By AVERY TAYLOR Daily Press Writer

Arrangements for the new recreation center in Artesia are underway as the design phase of the project continues.

There will be a groundbreaking on October 17, according to Construction Manager agency Scott Taylor. Jaynes Corporation, the contractor building the rec center, will begin construction on the plot of land south of the Artesia Aquatic Center on October 21.

As reported by the Daily Press in March of this year, the City of Artesia gave the Artesia Recreation Center Foundation the support to begin the design process on the new rec center by approving a Memorandum of Understanding. Since then, architect José Zelaya of Huitt-Zollars in Albuquerque has been working on the design for the new facility.

Zelaya said he is currently in the schematic design process, which involves putting the components of the new rec center into a site plan and floor plan.

The next step, which is beginning now, is called design development, Zelaya said. This involves adding the engineering components and things like mechanical and electrical systems to these plans.

Since March, the plan for the size of the rec center has gotten a little bigger. This is due to an increase in the size of the fit ness area, but Zelaya said it was done proportionally with the size of the rest of the center, so the overall square footage has not increased by a large amount.

“Just the fitness area in gen eral has gotten a little bigger to provide more services, which proportionally to the rest of the facility is not that much,” Zelaya said.

In assessing what to include, Zelaya has considered public opinion and input, including community involvement from pervious public meetings about the rec center.

“The new public interest in pickleball is one of the items that has changed the size of the facility, because there’s a lot of interest nationwide and also a lot of interest locally in pickleball,” Zelaya said. “There aren’t that many public facilities in southeastern New Mexico right now that are enclosed that include pickleball.”

According to a report by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States for the third consecutive year.

The most challenging part of the design process has been accounting for rising construction costs, Zelaya said. According to a report by Currie & Brown, construction costs in the United States were estimated to rise by 3 to 6 percent in 2024.

“That’s a challenge to make sure that we’re designing a facility that meets the needs, but that we can actually control the cost as well,” Zelaya said. To mitigate this concern, the rec center board involved a Construction Manager agency early in the process, Zelaya said. Scott Taylor is the CMa for the project, and his role includes cost evaluation and control.

Zelaya has learned, from working on other projects in Artesia, what kinds of materials and systems he can incorporate in a facility in the area, he said.

“If this building was in Albuquerque, we would probably have an automated building control system that controls the temperature and all that,” Zelaya said. “They’re very sophisticated systems, but difficult to maintain.”

Zelaya is designing the rec center with the resources of the City of Artesia in mind, he said.

“We’ve learned to work with what the Artesia maintenance and facilities department can provide for the facility,” Zelaya said.

Other considerations that Zelaya has learned from working in Artesia are regional weather conditions, he said. He incorporates this into his projects through doors that can open and close on a windy day, for example.

The project means a new facility for the Artesia Recreation Department to manage. John Anguiano is the recreation supervisor for the department.

Zelaya said the new rec center will leave a lasting impression on the community.

“Particularly for me, it’s quite an honor to be trusted with a facility of this size and this impact in Artesia,” Zelaya said. “It is very likely that this facility will outlive me and will outlive just about everyone that works on it and knowing that I get to design it with a team of engineers and architects – that I get to lead that team – it’s a huge responsibility and I love that challenge.”