The Redmond Area Park and Recreation District is busy meeting with contractors and architects to discuss the different options for its new $49 million, 74,500-square-foot pool and recreation center.

Board members said the project management company, HMK Company, was hired and the amenities discussed in November are still on the table but with some new ideas since then.

Katie Hammer, the park district’s executive director, said a more concrete initial cost estimate for the new facility should come in late September, and a public meeting will be held to update the community in October. She said the board is planning to start the formal permitting process in the fall, and the project will break ground tentatively this coming spring.

“We will take that design and process that information and see if we are on budget,” Hammers said. “Also, cost of materials is more expensive, and we want to estimate cost of materials correctly.”

The new pool and recreation center is needed more than ever as the current pool in Redmond was built in 1979, when Redmond’s population was 6,500 people. Today, the park district serves around 45,000 people, so competition for parking and amenities at the current facility can be fierce.

“The current facility, it’s tight. You have to arrive 30 minutes before swim lessons just to get a seat to watch your kid swim,” said Mercedes Cook-Bostick, a park district board member.

Cook-Bostick said some of the new ideas include a lighted Astroturf soccer field to save on water and electric vehicle charging ports. There are also rumblings of how the structure will look, and Cook-Bostick said while a decision has not be made, her favorite out of a dozen designs was what is known as a “barndominium,” style which features a rustic but modern farmhouse motif.

“It was the coolest thing ever, and I absolutely loved it, Cook-Bostick said.

Cook-Bostick said the pool and gymnasium are still the top priorities. She said she’d love to see a joint partnership with the city of Redmond to help offset operation costs.

“They have a janitorial team; they have a maintenance team; they have a grounds team. They could help facilitate those areas of need,” Cook-Bostick said.

The bond for the project was approved by voters in November, but voters rejected a 5-year operation levy to pay for the facility’s staffing and operations costs. Cook-Bostick said that needs to go before voters in a future election.

Matthew Gilman, chairman of the park board, said the levy was placed on the ballot alongside the bond measure to provide transparency to the public about the costs of the facility.

“We are not full of resources, so we have to pick and choose our battles, and when we do go back out for election on the levy issue we need to make sure we have the time and energy and communication skills to put that out properly so we can get it passed,” Gilman said.

Gilman said the park district has to consider what is needed the most. He said a new bouldering gym recently opened in Redmond with a pickleball facility on the way. That could mean original plans to include those types of facilities in the new recreation center may change.

“Pickleball and climbing, those are proven business models in the real world that have been successful. We are not trying to compete with private companies. We are not trying to outdo private companies. We are trying to provide the district with things that it wants and desires that it currently doesn’t have,” Gilman said.

He said for him, the pool is his main priority, and he is pushing to make it as big as possible to alleviate the crowded conditions. Gilman said the new aquatic center will have two sides, one featuring a lazy river for more relaxed activities and the other for competitive swimming, water polo and water exercises.

“The pool temperature will be a little bit cooler on that side so you can work your heart rate up without boiling like you currently do in our pool,” Gilman said.

Gilman said he is also excited the new center will have classrooms so it can offer yoga and Zumba classes. It will also have two multipurpose gyms that can be used for a variety of different activities, including pickleball if necessary, he said.

“There’s been a big need for people to get into living healthier and more active lifestyles, and (the park district) tries to provide that to the public at minimal costs,” Gilman said. “We are trying to introduce people to new things.”

The district announced Aug. 16 that it is forming a new bond oversight committee to help administer the funds to best serve the community.

The committee will meet at least quarterly, and anyone who is interested can download an application on the district’s website, a news release said. Applications can also be requested via email by reaching out to raprd@raprd.org or picked up at the Cascade Swim Center at 465 SW Rimrock Way in Redmond.

Applications to serve on the committee are due by Sept. 1.