The existing pool, which was added to the rec center in 1987, would be converted into a dry space, meaning three entirely new pools would be built along with the renovations.

"Our pool is 37 years old, and typically in the pool industry, 40 to 50 years max is about the longevity of an indoor pool," Proud said. "We are coming up on that deadline and looking at what needs to be done."

A community partnership anticipated to continue

In February, the Rec Center announced plans to partner with the Iowa City Community School District to create the facility's master plans.

Coralville Recreation has maintained a partnership with the district since 1987, allowing area junior high and high school swim programs to utilize the facilities.

The Iowa City School Community School District has four swim programs that use the facility.

The district pays for about one-third of the operating costs, according to an agreement from the 1980s.

"It's a great way for both the Iowa City School District and the city of Coralville to be able to have an indoor pool but not have to front the entire cost of having that pool," Proud said. "Without the Iowa City School District's participation, we wouldn't be looking at the size of an indoor pool that we are looking at in this master plan, and vice versa."

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The City of Coralville and the school district worked with Iowa City area architects Neumann Monson to develop the rec center designs. The designs cost around $150,000, with expenses split between the two parties − the city paid $90,000, and the ICCSD provided $60,000.

Proud said the city anticipates choosing a plan by the end of summer, hoping to accelerate a much-needed renovation.

"We're excited about a new vibrant space for our users," Proud said. "We've always been good about providing funding to keep this space up, but we have grown, and we have more users, and tastes have changed. We're excited about having some new fun things to do and excited for the community in general."

Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and business reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Here's what Coralville has in store for its $50 million rec center