Southwest Community Center (Now Teen Life Center)
Project Fact Sheet

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Southwest Community Center is complete!

The 1999 Community Center Levy and the 2000 Pro Parks Levy provide a combined $3 million to add a gym, teen center and computer room to the Southwest Community Center, 2801 SW Thistle Street.

Facility Overview
Originally, Southwest Community Center had approximately 12,000-square-feet of programmable space, including a 4,000 square foot pool and a 2,880-square-foot multi-purpose room. The additions project added a Teen Center, Computer Room, and a full size gymnasium to better equip Southwest Community Center to meet the needs of the neighborhood. The new gym offers not only an excellent athletic facility but will fill other community needs including childcare and summer camp programs, and offers space for community events, meetings and rentals. An elevator, a new fire sprinkler system, enhanced play area, and an ADA family changing room have also been installed.

Project Update (as of April 2005)
Parks held three public meetings to discuss designs with the community. The community center closed in late last summer 2004, and will reopen on Saturday, May 7, 2005 on the date of its grand opening celebration. The pool, which remained open until August 1, 2004, reopened on April 4th 2005.

Construction began in early August, 2004. During the center's closure, community center programs were available at nearby community centers.

Community Center Design Program
The project is described in the design program (PDF). As completely as possible, the design program expresses the Parks Department and community's expectations and objectives. It includes a thorough description of the project scope, budget and schedule.

A primary discussion relating to design centered on the pottery and teen center areas. Overall, the desire was to retain the pottery program at the Southwest Community Center. However, the design team looked at how both the pottery area and teen center will fit into the building, and concluded that the teen center would use the space the pottery studio had been in. Alternative designs were presented at a PAT meeting on April 30, 2003.

Public Involvement
There have been many opportunities for the community to be involved. Regularly held Project Advisory Team (PAT) and community meetings, open to the public, have been sponsored by the Parks Department. In addition, Design Commission meetings were a regular feature of the process of designing this facility. Each of these meetings have been open to the public. This public involvement plan matrix (PDF)(.pdf 7k) shows the opportunities for public involvement throughout the life of the project.

Public Meetings

Project Advisory Team
A Project Advisory Team (PAT) was selected by the Parks Superintendent in September 2002. The PAT has met through completion of the construction documents, and will participate in briefings and site tours during construction. The PAT is an advisory committee made up of representatives of key stakeholder groups. It is intended to facilitate sustained and balanced stakeholder participation.

The PAT has reviewed and provided recommendations on the design of the gym. For more information see the roles and responsibilities of the PAT. Meetings of the PAT are open to the public. At its meetings, the PAT has reviewed project scope, budget, schedule, recent accomplishments and upcoming tasks. Recommendations of the PAT on these topics have been given substantial weight by the Parks Department. Unless otherwise noted, all PAT meetings have been held at the Southwest Community Center.

Project Advisory Team Meetings:

Budget

Gymnasium addition	$2,348,000
Computer Room	$103,100
Teen Center	$515,500
Total	$2,966,600

Schedule

Planning	2002
Design	2003
Construction	2004-2005
Completion	2005

For more information:
Toby Ressler, Project Manager
Seattle Parks and Recreation
800 Maynard Ave. S. 3rd Floor
Seattle, WA 98134
E-mail: toby.ressler@seattle.gov
Phone: (206) 615-1482
Fax: (206) 233-3949

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