Hobbs City reviews two preliminary Family Aquatic Center designs, staff urge quick use of $600K state design grant

Consultants and city staff presented two preliminary design concepts for a Family Aquatic Center sited on Taylor Ranch and fielded commissioners’ questions about operations, staffing and funding.

Lane Olivo, the design team lead, said the project began in June and that the team narrowed the aquatic center site to about 3–5 acres within the roughly 240-acre Taylor Ranch tract. Olivo described Concept A as a formal layout with a central splash pad, locker rooms and concessions to the left, and progressively higher-energy activities and slide areas toward the rear. Concept B is a more organic, topography-driven alternative featuring waterfalls, rock features and elevated back-of-site elements. "We kicked off the project in June," Olivo said as he outlined site visits, staff meetings and a public meeting that drew roughly 40 attendees.

The design team presented a prioritized amenities list drawn from stakeholder and public meetings: slide towers, a flowrider, wave pool, open swim areas, children's splash features, a lazy or "laser" river, competition-capable lanes and a warm-water therapy pool. Supporting amenities identified included concessions, an amphitheater, shaded playgrounds, rentable cabanas, walking trails and space for food trucks. Olivo said separate pool basins were proposed to allow targeted closures for contamination events rather than shutting an entire, connected water system.

Commissioners pressed the team on operational details. Olivo gave an initial capacity estimate of about 20,000 square feet of pool surface—"which leads to about 500 people in this pool," he said—and added the facility could see up to about 800 visitors on heavy days. Commissioners asked how many lifeguards would be required; Olivo said earlier, larger concepts had staffing estimates near 40 on-site, while the current scaled designs were projected to need roughly 15–20 lifeguards on duty at peak.

City staff acknowledged nationwide lifeguard shortages but said they were investing in local training. "We have Haley Veil Rosa and Shay Plaxico. They are going to Dallas Fort Worth in early January and get their LGI certificates," a staff member said, adding that having in-house instructors could help increase local lifeguard capacity.

Costs and funding were a central focus. Olivo said the two concepts are anticipated to have construction costs of about $17,000,000. City staff reported a $600,000 state design grant is available for the project, with $172,000 already encumbered and roughly $400,000 more budgeted locally for design, giving about $1,000,000 for design work. Staff warned there is a deadline to encumber the remaining grant funds "prior to December 31," and urged the commission to act within that timeline if it wants to use the state money.

Several commissioners urged the city to design the center as part of a broader recreation hub to improve year-round utility and revenue generation. "We need to seriously think about how we might design it to be a revenue creator for the private sector," one commissioner said, arguing a facility usable for about six months should be paired with entrepreneurial or private activities to support year-round visitation.

Staff recommended a separate feasibility study to produce operational-cost estimates before committing to construction. The consultant team confirmed feasibility was not in their current RFP scope but said a follow-up study and RFP could be pursued once the commission selects a preferred concept. The consultant will revise and merge concepts based on feedback and return in roughly three weeks with a final concept, and staff said it plans to bring a design contract and construction-cost estimates back to the commission in December so it can meet the state grant-encumbrance deadline.

The work session ended with the commission requesting the revised concept materials be emailed to members for review ahead of the next meeting. The consultant committed to return with the revised master plan and associated costs so the commission can decide how to proceed.