District reviews natatorium design: 8-lane competition pool, community pool and 740-seat mezzanine

Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District staff and Nexus designers presented a preliminary natatorium design and timeline that retains the referendum’s competition pool and community pool while refining circulation, accessibility and adjacency to the existing school buildings.

Sharon Gold, senior program manager for Nexus, said the project remains in early design but has evolved through seven main design meetings, three site tours and multiple meetings with the city and Oak Creek Community Center. “We’re providing a preliminary design update,” Gold said, adding that the design will continue to evolve.

Key elements presented include an eight-lane competition pool with a diving board at the north end, and a separate warm-water community pool with four full lanes and a shallow depth range (approximately 3.5 to 4.5 feet). Designers added zero-entry access ramps and an underwater bench to ease entry for lessons and therapy; Gold said community-pool temperatures are expected to be 88–92 degrees Fahrenheit. The plan shows locker and support spaces including student athletic locker rooms, community locker rooms, five private dressing rooms and four private shower/toilet rooms on the community side.

The mezzanine seating was reconfigured into an L-shaped layout to increase capacity; the design team said it yields roughly 740 seats, about 90 more than earlier referendum drawings. Designers also described circulation that connects the natatorium to the ninth-grade center via an enclosed, secure ballway, and staff emphasized life-safety features, sprinklers and required egress provisions. Architects intend frosted glazing between the competition and community pools to maintain student privacy while allowing daylight.

Site and parking work includes demolishing existing infrastructure, relocating utilities, installing stormwater management, and adding 24 parking spaces to the north/east of the community center parking lot so Miller Park would not be disturbed. Nexus staff said larger meets (one to two times per year) may rely on supplemental parking and event staffing plans coordinated with district staff.

The project timeline presented shows design work through July 2025, early site/utility work beginning in June–July, construction continuing into October–November 2025, and pool startup planned for November–December 2025. The renovation of the existing pool (infill work) would occur after the new pool is operational. Staff said final materials, paint and furniture selections remain to be determined.