Aquatic center nears completion

Johnny Unale works on water apparatus in the special youth area of the new aquatics center in Gallup. Children will be able to interact with the various structures that spray water while wading in shallow water. [Photo by Daniel Zollinger/Independent]

By Bill Donovan
Staff writer

Daniel Bernard preps the edges of one of many large windows before sealing it at the new aquatic center in Gallup. The large windows will allow plentiful light into the structure which will include a competition pool, a youth friendly water zone with a water slide, and a warm up pool. The building is set to be complete in May 2006. [Photo by Daniel Zollinger/Independent]

GALLUP — Work on the new city's aquatic center is on schedule for completion in late April or May, city officials said Wednesday.

City Manager Eric Honeyfield said work on the $8 million project has been going smoothly and is expected to come in at or under budget.

This is the major project to be funded under a bond issue. Part of the cost of the project is also being paid for by the Gallup-McKinley County School District, which plans to use the facility located on Boardman Avenue for junior high classes and for use by the district's school team for practices.

Just before construction started, members of a local Native American youth group started protesting, trying to get the facility built in the county instead of the city.

The protest was ignored by school district officials, and city officials said they had no interest in using city funds to pay for the cost of an aquatic center that would be located outside the city limits.

Honeyfield estimated that the construction work, being done by Rick Murphy Builders, is about 80 percent complete.

Work is still being done on both the interior and exterior portions of the building and Honeyfield said work has progressed so much that items that were purchased by the city to use with the pools are now being delivered.

Originally, Mayor Bob Rosebrough who was the big pusher of a new aquatic center for the city wanted one that was in line with what some area cities had, but the cost $15 million and up was so great that this had to be abandoned.

Instead, a design was prepared for a structure that would have a large Olympic-size pool and smaller pools for younger swimmers.

But changes have occurred over the months, said Honeyfield.

The original design, he said, called for a type of 50s retro style inside where the swimming pools are located but city officials nixed this and substituted a design that would reflect the cultural diversity of Gallup.

It will still be a few weeks before people will actually be able to go inside and see what the aquatic center will look like, but Honeyfield said he thinks area residents will be happy with what their $8 million has bought.