Colorado Real Estate Journal - November 19, 2014

Project kicks off $137 million capital improvement program

The City Council of Commerce City and community leaders celebrated the start of construction on the city’s new outdoor leisure pool.

The first of five projects that will be completed in the next five years, the $137 million voter-approved capital improvement program will meet the parks, recreation and roadway improvement needs of the community.

“With nearly 50,000 residents and growth only projected to continue, having an outdoor place for all generations helps achieve our vision of a Quality Community for a Lifetime,” said Mayor Sean Ford. “I want to thank voters for their trust in the city and helping us to meet the needs of current and future residents.” The two-acre center will include a 5,000-square-foot, zero-depth leisure pool, three water slides, a 250- foot lazy river, a 1,700-sf toddler pool and play structures.

“This really marks the beginning of a new era for Commerce City,” said Maria Gonzalez, co-chair of the Quality Community Initiative, a grass-roots effort that included residents, business owners, property owners and nonprofits that identified long-term community needs in advance of a ballot measure. “This is more than just a pool. Our youth will have a safe space to spend their free time.

Families can come together and enjoy quality time at a reasonable cost. This is going to be a state-of-the-art aquatic facility for all ages to enjoy.” The outdoor leisure pool is just one of five projects funded by a 1 percent sales and use tax increase approved by voters in 2013 to build, operate and maintain five projects over the next five years.

The city is committed to completing these first five projects by Jan.

1, 2019: three new neighborhood parks (Fronterra, Turnberry and Villages at Buffalo Run East); widening of Tower Road between 80th and 103rd avenues; a new recreation center at Second Creek; new additions to the existing recreation center; and new outdoor pool at Pioneer Park.

The total project budget for the outdoor pool is $10 million. The architect/engineer for the project is Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative; the general contractor is Golden Triangle Construction. Wember Inc. is serving as the owner’s representative for the city.