The Avon Recreation Center is long overdue for a large-scale remodel. It looks like the fitness center and community gathering space will receive its first large renovation in summer 2027.

The recreation center will turn 30 in December. The facility was constructed in 1995 for $6 million, partially funded through town’s capital improvement fund and partially through a general obligation bond. While a phased expansion was discussed in early plans, it never came to fruition.

Michael Labagh, Avon’s recreation director, presented a report on the recreation center’s existing conditions and proposed renovations to the Town Council during its March 11 meeting.

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“This is very much an introduction,” said Eric Heil, town manager. “We know that it will evolve and there will be some other options that we’re not identifying tonight.”

In 2008, the facility was renovated, including adding the upstairs training area. A 2013 ballot initiative for a mill levy to expand the existing buildout failed by 36 votes. In 2018, the facility underwent a larger remodel, turning the second-floor fitness studio into the weight room. The steam room and sauna were renovated in 2023.

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In 2019, the town formed its citizen Health and Recreation Committee to study health and wellness throughout Eagle County and beyond. The committee also had a background goal: To plan for a recreation center expansion.

Use of the recreation center has increased significantly over the last five years.

“We’re proud of that,” Labagh said. “I think we did a great job, we invited as many people as we could through the door to focus on their own health and wellness and physical wellbeing, but we’re at a point where, unfortunately, the usage is becoming a detriment to user experience and challenging from an operational standpoint.”

The recreation center anticipates future growth of the town and further strain on the facility.

The renovation will also be costly, which is why planning is starting now.

“If we’re going to close it and do something, we try to do it as right and as best as we can for the next 30 years,” Heil said.

“It is a chunk of money, but this is a focal point for the people who live here now, and they deserve to have this at its peak performance,” said Council member Kevin Hyatt.

Necessary renovations include replacing pool deck, waterslide, repairing hot tub

The recreation center’s hot tub has not had working jets in years. To stay clean and maintain pool safety standards, the water is circulated, but this is long due to be improved. 

Recreation center staff discovered a leak in the hot tub in the fall of 2021 and closed the area for six months to address it. The investigation included ripping up part of the pool deck, at which point staff realized that the pool’s HVAC, channel drain and deck were in poor condition.

The pool deck replacement project was added to Avon’s capital improvement plan in 2022, but removed last fall “because of the extensive amount of work that was going to be required,” Labagh said.

With the aid of Terracon Consultants, town staff conducted a facility conditions assessment to determine which town facilities need to be replaced.

In the assessment, the Avon Recreation Center was evaluated to be in poor condition. This was calculated by looking at all the deferred maintenance and the amount of money it would take to replace each component of the building.

At minimum, the recreation center needs repairs on the roof and the exterior of the building, replacement of the waterslide, plus repairs to the hot tub, plumbing, pool pumps and filtration systems. 

While the pool can receive some retrofits and ramshackle repairs, most of the pool’s electrical system is from the 1990s, limiting the types of equipment that can be replaced, as new technology is now too energy efficient to fit onto the old system.

The pool area renovation alone will take a minimum of 12 weeks. If only the necessary refurbishments are completed, the project is slated to cost between $3 and 3.5 million.

But the recreation center stands to gain significantly from improvements that go beyond the bare minimum.

The town could update the lap pool to add a sixth lane and gutter filters on all sides, creating a cleaner pool with fewer waves, plus the ability to host swimming competitions.

Water leisure feature expansions could include a redesign of the waterslide path that would have the slide exit the facility and reenter into a carefully designed, shallower runout instead of the existing deep water drop pool. This is a safer option because children will not land in water over their heads, Labagh said.

Pushing the waterslide outside of the facility eliminates blind spots for lifeguards created by the waterslide, which, inside the facility, blocks their field of vision and forces them into a constant rotation pattern to surveil their proper zone.

A new hot tub could be built in the existing hot tub location or in an enclosed area where there is currently a lesser-used patio, allowing it to expand to accommodate more people.

This type of expansion would tack another roughly $3 to 5 million onto the minimum refurbishment bill. 

The fitness area can be expanded to eliminate current “pinch points,” including the cardio and weights areas, Labagh said. The weight room might relocate to the recreation center’s bottom floor in its current fitness studio space, which would then be expanded. This design would not impact parking, as the weight room addition would go on what is currently lawn space.

The fitness area alterations are estimated to cost around $8 million. 

The gritty details: Potential $15 million bill, six-month closure, summer 2027 construction

The renovation, which could cost up to $15 million, will take a significant amount of time. A six-month closure is realistic, Heil said. This would result in a $300,000 to 400,000 loss in Avon’s revenue for the year.

Town staff aim to have the council incorporate the renovation into the 2026 budget.

Mayor Pro Tem Rich Carroll suggested putting money aside in advance to finance the renovation. “One financing option that is a no-go for me would be any kind of increase in tax, mill levy or something like that,” he said. “I think we need to figure out how we self-fund this.”

Mayor pro tem Tamra Underwood asked for recreation center user polling to see how they think the project should be funded.

The town is eyeing summer 2027 for the renovation, as there are alternative pool options in the summer. To retain staff, the town might increase programming at Harry A. Nottingham Park or loan out aquatics staff members to other pools in the area.

Town staff plan to return to council with a more decisive plan for the renovations around June. The goal is to have a consensus by the end of the fall on a plan for budget purposes.