The new Athens Recreation Center is progressing at “warp speed” and may be open by April 2020, an official said Friday.

Lack of rain this fall has kept the site dry and allowed workers from First Team Construction of Auburn to work every day, said Bert Bradford, director of the city’s Cemetery, Parks and Recreation Department. That may lead to an earlier than expected opening for the facility.

“We are at warp speed,” Bradford said. “There have been no big hiccups or miscues. We hope to get it lock-and-key ready by April of next year.”

Last July, when worker were just completing the building’s framework, Mayor Ronnie Marks told The News Courier he was hoping for a May 2020 opening. Delays are still possible, such as change orders or waiting on supplies or equipment.

Lack of rainfall and sunny days have kept the project moving.

“The drought has been unfortunate for a lot of people, but at the construction site it has really let them stay on schedule and, in some respects, get ahead,” Bradford said. He said the dry weather has allowed workers to completely “dry-in” the building so most of the remaining work can be done indoors.

“Overall, they are holding to a schedule very, very well,” Bradford said. “For a building that size, it’s moving quickly. We poured the walking track (Thursday) and we intend to start pouring the concrete gym floors (Friday) and through the weekend.”

Amenities

Plans call for a two-story building with three gyms, one three-lane walking/running track, workout room, lobby, offices and other amenities.

The concrete block walls of the facility, which have already received a coat of sealer, vary from 8 inches thick to double that for fire suppression and structural support for big beams, Bradford said. Aside from the thickness of the walls, the entire center will also have a sprinkler system for fire suppression.

Roofing for the facility incorporates insulation within itself and then has the waterproof layer on top of that, Bradford said. The city chose this type of roof because the design calls for exposed beams, lights and mechanicals just under the roof in the roof deck, he said.

Field, courts

Outdoors, workers have already constructed the base, sub-base, drainage and filter fabric for the large, multipurpose, artificial turf field, which is located north of the building, Bradford said. The fencing and lighting around the field have already been installed.

Across the access road to the facility is the space for two sand volleyball courts and six paved tennis courts.

“The two volleyball courts are nearly ready, and workers are nearly ready to pave the tennis courts,” Bradford said. Lights for those amenities are already installed.

Now indoors

The interior work that remains will slow the pace of the project, however.

“The exterior structure part goes really fast, then all the finishes, flooring, handrails, hardware and electrical is very technical, so it slows down,” Bradford said. “That will take all winter.”

Although completion of the recreation center is still at least six months away, Bradford said he has already been getting calls about when it will be finished and what kind of amenities it will offer.

“There is a lot of interest already,” he said. “I think it will be a very successful building.”

While workers construct the building, Bradford is busy purchasing fitness equipment, making sure it fits the budget and ensuring it won’t arrive too early or late because there is no storage room for it. He is also available in case a change order is needed or recreation staff sees something that needs rectifying.

Cost

The cost of the new recreation center was originally projected at $18 million, but is now expected to come in at about $16.2 million, including equipment and furnishings. The tennis courts, volleyball courts and multipurpose field were bid separately but came in low enough for the city to proceed.

Although the old recreation center, located at the corner of Alabama 251 and U.S. 31 North, is still a decent facility, city officials decided it was too small for Athens’ growing population of about 30,000. Built in 1977, is has only 20,000 square feet, compared to 72,000 square feet in the new recreation center.