Carbondale staff told the Parks and Recreation Commission on Jan. 14 that construction of the town’s new aquatic center is close to completion, but three major items — pool plastering, installation and permitting of rooftop solar panels, and irrigation and planting — remain on the contractor punch list.

Eric Brenlinger, the town’s parks and recreation director, said crews completed major flatwork and that fencing and other visible site improvements are in place. He said the town is pursuing a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy that would let staff access the building for move-in and life-safety checks even while final exterior and finish work continues. "We're actually, looking at getting a TCO this week at some point," Brenlinger said.

Why it matters: The TCO would allow staff to begin equipment setup and training inside the facility, shortening the time to public opening once the remaining items are finished and permits are closed. Commissioners pressed staff on durability and operational readiness, especially hot-water capacity and shower management.

Brenlinger told commissioners the project team is testing building systems, including air-source heat-pump water heaters sized to provide roughly 100–180 gallons of hot-water capacity for commercial use. "So we have 2 large .. it's a 180 gallons ... 160 gallons total of water available," he said while discussing options to ensure adequate hot water for showers. Staff said water-saving fixtures will be installed and that the town is evaluating options such as timed or push-button shower controls to limit peak demand without creating an unsatisfactory user experience.

Fundraising and budget: Brenlinger reported the capital campaign had raised about $2.1 million toward a $2.5 million goal and noted a December grant of $25,000 from the Alpenglow Foundation. He said two grant requests remain pending, including an El Pomar application (amount to be determined) and a decision from T-Mobile expected in February. The transcript includes a larger numeric figure that appears inconsistent with later statements; staff repeatedly described the campaign as "over 2.1" million and framed the $2.1 million result as a success for the town’s first capital campaign.

On contingency and schedule: The town’s owner contingency is approximately $80,000, Brenlinger said, which staff view as available for winter-condition mitigations such as tenting and temporary heating if plastering must be completed in cool weather. He told the commission the next critical schedule items, and a contractor-provided critical-path schedule, will be presented to the Board of Trustees at an upcoming meeting.

What's next: Staff will continue system testing, finalize the plaster and solar installation in spring weather windows, and return with a completion schedule and contingency plan to the trustees. The commission also expects a more detailed operations plan and final fundraising accounting before the facility opens to the public.

Provenance: Topics introduced at the Jan. 14 Parks & Recreation meeting (topic start SEG 413; topic finish SEG 782).