PUT "AWE APPEAL" INTO YOUR COMMUNITY CENTER.

CRUCIAL ELEMENTS IN PLANNING FOR AND DESIGNING A FACILITY THAT WILL "WOW" YOUR COMMUNITY

Are you proud of your district--your programs, services, and facilities? Do residents know you care about what they want and need in recreation and leisure activities? Are you effectively promoting the many benefits of parks and recreation--from the importance of a quality preschool experience to the value of a healthy lifestyle filled with exercise and fun activities? No matter your response, your buildings' appearance and how well they function will say more--and with a louder voice.

Why would someone want to live in your community? Usually, it has something to do with "quality of life"--good schools, nice parks, clean and attractive neighborhoods, stable economy, and many options for fun and fitness.

"These days people are not just buying a house, they are buying a lifestyle," says Sandi Williams, manager of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Wheaton, Illinois. And that lifestyle, according to Williams, is becoming healthier every day. "People want to be active, exercise, and have fun together," she says.

Much of this fun and fitness takes place within a building--usually in your park district's community/recreation center. What your community center looks like makes a statement, and that statement directly reflects the quality of life in your community--and the quality of your district as a whole.

"An awesome building says there are awesome services," declares Ray Ochromowicz, director of the Bolingbrook Park District in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

What is your statement? This article explores the crucial elements in planning for and designing an awesome facility that will make your agency and your community proud.

Do Your Homework. Set Goals. Get Excited.

First and foremost, know what your residents want! "It's their money. It's their community. It's their families," says Neil Pollock, principal at PHN Architects in Wheaton, Illinois. How do you determine what your community's residents want and need? Conduct surveys. Implement focus groups. Hold public meetings. Create an advisory/ planning team early on. Get residents involved.

Before building its award-winning Bolingbrook Recreation and Aquatic Complex (BRAC), the Bolingbrook Park District implemented a communitywide survey. "We were not going to build anything unless 70 percent or more respondents desired it," Ochromowicz and the board decided.

When planning for its new recreation center in Wood Dale, Illinois, Wood Dale Park District officials recruited a diverse group of residents who were very active in the community to form an advisory committee. They looked at early renderings, offered feedback, planned fund-raisers, and promoted the idea. "The right group of people will know everybody," explains Mike Brottman, executive director of the Wood Dale Park District. "They will talk it up around town. You can't pay for that."

Once you've established what your constituents desire, visit other community centers and take pictures of what you like and don't like. Be sure to talk to other districts about architects and other contractors necessary to build or renovate your community center. Find out what sort of mistakes they made and what they did right. Who would they recommend?

Clearly defined needs, goals, and funding abilities are a must. Develop your budget immediately and track your adherence to it frequently. Plan for unexpected changes in design and construction. Get to know furnishing, fixture, and equipment needs early on, and don't forget about staffing and operational costs. Early in the development process, Bolingbrook went so far as to create a mission statement for BRAC. By changing just one word to coincide with their current development stage, they kept the mission statement throughout design and construction phases, and even into the operations phase.

   To (design [design phase]) (build [construction phase]) (operate [upon
   completion]) a facility in which we can provide pleasurable and affordable
   family recreation, wellness, and self-improvement opportunities for
   Bolingbrook Park District residents in a safe and supervised environment.

As early as possible, select an architectural firm to join your team. Choose a firm with significant experience in designing recreation/community centers; one that is familiar with taxing bodies and consensus building, surveys, advisory groups, workshops, focus groups, etc. Be sure to check references and visit projects they have completed. "Find out if they have completed projects on time and on budget. And if not, why not?" advises Ochromowicz.

Listen to your gut. Pick a firm with "people people," says Brottman. "You need to be able to communicate--to trust. Feel okay about asking questions. You are putting your dollars into their hands."

A good architectural firm can facilitate and guide you through the process of determining needs and wants. They will help solidify your vision, set realistic goals, and determine a feasible budget. "Our architect was extremely helpful," says Brottman. "He helped organize our budget, and we then determined what amenities we could afford. He took us through design, layout, traffic flow, and into individual rooms."

Know your funding options. Look beyond referendums. General Counsel for the Illinois Association of Park Districts (IAPD) Peter Murphy sites some alternatives to referendums: In some cases, limited bonds can be issued for the capital development and acquisition of land to be used for parks and recreation. A lease purchase program will give districts the option of leasing to own. A variety of grants are available through private (individual) and corporate foundations and through state and federal government sources. IAPD's development director, John Comerio, advises people to look to the Internet and trade journals for grant sources. Partnering with a private entity, such as a hospital, a fitness club, or another public entity like a school, will help ease the financial impact and bring more players into the game to help promote the project. Murphy suggests that districts consult with their legal counsel to determine the type of funding best suited for them.

Show the community what the proposed facility will look like. "Drawings are crucial," explains Brottman. "People want to see, touch, and smell before they buy. People saw our renderings and their eyes lit up with excitement thinking they might have that in their community."

Don't be afraid to dream or to think outside of the box. Be realistic, but passionate at the same time. If you're not enthusiastic, the community won't be either. "You must get the community interested and excited or the ultimate success will remain doubtful," states Pollock.

You have one chance for a first impression as each patron looks at and enters your facility. In those first moments, an image is embedded in their minds. Good or bad, it's there to stay.

A 25-foot high climbing wall is what residents first see when they enter Bolingbrook Park District's Annerino Center. "It gives us awe appeal," says Ochromowicz. "It is not something they expect. It intrigues them to know more about our community."

Bolingbrook has the right idea. Patrons should be awed. Pollock calls it the WOW factor. "It's a feeling," he says. "It draws people to the building. It says this is our place; it's wonderful. Come on in!"

"Upon entering a building, you should feel happy to be there," says Pollock. Create an attractive lobby/ reception area with a style that is light, open, airy, and welcoming.

The Annerino Center achieves this open, airy feeling with its two-story atrium made of steel and glass at the entrance of the building. The atrium's large windows pour daylight onto the climbing wall, drawing even more attention to an already eye-catching amenity. To impress passersby at Wood Dale, PHN Architect, John Dzarnowski, designed a stairwell encased in glass and concrete that is visible from the exterior.

People want to see and be seen. Centrally locate the main reception/administration/lobby area so staff can greet, receive, and guide patrons upon entering. People also like to meet friends and chat. There should be spaces for that to occur. The lobby/waiting area is a great place to communicate future and planned activities with video displays, display cases, banners, and the like.

Once past the lobby area, there should be easy access to program areas. Think about corridors. They should be attractive. "People spend time in the hallways getting to where they need to go. It makes an impression," says Dzarnowski. Add some life to your corridors by using seating areas, skylights, and photos, to spruce them up.

"Organize functions into logical groups," recommends Pollock. Children in one area, fitness in another, and so on, but be flexible with program area space. Although it's best to dedicate areas to one specific program type at a time, that use may change in the future. For example, Wood Dale is planning alternate uses for its teen center, which will be turned into a cycling center if the teen center doesn't succeed. Consider the convenience of your patrons. For example, parents don't want to travel to opposite ends of the building for two separate children's programs. Before the Annerino Center was revamped, it was actually two separate interconnected buildings. Program areas were scattered and traffic flow was poor. People would cut through the gym and aerobics rooms en route to other programs. After BRAC was built, people stopped using Annerino. "They would opt for a waiting list at BRAG rather than enroll in the same program at the old Annerino," says Ochromowicz.

An 18,000 square foot remodeling project and a 29,000 square foot addition solved Annerino's problem by providing additional program space that was properly organized and laid out. Rather than duplicate BRAC, Annerino complemented it with more of a health club feel. A Lifestyles II fitness center was added, which can be used in tandem with BRAC's Lifestyles fitness center, which boasts club-like amenities including tanning beds, a whirlpool, saunas, and a massage area.

Consider staffing. Maximize control and make the most of supervision. Create central focal points that can view all extending corridors. One central focal point--or control desk--will be located on each floor of Wood Dale's recreation center. "This will provide us with better security and equip us to serve the public more effectively. And we will save money on staffing," notes Brottman.

A big mistake in facility planning, according to Dzarnowski, is lack of storage. "It is very important, but people don't want to pay for it," he says. Dzarnowski suggests storing tables, chairs, and equipment in storage areas adjacent to program rooms and gymnasiums rather than in remote locations.

Look ahead. "Understand your current and projected census and what impact that will have on your future programming needs," suggests Pollock. Make sure you will have enough program, office, and storage space in ten, twenty, thirty years.

Make It Happen.

Before BRAC, the park district operated an outdoor wave pool (the first in the United States). Being the "guinea pig," many unforeseen breakdowns occurred and big bucks, up to $100,000 per year, were blown on repairs. At the same time, population was booming. Overcrowding and long waiting lists were occurring at the Annerino Center, then the primary community center.

Through surveys and public meetings, residents told the park district they wanted outdoor and indoor aquatic centers, a larger gymnasium, and more program space. The solution was a "one stop shopping center for all your recreation needs" facility that would bring recreation for all ages and interests under one roof. A 65,000 square foot complex was built with indoor and outdoor aquatic centers, which both won NRPA's Excellence in Aquatics awards.

BRAC's "phenomenal success" strengthened the park district's bond with the community, according to Ochromowicz. "People were thrilled. Program participation jumped to levels we've never seen before," he said. The gymnastics program grew 400 percent, outgrowing the gym in one year.

IPRA bestowed an Outstanding Facility award on BRAC, and Ochromowicz is confident that BRAC played an integral role in the park district's winning NRPA's National Gold Medal award in 1999.

Annerino's makeover was also a hit. Its health club atmosphere and climbing wall broke into new markets. Climbing wall parties have become popular among various groups. The park district markets the wall to local businesses as an effective team building activity outside the office. BRAC's booming gymnastics program was transferred to Annerino's new gymnastics area, which is larger and better equipped with more apparatus.

Brottman anticipates many benefits from Wood Dale's new recreation center, which is currently under construction and scheduled for completion in November 2000. "The biggest benefit will be the leisure and job opportunities for families," says Brottman. "And economics. Home values will increase. Wood Dale will be a great place to live!"

Make it a Success

Plan your facility properly and the benefits will compound for years to come. Your district will be positioned as a key player in the community--one that offers premiere recreation and leisure opportunities for all ages. You will strengthen your bond with your community and will earn its trust and support for future building and/or renovation endeavors.

So take a look around and really think about what your facilities say about your community and your district. If it's anything less than positive, it may be time to start fresh.

Does your community center have "awe appeal" Jennifer Stimac offers suggestions as to how community service planners determine their neighborhoods' needs and go about achieving their goals in her article on page 96.

Stimac is the assistant marketing coordinator at PHN Architects, where she writes articles, produces a newsletter, creates advertising pieces, and performs other marketing functions. In her spare time, Stimac enjoys mentoring a group of high school girls through her church's high school ministry. Stimac has been sold on the benefits of parks and recreation and can often be found in the fitness center or aquatic center at her local park district in Wheaton, Illinois.