Oak Creek board hears detailed natatorium design, schedule and budget update; precast delay may push finish months

Oak Creek — Designers and the district on July 14 presented a detailed design, schedule update and budget status for the Oak Creek High School natatorium project, and warned a delayed precast delivery could push completion back as much as three months. Sharon Gould of Nexus, who led the presentation, said the project remains on budget so far and that bid packages 1–3 have been awarded. “We were able to gain 24 parking spaces without taking over Miller Park,” Gould told the board, summarizing site changes since the referendum drawings. She said bid package 3 was out and returned; bid package 4 (the building design) remains to be bid and is expected in August. The project design includes an eight‑lane, 25‑yard competition pool with a one‑meter diving board and an accessible zero‑entry ramp, plus a second warmer “community pool” with four lanes and shallower water for lessons and therapy. Gould said the mezzanine was redesigned to include seating on two sides and that the current seating plan — modified to add required ADA spaces — provides about 640 seats. She said some windows would be frosted for privacy and the team planned a two‑zone sound system, separate mechanical systems for each pool, and UV disinfection alongside chlorine and muriatic acid for water treatment. Chief Business and Finance Officer Blaise Paul put the total package at about $36,000,000 and told the board the first three bid packages trended under budget overall. “So far, so good,” Paul said, noting bid package 4 is the largest remaining unknown and will give the clearest picture of the overall budget when bids are returned. Gould and district staff described site changes made since referendum drawings: new traffic calming measures; six additional ADA parking stalls; a maintenance drive for mechanical access; regrading to connect the new building to the Oak Creek Community Center parking lot; and sidewalk changes to improve pedestrian flow. The team said they will bid optional alternates such as a full video display scoreboard. The community rooms and a small kitchenette were added to increase program flexibility. On schedule, Gould said a delay in precast production is the major current risk: “Instead of coming in September/October, the precast is coming in later — up to a three‑month delay,” she told the board. The district reported it negotiated with contractors to shorten other work but said the precast timing is a critical path item that will likely push the project completion date by months and could affect timing for renovating the existing pool. Board members asked about furniture, storage and flexible community‑use spaces; Gould said storage and furniture layouts will be addressed in upcoming design meetings. Board members also asked about sight lines, acoustics and security; Gould said windows would be sited and frosted for privacy, sound attenuation elements were planned for the ceiling, and public access would be lockable and limited during non‑event hours. The presentation included mechanical and electrical highlights: two pool air handling units (one for each pool) with energy recovery and pressurization control to keep pool air from migrating into other building spaces; air‑cooled chillers and hot‑water boilers for building HVAC; separate boilers, surge tanks and filtration for each pool; and redundancy to permit operations during maintenance cycles. Gould said the district intends to provide pool timing systems, starting blocks and other competition gear suitable for WIAA and NFHS events but not for higher‑level sectionals. The district will return with the results of bid package 4 (building design) when bids are opened and will update the board on any budget changes. Gould and Paul emphasized they are working to minimize the schedule impact but were clear the precast delay is outside the district’s control. Less critical details: the district said one alternate item (a video display) will be bid separately, and some interior finishes and graphic elements remain to be finalized with a graphic artist. This item was an update; no formal board vote or contract authorization on the natatorium was taken at the July 14 meeting.