GRCC Ford Rec Center - Coming Fall 2025

Demo progresses at the Ford Rec Center as does construction.   The focus of this month’s update is the pool conversion to the turf field.

The Ford Rec Center is the former Ford Natatorium. As mentioned in a previous article, the pool will not be torn out. The shallow end will be filled in, the deep end will be converted into storage space and on top of it all will be the turf field.  It is a sustainable, cost effective and creative way of making use of the pool and preserving history.

Who will use the turf field?  Whitney Marsh, GRCC’s Director of the Ford Field House, Conference & Event Services said, “The turf facility will be a multi-use facility just as our other facilities, it will be available  to students, faculty, and staff for open recreation, academic classes and the athletic department.  We will have scheduled times for activities, but also scheduled times for open recreation.”

This is an exciting addition to the space and Marsh is looking forward to seeing all the ways the space will be used.  She noted that GRCC is one of the few community colleges in the state that will have an indoor turf facility!  “This will give us much more flexibility when it comes to recreation, classes, and athletic activities, especially during the winter months.  We will be able to offer other activities that we haven’t been able to offer before,” Marsh stated.

The pictures this month show the progress made so far and the future finished field.

Geofoam (used in place of soil) was used to fill in the shallow end of the former pool.  It was custom manufactured to this specific job and arrived in giant blocks.  It is an environmentally friendly material.  The blocks are numbered and the construction crew puts them in place like a giant 3D puzzle.  The foam is slanted around the perimeter so that the concrete slab around it will be thick and the steel dowels tie it all in structurally.  Once everything was in place, the concrete was poured.

Fun physics fact shared by Jim VanDokkumburg, the Executive Director of Facilities, is that concrete and steel expand and contract at the same rate, which is why these materials are such good partners!  When temperature or moisture cause these materials to expand or contract, they move together which prevents cracking and breaking apart.

And no, the deep end of the pool is not staying as an open storage area.  A steel deck will be put over the space and concrete will be poured over it.  The entire pool structure and deck will be part of the turf field.

The turf field is visible from the second and third floor student lounges and study spaces, a great vantage point to watch the activity taking place.

Check back next month for another update!

Demo work continued throughout October with construction work picking up pace in several areas of the project.

The transformation of the pool into the turf arena and storage area has begun. Doors have been cut in, rebar has been added to divide the shallow from the deep end of the pool, concrete forms for the walls were installed, footings and rebar were added at the foundation and on October 18th, concrete was poured.

The concrete slab in the locker room area has been removed so that roughed-in plumbing can begin.

Steel stud framing for the walls for the upper lounge level and study rooms has been added with newly cut window openings.  (The rendering is a look at the upper lounge level).

As November approaches, construction will pick up pace and the space will start to take shape.

Please check back in November for another update!

The Ford Rec Center demolition continues through the month of September with noticeable progress made.

This month’s pictures show the bleachers at the start of demolition…and then going, going, gone!  A student lounge and study space will occupy this space.

The solid concrete wall next to the pool now has rough cut openings for fitness level viewing.  

Part of the walking path can be imagined in the hallway on the fitness level.

This month’s update wouldn’t be complete without a big shout out and thank you to the people working on the Ford Rec Center who have the knowledge and expertise to do demolition work.  The work involves structural, machinery and environmental knowledge and making safety a priority.

A visitor to the site might notice how loud it is, that it is messy, that the work is hard and the loads are heavy.  The machinery used to cut concrete and gut a building is extremely loud!  To keep the dust down and provide a healthier environment for workers, water is used in the cutting process.  Water and concrete dust make a soupy sludge on the floor that tracks everywhere (even out of the building and into another building!).  Once the concrete has been cut, removal is done by loading the chunks into wheelbarrows and wheeling the loads outside to be hauled away.  There is no modern technology that makes indoor concrete removal easy.

These are the highlights of the demo this month.  Please check back next month for more updates and pictures as the demo continues into October.

Demo, demo and more demo pretty much sums up August activities at the Ford Rec Center.

Demolition continued throughout August with the removal of bleachers, lockers, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, flooring, drywall, doors and ceilings.  This work will continue throughout the months of September and October.

The Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Construction Bid Package 2 went out on BidNet in August and will close on August 22nd. Proposals will be reviewed over the next few weeks and subcontracts will be awarded, allowing the transformation of the new Ford Rec Center to commence!

Check back next month for more updates!

Demolition at the Ford Rec Center started in July and will continue through October.

The timeline for the project

There are numerous priorities during each step of the project timeline such as:

1. Sustainability. GRCC is pursuing Green Globes Certification
2. Budget Management
3. Schedule adherence

The Ford Rec Center is the former Ford Natatorium. What happened to the pool? The pool will not be torn out. Instead, the shallow end of the pool will be filled in and the deep end will be converted into storage space. It is a sustainable, cost effective and creative way of making use of the pool and preserving history. The outcome? A turf field arena! 

Demolition will continue throughout August and construction bid package #2 will be issued in early August. Check back next month for more updates!

Phase Two-Moving from Design to Construction

It is exciting to watch a renovation progress, and to learn about the process.  Curious about the Ford Rec Center project?  Keep reading!  Make sure to check back for monthly updates (and pictures).

And so, it begins…

Intense, stressful, a bit mind-boggling, as well as dynamic, exciting, and joyous, describe what it feels like to work on a large-scale renovation.  An experienced team, with a proven track record, is of utmost importance. The Ford Rec Center team delivers all that and more.  The project is in excellent hands!

Meet the Team

The Project Manager for the Ford Rec Center is Abbot Kastanek, GRCC’s Director of Facilities.  Abbot has many years of experience working on large projects for the college.  For this project he will work directly with the architect, construction manager, stakeholders, GRCC purchasing, vendors, and the GRCC Facilities Team. At the point that interior finishes are picked out by the design cohort, Abbot will ensure the materials align with GRCC standards. Sustainability, an important consideration in all college projects, factors into all decisions.  The role of a Project Manager is an active, hands-on role, therefore, most days Abbot can be seen in his hard hat and construction vest visiting various construction projects on campus.

The GRCC Skilled Trades team, led by Nick Elgersma, Associate Director of Facilities, plays an important role in renovations. The trades team includes carpenters, electricians, HVAC, plumbers, and utility maintenance personnel.  (This team is why things get fixed so quickly at GRCC, talent is employed in-house).

Whitney Marsh, the Director of the Ford Fieldhouse, will be involved in many aspects of the renovation, giving input and opinions about layout, finishes and equipment. 

The Executive Director of Facilities, Jim VanDokkumburg, and college leadership make project decisions, ensure the “team's dreams” become reality, manage the budget, and press for timely completion.

Stakeholder Meeting on May 3, 2024

May 3rd marked the last time the Stakeholder Committee met as a group.  This committee worked well together and provided excellent input and ideas.  The committee had representation from academic and recreational users as well as students. Representation from the academic side included Exercise Science Department Head Laura Kennett and Police and Corrections Academy Director David Kok.  Director of Athletics, Lauren Ferullo represented the college teams, and the recreational user side.  Students had representation from Student Life and Student Government.  Smaller cohorts from the group will now meet and will focus on a specific piece of the project.  Vicki Janowiak, the GRCC Executive Director of Operational Planning, will report information out to the entire committee as needed. The project is moving out of the design development phase and into the construction phase. 

Recap from April 17th Open House

In addition to organic conversations about the renderings of the space at the open house, attendees had the opportunity to leave “sticky note” comments too.

Please know, if offered the opportunity to voice an opinion about a new build or renovation, take advantage of it!  Project teams sincerely want to hear thoughts and ideas, and these could be incorporated into the design.  Comments provide helpful information and can tip the scales one way or the other. 

One example from the open house was the rendering of the walking path that showed lines on the path.  Someone left a “sticky note” and said, “Like the lines on the walking path.”  The stakeholder group was swayed in favor of the lines because of that sticky note. Up to this point, lines were not a sure thing, they just happened to be on the rendering. The person who added the sticky note will get lines!

Interior Finishes

GMB presented lighting recommendations for the project.  All lights will be LED.  Some lights will be standard fixtures and others will be unique to the space.  Lighting is something that might be taken for granted, but different types of lighting and brightness are needed in different spaces. For instance, for safety, stairwells need to be well lit, whereas a softer, ambient light could be used in a hallway.

Windows, clear or glazed?  In this case, clear was preferred to let in natural light and allow opportunity to see the outside when in the auxiliary gym, fitness center and on the walking path. Roller shades will be installed so that if the sun is too bright, shades can be drawn. 

Flooring, tile, millwork, acoustical tile, and turf finish samples were on display.  Color and texture choices are important not only for aesthetics, but also for cleaning, maintaining and hiding wear and tear that are inevitable in any public space. Associate Director of Operations and Grounds, Pat Baldridge, was able to share his experience with cleaning and maintaining various surfaces, what to look for and what to stay away from.

The meeting wrapped up with a thank you to the stakeholder team for their engagement, excitement and guidance throughout all the meetings leading up to this point in time.

The project has moved out of the design development phase and into the construction phase. 

In December 2023, the Ford Fieldhouse pool closed and was retired after 50 years of providing aquatic opportunities for GRCC students, employees and the community.

After much heartache, research and discussion, college leadership determined costly repairs and renovations that would be needed to keep the pool operational were cost prohibitive.  After all, years ago the college retired its swimming and diving teams, and the pool has been largely unused since, although some health club members were faithful swimmers until the end.

Most college athletic teams play outside, and that’s the case at GRCC.  Also, the college introduced mens and womens soccer in 2023.  A transformation of the pool into an auxiliary gym, as the master plan champions, was now being considered!

College Leadership formed a stakeholder committee to explore new possibilities for the space.  The stakeholder committee includes GRCC employees from various departments across campus, and includes student representation as well.

The architect firm for the project, GMB, and the Construction Management firm, Christman, are also part of the committee.  Their role is to help facilitate discussion, provide drawings of the design concept and estimate costs to keep the project within the budget and on schedule.

The committee’s innovative and creative ideas led to the development of the current concept for the Ford Rec Center.  The new Rec Center will provide a wide range of opportunities for GRCC students, faculty, staff and the community.

It will include an indoor walking path, new locker rooms, a fitness center (cardio/weights), a nutrition center, a multipurpose gym, study nooks and collaboration space.

An Open House on April 17 gave students a sneak peek of the drawings and interior finishes for the new space.  The response from the attendees was positive.  Excitement for the project is building!
The new Ford Rec Center will become a reality in the Fall of 2025!