The Queen Creek Town Council continues to move forward on plans for a recreation and aquatic center that will be located at the under-construction Frontier Family Park.
At its Wednesday, Sept. 21 meeting, council approved a $559,784 preconstruction services contract with Haydon Building Corp for the recreation and aquatic center.
In May, the council approved a design services contract with DWL Architects for the center.
“This project construction schedule is very constrained based on long lead items and a grand opening set for May 2024,” a staff report states. “Due to the fast delivery time required and the long lead time on materials, staff has decided to utilize the CMAR [or Construction Manager at Risk] process. The CMAR process will save a minimum of three months from the typical low-bid process and ensures the contractor is knowledgeable and experienced in the construction of an aquatic and recreational center.”
The design and construction of the recreation and aquatic center totals $65 million as established in the Parks Master Plan Phase 1, which was approved by the town council in December 2021. The project cannot be funded by impact fees and will be fully funded by the town’s operating budget, the staff report states.
In August, Queen Creek broke ground on the 85-acre Frontier Family Park located off Signal Butte, north of Queen Creek Road.
The park and recreation and aquatic center will be built in two phases.
During Phase 1, Frontier Family Park, formerly known as East Park, will feature an inclusive play area, five-acre fishing lake, lighted ball fields, picnic areas, splash pad, and basketball and volleyball courts. New amenities include 24 pickleball courts and a 1.5-mile multiuse path that will span the perimeter of the park. The park was designed by J2 Engineering and will be built by Hunter Contracting. It is set to open by the end of 2023. The development of the remainder of Mansel Carter Oasis Park also is part of Phase 1.
Phase 2 will be construction of the combined aquatic and recreation center on the north end of Frontier Family Park along Ryan Road. It is expected to open in spring or summer of 2024.
Queen Creek residents can look forward to the following amenities at the recreation and aquatic center:
Gymnasium with basketball, volleyball and pickle ball courts
Fitness areas with cardio/treadmills, weights, circuit training
Group exercise studios
Dance studios
Indoor track
Teen room with gaming systems and video boards
Art studio
Catering and teaching kitchen
Multipurpose classrooms and multipurpose large meeting rooms
Child watch room
Locker room with showers
Junior Olympic-size pool
Zero-depth entry play pool with interactive play features
Water slides
Lazy river
Outdoor birthday party spaces
The current fiscal year budget includes a large increase in spending for parks and trails infrastructure. The town has budgeted $172.1 million for the items, up from $25.9 million for fiscal year 2021-2022.
In April, town council approved authorizing a $138 million debt issue to fund Phase 1. The funds will pay for:
New land acquisition (Jorde Property) - $23 million
Frontier Family Park - $40 million
Mansel Carter Oasis Park expansion - $10 million
Recreation center at Frontier Family Park - $40 million
Aquatic center at Frontier Family Park - $25 million
The 2021 Citizen Survey showed that 81% of Queen Creek residents reported visiting a town park during the past year, with 33% visiting a park more than 10 times.
In a separate survey conducted earlier this year, 75% of residents reported wanting a town aquatic center and/or multigenerational center.
Janet Perez News Editor | Queen Creek &
San Tan Valley @AzNewsmedia
Meet Janet Janet Perez joined Independent Newsmedia as editor of the Queen Creek Independent and Florence Independent in 2020. She started her career in 1989 with the Gannett-owned El Paso Times. In 1992, she moved to Tempe and has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio and television. She left Arizona for three years to work at New Mexico State University and Baylor University before returning to work at Arizona State University. Missing the business, she went back to journalism in 2017.
Community: A long-time pet owner, she supports animal welfare causes.
Education: University of Texas at El Paso with a BA in journalism and a minor in political science.
Random Fact: She had a head full of random facts.
Hobbies: Reading, watching documentaries, cooking and playing with her dogs.
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