Changing Trends, Shrinking Funds
and Fewer Leisure Hours
Determine New Directions in Recreational Design

by Carol Sente

The 1991 opening of the RecPlex in Mt. Prospect, Illinois, was representative of a new direction in the design of park district recreation facilities. Impetus for these changes can be found, in large part, in the growing emphasis on physical well-being in all age groups, the increase in two-income families with specific recreational needs and the influence of private sector facilities. The 91,000 SF mega facility features an expansive fitness center, two indoor pools, spacious lounge and gathering spaces and an indoor playground called "playplex." The varying wall shapes and roof lines incorporated into the building's glass and masonry exterior are a far departure from the stark yet functional rectangular "box" of the past; interior and exterior materials are colorful and welcoming. This is a place where the park district residents and those of the surrounding communities are anxious to "come play," and it is impressive by public and private standards alike. Expansion of the boundaries of design in the public sector is a definite trend of the nineties.

According to Joe Rubel, partner of Sente & Rubel Ltd., Architects, "Long before programs are considered by a new center, we, as architects, are noticing a drastic departure in the design of the building's envelope. We are seeing distinctive lobbies, varied roof lines, atriums, and skylights; the creative use of both traditional and non-traditional building materials in a broader color palette, and a growing concern for the 'look' and the quality of the finished product."

Joe Doud, Director of the Northbrook Park District, agrees. "Centers are now being designed along the lines of private clubs, and the old institutional concept of the four perpendicular walls is no longer acceptable. While we are not interested in' outdoing' our private counterparts, we now find the community highly involved in the design process, demanding the amenities found in private facilities and willing to pay for them."

Another recent trend is the return to the centralized community center—one major facility with something for everyone. This reinforces the "town center" concept but remains a community-specific aspect of design. The larger the community or the more established the existing neighborhoods and programs, however, the less feasible is a single central facility. According to Karop Bavougian, Director of the Wheeling Park District, who has a new recreation center and aquatic park under construction, "Agencies must continue to provide conveniently accessible facilities to residents in all parts of a community," which historically have been available through the shared use of school facilities. This "district specific" concept is also shared by Dean Bostrom, Director of the Lombard Park District and currently involved in the planning of a 90,000 SF Recreation Center for that community. "There will never be such a thing as 'the perfect recreation center' that will work for every community," he says. "Since each community has its own unique set of needs and a client base representing various interests, agencies have to start their planning with an assessment of the existing facilities and programs currently offered, not only by the park district but by the YMCA and private entities as well. Programming must be innovative, or offer a variation of something that already exists, not a duplication. After this facility inventory, go to your residents and ask them what amenities they would like to see in an new center by way of a survey, community meetings, or some other format. In our case, we need to remember and note what the popular programs in our leased school facility were as we plan our new center." "Versatility is extremely important," adds Dave Markworth, Director of the Des Plaines Park District, also with a newly opened community center. "We are seeing more effort on the part of agencies to apply a multi-use concept to their facilities, both for present programming and in anticipation of future needs."

Growth in specific market segments, lifestyle changes, and economics are also affecting leisure center design and programming. In her talk at the 1992 NRPA National Congress, Juliet Schor, Associate Professor of Economics at Harvard University, outlined the last twenty years, wherein the average

Again focusing on extended working hours, Schor stated that "latch key" children present one of the most disturbing problems or our society. Recreational programming areas now include before and after school day care activities and academic programs. Many programs include transportation to and from the schools, or utilize the school facility itself, and are staffed by park district or shared personnel. Jerry Handlon, Schaumburg Park District Director, also sees the needs of those 55 years old and older as a growing market. "These individuals are asking for more programming space for exercise, table games, crafts, reading and instruction, catered get-togethers, and so forth. They want to come to a center to socialize and may not want to enroll in regular classes." With fewer leisure hours, there exists in every segment of the population the demand for interesting, sophisticated programming options.

It is not surprising that the fitness area is currently the single largest income generator for most centers. No longer a fad, fitness is a permanent, high-tech and constantly changing field. The latest progressive resistance machines, private locker areas at a fee, aerobics room and health and fitness classes are in demand for adults, children and seniors, along with surfaced running tracks, full scale gymnasiums with several "practice" courts, racquetball and indoor tennis courts, and indoor pools.

The concrete box pool, with or without a diving board, has been replaced by the "leisure pool" concept, popular in Europe and the western United States. Steve Meyer, Director of the Park Ridge Park District, whose new community center features both leisure and lap pools, states that "indoor pools are still a drain (on revenues), but you cannot build a community center with an emphasis on health without including swimming. A large pool with ample water play amenities can be programmed to break even; our junior high night draws between 350 and 400 kids. We offer a disc jockey, food and gymnasium and pool activities. The kids thoroughly enjoy coming to hang out with their peers." Dean Bostrom agrees. "All the studies say people 'like' pools but, in actuality, year-round use is a problem. The traditional competitive pool will not work exclusively in our recreation centers. Districts need to provide a pool that is tied to an entire recreation center and offers activities for multiple age groups." Jerry Handlon disputes the theory of indoor pools as revenue losers. "We have to look ahead to what is coming—our users' changing demands, and changing pool shapes, activities and amenities that allow a pool to be an operational plus. We can't refuse to offer the community a pool because it's considered an operational loser; we have to find ways to make it a winner."

A recent NRPA Aquatics Section article by Monty L. Christianson, entitled "English Leisure Pools Offer New Concepts for American Indoor Pools," discusses the British design focus of a pool environment that offers something for each age group, in contrast with the motivation behind American design, namely, the needs of the competitive swimmer. A leisure pool, typically irregularly or curvilinearly shaped, incorporates several water play features such as waterfalls, a vortex, a lazy river, water spray features, slides and bubblers. A zero-depth edge (beach-like entrance) adds flexibility to the design and accessibility to persons of all abilities. Thus, a leisure pool goes beyond the idea of fitness. It creates an entire recreational environment that combines play with exercise, socialization and relaxation—motivations that current research has found to be driving forces behind recreational choices.

In addition to interior water parks, the indoor playground, popular in the commercial sector (McDonalds and Leaps and Bounds, for example) provides the recreation center child user with an opportunity for an unstructured, open-ended play experience as well as socialization with peers. The rental of rooms and creative development of birthday party activities, again based on a commercial model, have become popular revenue producing areas for many districts. The Elk Grove Park District's new 110,000 SF Recreation Center will house an entire Children's Wing and features a full-size indoor carrousel. Gary Buczkowski, Assistant Director of Parks and Planning for the district, states that "parents want parties, but not necessarily in their own homes; they don't want to have to worry about damage and rough play. And kids are always looking for fun places to play." The "party room" popularity is a direct offshoot of parents' diminishing leisure hours. The cake, ice cream, streamers, balloons and cleanup are provided, along with professional supervision and exciting themes—from Batman to the Bulls—all for a fee. Elk Grove's youth area will also house children's pottery and arts and crafts classrooms, a children's dance exercise area, and a fully staffed teenage fitness training center.

Such expanding recreational needs and a shrinking pool of tax dollars have led John Wilson, Director of the Grayslake Community Park District, and others to pursue the cooperation of public agencies with one another and with the private sector

vis a vis shared use and shared costs. "Partnerships are the solution," according to Wilson. "The future of government will involve working together; we have to drop our own egos and this 'kingdom building' syndrome." His district is in the planning stages of a community center and indoor/outdoor pool complex, subject to a November 1993 referendum. The town's library district is evaluating the park district's invitation to join forces in the project. The Schaumburg Park District is involved in a public-private partnership at the Woodfield Business Center. Here, the park district manages a privately owned fitness center, pool and racquetball club. Jerry Handlon has summed the venture up as a win-win situation. "The office tenants have a convenient, well-managed facility, and the park district has an additional facility that is available seven days a week." Elmhurst Park District partnered its "The Courts" facility with a local hospital to provide additional benefits to health club users, expanding fitness to a more extensive "wellness" concept. Many districts have similar cooperative programming with schools, banks, hospitals and private sector facilities. "We are near the top of the mountain now," says Dave Markworth. "A lot will depend on the proposed tax cap legislation. If districts lose their ability to levy for capital purposes, we will certainly have to explore other financing options in greater detail. There is a limit to how many times you can go back to the voters for a referendum."

Whether funded by taxes, debt restructuring, or referenda, economic trends point to a larger portion of the operational costs of new facilities being borne by the facilities' users. "The major park district objective through the nineties will be to fill up spaces at the best possible dollar return," states Buczkowski. "In calculating the net operating cost of running our new community center, we wanted the building to support itself," adds Dean Bostrom. "Programs and instructors' salaries were typically tax supported in the past; there is a shift to covering more of these expenses through a facility' s ability to generate revenues." This accountability of the facility itself, coupled with the interest and input of all segments of the community from the initial planning stages onward, is resulting in successful projects, even in difficult financial times. According to Ted Sente, "Park district staffs have become more knowledgeable and are evaluating their options more closely. Agencies are investigating construction management approaches to a project, design/build ventures, and prequalification of bidders in attempts to get 'more bang for the buck,' deliver more to the community, and offer the services that communities demand and will continue to demand into the next century."

About the Author

Carol Sente is the Marketing Principal at Sente & Ruble Ltd., Architects in Northbrook, Illinois.