Other News
Apr 11, 2024: Community Meeting: Sea Level Rise Adaptation for Outer Bay and Agate Beach Areas on Lopez Island
Mar 11, 2024: Queers in Unexpected Places: Searching for (and Finding) Gender and Sexual Non-Conformity in the Rural and Early PNW
Mar 7, 2024: DRAFT Richardson Marsh Preserve Stewardship and Management Plan Now Open for Public Comment
Dec 5, 2023: County Council Member Jane Fuller and Senator Liz Lovelett to Host Public Meeting on Lopez
Nov 3, 2023: County and Town Send Open Letter to State Officials Regarding Impacts of Poor Ferry Service
Sep 29, 2023: Conservation Land Bank Announces Special Meeting to Discuss Watmough Bay Preserve Addition
Sep 14, 2023: The mobile dental van is coming to Lopez! // ¡La camioneta dental móvil ya llega a López!
Aug 22, 2023: San Juan County Adopts 32-Hour Work Week in the Name of Fiscal Health, Recruitment, and Islander Wellness
May 25, 2023: Recap of Lopez Neighborhood Meeting Regarding the Relocation of Public Works Facilities
May 23, 2023: District 3 Councilmember Jane Fuller Opens Office on Lopez and Hosts Community Conversation
Apr 17, 2023: Give Lopez Starts April 17th - A two week fundraiser benefiting 15 Lopez Island Non-Profits
Sep 22, 2022: Interim Watmough Preserve Addition Stewardship and Management Plan Now Open for Public Comment
Pool Progress & Lopez Swim Center Talks with Water Technology Inc.
Aug 30, 2023
By Friends of Lopez Island Pool
The campaign to build the Lopez Swim Center has retooled and is better than ever after project delays last year that were beyond our control. This eight-part series will provide you with project updates, along with interviews from aquatic experts, leaders, and community members behind the campaign. This is part one of the series.
PROJECT UPDATES
COST SAVINGS: Project leaders made the following planning decisions to reduce project costs without sacrificing quality:
•Simplified design of the shower house
•Selected energy-efficient equipment for lower operating costs and durability
•Became a seasonal indoor/outdoor pool (instead of an indoor pool with a retractable roof), saving both costs and energy. A heated, air-inflated dome will go up in the fall for indoor swimming in cooler months. In late spring, the dome will be deflated and stored, for open-air swimming in summer.
TOWN HALL MEETING: Join us Friday, Sept. 22, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Lopez Community Center, 204 Village Rd.
Subscribe to the Pulse, our online newsletter, to get notifications of upcoming events at www.lopezislandpool.org.
TIMELINE: We hope to open the Swim Center in late 2024. Please understand that in our post-COVID world, construction projects remain vulnerable to staffing, cost escalation/funding, and supply-chain issues that could impact this timeline. We are also waiting for the San Juan County permit (see more details in our next article).
__________________________________________________
Lopez Swim Center Talks with Water Technology Inc.’s Ryan Nachreiner, Regional Director of Project Development
LSC: What is Water Technology Inc.’s role with the Lopez Swim Center project?
WTI: Water Technology Inc. (WTI) is a specialized design firm focused solely on aquatic recreation. For the Lopez Swim Center, we prepared the design and engineering drawings and the specifications for the mechanical and water-treatment systems. These designs are crucial to obtain permit approvals, to bid contract work, and to guide the facility’s construction.
LSC: What is WTI’s experience in the Pacific Northwest and with local regulators?
WTI: WTI has been working in the Pacific Northwest, and Washington state in particular, for over 25 years. As the largest and most experienced aquatic design team in North America, we take a personalized approach to each region where we operate. In the Puget Sound and Salish Sea area, we’ve built a long history and strong relationships with local regulations and code officials. I live in Bellingham and make a point of being involved in issues affecting our industry at the regional level. I serve on a Department of Health advisory board that is responsible for revisions to state pool codes.
WTI also works across the country and in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East developing destination waterparks and family aquatic centers. This experience gives us access to the latest trends and technologies across five continents. No other aquatic firm brings our extensive experience in the Puget Sound and Salish Sea area and the industry knowledge, resources, and technologies from our work around the world.
LSC: Can you talk about some of the equipment that Lopez Swim Center has selected for the new pool?
WTI: Good choices of materials and equipment are crucial for the long-term operation of the facility, especially considering the remoteness of and streamlined staffing operation needs of this facility. Each of the major mechanical components�"pumps, filters, controllers, and disinfection systems�"are being provided by established companies with highly refined product lines. Equipment was selected for its durability and serviceability. The pools will be constructed using preconstructed steel panels made by Myrtha Pools, a company known for having one of highest quality methods for pool construction with a 25-year warranty. The choice of steel Myrtha pools eliminates the need to for draining them every 3 to 7 years like traditional pools, saving significant water consumption as well as operating costs. With these quality products, the Lopez Swim Center will be able to have manufacturer support over the facility’s lifespan.
LSC: Pools are known to be energy hogs. How are you addressing cost and conservation?
WTI: Pools are energy users, but the Lopez Swim Center has made decisions that significantly reduce its energy consumption. For the Swim Center, we tackled waste and inefficiency in three areas: water and space heating; water filtration; and water circulation / pumping.
The most important investment is that the Center will operate with heat pumps powered by electricity. The net result is a 75% reduction in annual operating costs and eliminating the use of 48,000 gallons of propane annually.
Secondly, we’ll use advanced filtration with regenerative media filters, which uses up to 90% less water than more common filtration systems, and at the same time, does a better job filtering particles out of the water. This matters because the less water a pool uses, the less energy that’s needed to heat that water.
The largest energy users in pools typically are the pumps that continuously circulate water through the filtration and water treatment system. For efficiency, we’ll have a variable frequency drive on every pump motor directing it to run at precisely the power it needs and preventing wasted energy.
LSC: How does the pool’s design support a positive swimming experience?
WTI: The Lopez Swim Center will offer a broad range of programming for pool users of all ages. There are children learning to swim and retirees keeping healthy and fit, plus a range of swimmers between.
To best serve the different pool users and the different types of programming, we designed two separate pools that can be kept at two different temperatures. This allows, for example, the Lopez Swim Center to host water exercise classes in one pool with warmer water to benefit joints and muscles, while keeping another pool at a lower temperature that’s more suitable for lap swimming or swimming lessons.
Of course, safe and sanitary water is essential to a positive swimming experience. Advanced filtration and automated UV disinfection systems will continuously provide exceptional water quality; a supplemental sanitation system will provide extra protection against pathogens in addition to the primary disinfection system.
To learn more about the campaign for the Lopez Swim Center contact:
Anne Marie MacPherson, Executive Director
Friends of Lopez Island Pool
director@lopezislandpool.org
COST SAVINGS: Project leaders made the following planning decisions to reduce project costs without sacrificing quality:
•Simplified design of the shower house
•Selected energy-efficient equipment for lower operating costs and durability
•Became a seasonal indoor/outdoor pool (instead of an indoor pool with a retractable roof), saving both costs and energy. A heated, air-inflated dome will go up in the fall for indoor swimming in cooler months. In late spring, the dome will be deflated and stored, for open-air swimming in summer.
TOWN HALL MEETING: Join us Friday, Sept. 22, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Lopez Community Center, 204 Village Rd.
Subscribe to the Pulse, our online newsletter, to get notifications of upcoming events at www.lopezislandpool.org.
TIMELINE: We hope to open the Swim Center in late 2024. Please understand that in our post-COVID world, construction projects remain vulnerable to staffing, cost escalation/funding, and supply-chain issues that could impact this timeline. We are also waiting for the San Juan County permit (see more details in our next article).
__________________________________________________
Lopez Swim Center Talks with Water Technology Inc.’s Ryan Nachreiner, Regional Director of Project Development
LSC: What is Water Technology Inc.’s role with the Lopez Swim Center project?
WTI: Water Technology Inc. (WTI) is a specialized design firm focused solely on aquatic recreation. For the Lopez Swim Center, we prepared the design and engineering drawings and the specifications for the mechanical and water-treatment systems. These designs are crucial to obtain permit approvals, to bid contract work, and to guide the facility’s construction.
LSC: What is WTI’s experience in the Pacific Northwest and with local regulators?
WTI: WTI has been working in the Pacific Northwest, and Washington state in particular, for over 25 years. As the largest and most experienced aquatic design team in North America, we take a personalized approach to each region where we operate. In the Puget Sound and Salish Sea area, we’ve built a long history and strong relationships with local regulations and code officials. I live in Bellingham and make a point of being involved in issues affecting our industry at the regional level. I serve on a Department of Health advisory board that is responsible for revisions to state pool codes.
WTI also works across the country and in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East developing destination waterparks and family aquatic centers. This experience gives us access to the latest trends and technologies across five continents. No other aquatic firm brings our extensive experience in the Puget Sound and Salish Sea area and the industry knowledge, resources, and technologies from our work around the world.
LSC: Can you talk about some of the equipment that Lopez Swim Center has selected for the new pool?
WTI: Good choices of materials and equipment are crucial for the long-term operation of the facility, especially considering the remoteness of and streamlined staffing operation needs of this facility. Each of the major mechanical components�"pumps, filters, controllers, and disinfection systems�"are being provided by established companies with highly refined product lines. Equipment was selected for its durability and serviceability. The pools will be constructed using preconstructed steel panels made by Myrtha Pools, a company known for having one of highest quality methods for pool construction with a 25-year warranty. The choice of steel Myrtha pools eliminates the need to for draining them every 3 to 7 years like traditional pools, saving significant water consumption as well as operating costs. With these quality products, the Lopez Swim Center will be able to have manufacturer support over the facility’s lifespan.
LSC: Pools are known to be energy hogs. How are you addressing cost and conservation?
WTI: Pools are energy users, but the Lopez Swim Center has made decisions that significantly reduce its energy consumption. For the Swim Center, we tackled waste and inefficiency in three areas: water and space heating; water filtration; and water circulation / pumping.
The most important investment is that the Center will operate with heat pumps powered by electricity. The net result is a 75% reduction in annual operating costs and eliminating the use of 48,000 gallons of propane annually.
Secondly, we’ll use advanced filtration with regenerative media filters, which uses up to 90% less water than more common filtration systems, and at the same time, does a better job filtering particles out of the water. This matters because the less water a pool uses, the less energy that’s needed to heat that water.
The largest energy users in pools typically are the pumps that continuously circulate water through the filtration and water treatment system. For efficiency, we’ll have a variable frequency drive on every pump motor directing it to run at precisely the power it needs and preventing wasted energy.
LSC: How does the pool’s design support a positive swimming experience?
WTI: The Lopez Swim Center will offer a broad range of programming for pool users of all ages. There are children learning to swim and retirees keeping healthy and fit, plus a range of swimmers between.
To best serve the different pool users and the different types of programming, we designed two separate pools that can be kept at two different temperatures. This allows, for example, the Lopez Swim Center to host water exercise classes in one pool with warmer water to benefit joints and muscles, while keeping another pool at a lower temperature that’s more suitable for lap swimming or swimming lessons.
Of course, safe and sanitary water is essential to a positive swimming experience. Advanced filtration and automated UV disinfection systems will continuously provide exceptional water quality; a supplemental sanitation system will provide extra protection against pathogens in addition to the primary disinfection system.
To learn more about the campaign for the Lopez Swim Center contact:
Anne Marie MacPherson, Executive Director
Friends of Lopez Island Pool
director@lopezislandpool.org
The Lopez Swim Center will feature two pools: a four-lane lap pool and warmer-water pool for aquatic exercise classes.
In the colder months, a heated, air-inflated dome will shelter both pools for comfortable indoor swimming.
Water Technology Inc.'s Regional Director of Project Development, Ryan Nachreiner