Rainier Beach Community Center and Pool
Project Information

Location:8825 Rainier Ave S, Seattle WA 98118

Project Status

August 2010
A final meeting for the Rainier Beach Community Center and Pool was held on June 15, 2010. Seattle artists Roy McMakin and Jeffry Mitchell who will create artwork for the building made a presentation and answered community concerns and questions.

During the design process Parks worked with the community to develop the best plan for the community. Three public meetings were held to gather input from the neighborhood and two final design meetings. Additionally, Parks worked with the design team and arranged for meetings with an array of constituencies in the neighborhood to gather input and answer questions. These included:

Teen Night at Rainier Beach Community Center
Filipino Community Center
“Talk Time” at the East African Community Services
Vietnamese Community Open House
Representatives of the Samoan Community
Valuable information gathered from these meetings was incorporated into the design. Locating the gym and the multipurpose room next to each other and the kitchen will allow for large community gatherings. The design also incorporated the gym opening onto the north plaza for additional room and enjoyment in the sunny weather.

Project Description

This project involves schematic design of a new facility to replace the existing Rainier Beach Community Center and swimming pool. Schematic Design should be complete by the end of 2009 and then design development will begin in 2010. Construction will likely begin in early 2011. This project was developed by Parks in response to the Seattle School District's decision to construct a new South Shore K - 8 School, since the school shared the building with the existing community center and pool. The new Community Center and pool facility will provide the public with improved and updated recreational opportunities and will complement the two new schools constructed on the site.

A Project Advisory Team(PAT) was assemble in the beginning of September 2009. Please see list of members and meeting notes below from their first meeting. A second (PAT) meeting is being held on October 20, 2009.

Approximately 40 people attended the second community meeting on September 15, 2009 and provided input on 3 design options. These design options were presented to the Seattle Design Commission on September 17, 2009.

The three design option boards to the right are at the Rainier Beach Community Center. The community is encourage to visit the community center and provide additional feedback or email project planner David Graves with input.

Parks held the first community meeting on June 9, 2009. Sixty-eight (68) members of the public attended the meeting to offer their hopes and dreams for the new community center and pool. Please see notes below. Currently the Project Advisory Team is being assembled and additional outreach meetings with neighborhood groups are being held. ARC Architects is beginning work on the schematic design options based on the public input.

This project involves schematic design for a new community center with pool on the existing Rainier Beach Community Center site. The project was advertised in the Daily Journal of Commerce and Parks received twenty-seven (27) responses to the Request For Proposal. These responses were reviewed by a panel of Parks staff including representatives from recreation, shops and aquatics. Based on this review, the top five (5) firms were subject to in-person interviews. ARC Architects was selected to lead the schematic design process based on their submittal, team of sub-consultants and performance at the interview.

Community Participation

A Project Advisory Team (PAT) listed below was assembled in the beginning of September 2009.

Project Advisory Team Meetings

• Meeting Notes

• Meeting Notes

• Meeting Notes

• Meeting Notes

Public Meetings

• Meeting Notes

• Meeting Notes

• Meeting Notes

• Meeting Notes

• Presentation
  
• Meeting Notes
  

Important Links

• Seattle Parks & Recreation
• Rainier Beach Community Center
• Rainier Beach Pool

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