Board authorizes $837,000 contract to convert pool into multipurpose gym

The Lake Oswego Contract Review Board voted to authorize a contract with First Cascade Corporation for $837,000 to convert the district-owned pool and adjacent space into a large multipurpose gymnasium.

Tony Bens, who presented the project to the board, said the work includes “decommissioning the pool, filling in the hole, and creating a large multipurpose space,” plus interior and exterior cosmetic upgrades and fixture replacement. Bens told the board the district received nine bids and that First Cascade submitted the lowest responsive bid, “a total lump sum, including the 2 alternates … $837,000.”

The district plans to repurpose the gymnasium floor from the former Lake Oswego Junior High and install it in the large-volume space currently occupied by the naturium, creating a main basketball court and four side courts. Bens said locker rooms will remain as locker rooms for now, and the work will include replacement of worn sinks, toilets and some partitions, upgraded, more efficient lighting and decommissioning of mechanical systems. Exterior work will include painting and siding repairs.

Bens warned that demolishing the building now could complicate permitting and reduce usable square footage, so the district plans to retain the existing structure to preserve the current footprint while adding the gymnasium capacity. He said the district faces a shortage of large open gym spaces and views this conversion as a near-term remedy.

The motion to authorize contract execution was made from the board and seconded on the record; the chair called for a voice vote and recorded the motion as approved by the board.

Contract details, including the bid tabulations showing nine bidders and First Cascade’s low bid with two alternates, were presented during the contract review portion of the meeting.