While the old building is being taken down Liz Ambuhl, the Manchester Parks and Recreation Director, and her staff will be located at Town Hall.
"I think the community will be ecstatic," said Ambuhl. The old building was unsafe in areas. Cracks in the windows and rotted siding have been an issue in past years. There have also been complaints about the space and the bathrooms, she said.
The Maple Leaf Marathon will be slightly affected due to the demolition. In past years participants have used the rec. building for bathroom use. This year, since the building will be closed, they will have to use port-o-potties that the town will install for the event.
The new building will be slightly larger than the building being replaced and will cut into the skate park just next door, according to O'Keefe.
"Very little of the skateboard park will be lost, only about 10 percent," Said John O'Keefe, the Town Manager of Manchester. There is a chance the town may replace that lost 10 percent after construction is complete.
Breadloaf, an architecture and construction company, is overseeing the demolition and the construction of the new building. They will be accepting bids from local contractors later this week moving into next week, said O'Keefe.
The two biggest improvements will be to the bathrooms and a brand
The bathrooms, which will be located at the left side of the building, will have better lighting, better ventilation, and a heat recovery unit to help cut costs during the winter. They will be attached at the back end of new locker rooms that are being added.
"We would like to start to have tournaments down there," said O'Keefe, "along with other programs that might require locker room space."
The community room seems to be causing the most buzz due to its flexibility. "We will definitely use the community room for summer camp," Ambuhl said, but that will not be its only purpose. Anyone from the community will be able to request the use of the room, which has a maximum number of people set at 60.
People will be able to use the room for anything from birthday parties to yoga and knitting classes.
Radiant floor heating will be installed to help cut heating costs during the winter months. "You can set it at a much lower temperature...it should be more efficient and cut costs," O'Keefe said.
The pool itself will also see some improvements. A water slide will be added to the pool giving kids a larger variety of things to do. There is also talk about inserting a 'kiddy' splash pad to the children's area said O'Keefe.
The demolition and construction will happen in one motion.
"[The] Building should be ready to go by February, well in advance for the spring sports season," O'Keefe said.
Font Resize
