Pasco aquatics center site could be a campus unlike any other in Eastern WA
When the Pasco Aquatic Center opens in 2025, it could be the crown jewel in a parks and services center.
That’s the vision being discussed by the board guiding construction of the center, as they look toward building a campus that could house the water park, a library branch, community center, transit hub and more.
Housing along the north side of the west Pasco’s 700-acre Broadmoor development in already in the works, with plans for retail, medical and parks. New roadways in the development are also starting to take shape.
The campus being discussed is the first announced major project, and the first look at how the city of Pasco and other regional municipal bodies hope to stake their claim in one of the fastest growing areas in the Tri-Cities.
After months of planning and looking at various properties, the facility board has settled on Broadmoor because of the potential it brings for growth centered around the aquatic facility.
In addition to shopping and businesses, 14,000 new rooftops are expected to go into the development, between the Columbia River and Interstate 82 bordered by Burns Road to the north, and fast growing area north of it.
Most of the construction in the Broadmoor development is expected to be complete by the end of the decade.
The public facilities district board expects to have a decision on which lot they’ll be buying at their September meeting.
Currently they’re discussing options with the property owner and potential partners such as the city of Pasco, Mid-Columbia Libraries and Ben Franklin Transit.
There is also discussion of building their own hotel, which would be leased out, Project Manager Matt Watkins told the Herald.
If the vision does come to fruition, with buy-in from all of the potential partners the water park could be neighbored by a park-and-ride transit hub, a city of Pasco community center, a Mid-Columbia Libraries branch, a hotel and maybe even pickle ball courts.
Watkins said there is nothing like their proposed vision in Eastern Washington.
The lots being favored are along the future Road 108 which will intersect with the Sandifur Parkway extension. Building around this intersection would put the campus at the heart of the development. The board is looking for 6 to 10 acres, at a price of $2 million to $3 million for the land, Watkins said.
The Broadmoor development also has plans for future parks in the area, which could potentially connect to the shared municipal campus.
What comes next?
Members of the Public Facilities Board are currently preparing for a meeting with state officials to seek approval for a progressive design-build process.
That process is used by publicly funded projects, such as the future regional mental health facility, to allow construction and planning work to take place simultaneously.
Watkins said this structure would allow for the project to hire a team that will do both the design and the building, and let them begin ordering materials they know will be needed while the design process is in the works.
It would also let them build the pool facility while planning continues on meeting spaces, locker rooms and other secondary portions of the facility.
Watkins said the key difference between the regular design-build and the progressive option is that there is a halfway point in the progressive option, where the board will get a guaranteed maximum price.
“We’re still aiming for 2025 to have this completed and we’ve got our foot on the gas to make it happen,” Watkins said. “We’ve got a lot to do to get there and I think the public will start seeing things really moving forward.”
Once the board has approval for the design-build process, they’ll select a contractor. After locking in a contractor and property, Watkins plans to begin hosting a variety of outreach initiatives this fall.
He hopes to get community input to ensure their vision matches what the public wants from the facility.
They’ll be working to make sure they can loop in residents of all ages to get their perspectives.
About the facility
While the aquatic facility will be in Pasco, it’s not technically under the city’s umbrella. The public facilities board operates independently, but has partnered with the city for certain legal and technical services.
The Pasco Aquatic Facility is the culmination of a decade-long effort to bring an aquatic facility to the Tri-Cities. The first effort for a regional facility failed in 2013, but the desire never waned.
Pasco eventually created its own PFD board, which brought the $40 million proposal to voters in April 2022.
The effort was approved by voters with a 10% margin.
It saw a 0.2% sales tax increase in Pasco to pay for the new facility. That amounts to 2 cents being collected on a $10 purchase, and is expected to raise $40 million to build and operate the facility. Watkins said that their first rounds of collection are meeting the expected target.
As proposed, the first phase would be nearly 47,000 square feet and the second just over 13,000 square feet.
The first phase includes an 8,000-square-foot indoor leisure pool, a 20,000-square-foot outdoor activity pool, a party room, classroom, outdoor concessions and locker rooms.
The next phase would see an 8-lane, 25-yard indoor competition pool added — paid for with the cash balance of the bond.
The plans could see some changes, though, as they enter the design and public input phases. It could eventually offer a competitive space for swim clubs.
The board considered other properties for the facility, including 5-acre parcels next to LifeQuest near the HAPO Center and a parcel off of Chapel Hill Boulevard. They ultimately settled on Broadmoor in hopes of creating the municipal campus.
