Iowa City Community School District, Coralville outline $58M natatorium plan; district share about $14.5M

Iowa City Community School District administrators and Coralville officials presented a joint plan for a new natatorium and recreation center that consultants estimate could cost about $58 million to build and that would assign the school district roughly $14.5 million of the construction cost, district and city representatives said during a board work‑session discussion.

The proposal would place a new facility adjacent to the district’s middle school campus, add a 10‑lane competition pool (the district’s current pool is an eight‑lane facility), and divide use and costs between the district and the city. "This is simply about the construction share for the new facility," Chase, deputy superintendent, said during the presentation.

The plan grew from a multi‑year engagement and consultant process led by Newman Munson Architects and local partners. Dave Zirodnick of Newman Munson described a two‑phase concept that either adds to the existing building or builds a new facility next to the current site; the team favored a new build that would allow programming to continue during construction. The consultants and contractors provided baseline cost ranges of $50 million to $55 million; applying an estimated 5% annual escalation for a potential 2027 construction start pushed the estimate closer to $58 million.

Consultants and district staff described the method used to allocate costs to the district: assign school and city use percentages based on water surface area, building square footage and assigned time, then multiply those shares by the construction and site costs. The presentation cited hard construction cost at about $52 million, site development originally budgeted at $2.8 million (escalated in the consultant worksheet to roughly $3.5 million when contingencies and escalation were added) and soft costs (design, civil work, testing) around $6.5 million. The district’s allocated share, based on that method and the planned program, was presented at about $14.5 million.

The consultants described programmatic allocations: a competition pool block would be dedicated to the district for about 90% of scheduled competition use, while other pool space (a shallower lap/warm‑up basin) would be available for community lap swim and lesson programs with a smaller district allocation (presenters cited a 15% allocation for some lap lane time). The overall building square footage allocated to the district was shown as roughly 21,752 square feet, about 20% of the total building area, according to the presentation materials.

District staff and athletic directors discussed how the new facility could alter team structure and student participation. Currently West and Liberty high schools share a single competitive swim team; district materials cited a combined participation figure of 241 students last year across high schools and junior highs, with about 90 high‑school swimmers on the joint team and roughly 50 from the two feeder middle schools. Board members and staff said additional water time and a second basin could allow the high schools to field separate teams and expand participation. "We believe that this will" increase opportunities and allow scheduling flexibility, a district official said when describing how two bodies of water would be used for practice, warm‑ups and meets.

Coralville officials said the city will need voter approval to finance its portion of the project. "We will have to go to vote at the public, for our portion of the funds," Kelly Hayward, a Coralville representative, told the board. City staff described broad community support from surveys and an open house and said the city’s council has signaled general support for a new build, not a renovation of the existing pool, because of the condition and limitations of the current facility.

Board members and staff also discussed non‑construction issues that remain to be negotiated if the project proceeds. Those include: the specifics of an intergovernmental agreement the transcript referenced as a "28 d agreement" to define ongoing operations and cost‑sharing; how annual operating and maintenance costs will be split; scheduling and practice rotation among high schools and junior highs; whether to use a construction manager at risk procurement model to limit bidding uncertainty; and potential rental opportunities to offset costs. Presenters noted the district cannot unilaterally adopt some procurement measures currently but that recent code changes have altered options for local public entities.

Board members asked for additional detail on student participation, scheduling diagrams and a clearer explanation of how space and revenue (for events and rentals) would be shared. District staff said they will include the project as a significant line item in the next Facility Master Plan (FMP) update and aim to bring a version for board consideration in late May with a potential vote in June. If the district pursues the project, Coralville staff said city council and a public referendum would be next steps for the city’s financing.

Presenters also noted risks and unknowns: construction‑market escalation, the potential for bids to come in above estimates, and future operating costs that will need a formal agreement. Consultants recommended carrying design and construction contingencies and exploring a construction manager at risk delivery to lock price when possible.

Next steps identified in the meeting: district staff will refine the FMP line item, provide more detailed breakdowns of student participation and scheduling, and return to the board with a fuller package ahead of the planned vote; Coralville will determine its referendum timeline and complete its internal approvals process. No formal board vote or contract award was taken at the work session.