TETON VALLEY AQUATICS FACILITY

The future Teton Valley aquatics facility will provide year-round aquatic access to Teton Valley. We are striving for a financially sustainable aquatic facility that can grow with and adapt to changing needs of the community. Read on for more information about where we are in the process towards Teton Valley's first community aquatics facility.

The Conceptual Designs for the future Aquatics Center

Site Plan

The Steps

  • Our community currently lacks access to a year-round indoor water safety program. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children ages 1-5, and Idaho ranks 2nd in the country for the highest rate of these deaths. Learning to swim early on reduces this risk by 88%.

    From a wellness and health perspective; aquatic exercise and therapy is one of the best forms of exercise for flexibility, joint health, cardio and strength training and balance in a low-impact environment.

    The facility also has an opportunity to serve as a community anchor, with an opportunity for diverse program offerings all while creating jobs and keeping this income resource in our community.

  • During 2018 and 2019, TVA and the City of Driggs partnered with VCBO Architecture, Ballard King Associations and Water Design to produce a facility feasibility study to inform the planning, design and construction of an aquatic center in Teton Valley. The study includes a project vision statement and priorities; a summary of the findings from an early community engagement survey; a series of phases to achieve the vision; construction estimates for each phase and geothermal considerations. A key outcome of the study was defining a financially achievable approach to obtaining an aquatic center that can grow with the Teton Valley, and adapt to the changing needs of the community. You can read the Feasibility Study here.

  • Teton Valley Aquatics and the City of Driggs chose a location for the future aquatic facility near the southeast corner of 5th Street and Little Avenue (Ski Hill Road). Ball Ventures, Inc donated 5 acres, and Squeak and Patti Melehes donated 2 acres of land to the City of Driggs in the fall of 2021 for the future aquatic facility.

    Site selection was based on 7 criteria including size, consistent with recreation usage, walkable from central schools, ease of construction, price, potential for donation, potential for future joint ventures, compatible with other non-profit missions.

  • The City of Driggs, in conjunction with TVA, has hired Cushing Terrell to complete conceptual design of the aquatic facility by the end of 2023. Conceptual design will provide a rough schematic design of the facility along with operating and construction costs based on the current Functional & Operating Requirements.

    Once conceptual design work is complete, final design will then provide detailed design documents including layout, engineering, mechanical, and other systems.

  • During this phase the team at TVA will lead a capital campaign to raise money from various resources including public, private and government entities, to pay for construction of the aquatic facility.

  • The building phase consists of brick and mortar construction! Prior to construction, the City of Driggs, will have a firm strategy for sustainable funding for continued facility operation in place.

  • While the facility is being built the team at TVA will be working to create a diverse programming and educational portfolio that meets the needs of our various community members, focused on safety, health and wellness... and of course FUN!

  • Teton Geothermal, LLC is the City of Driggs’ partner in drilling a geothermal well for the aquatics facility project.

    Working with Idaho National Laboratories, Teton Geothermal, LLC determined that there is likely geothermal hot water beneath the future aquatics facility site. During this phase of the process, Teton Geothermal, LLC will permit and drill for this hot water and, if found, will generously donate it to the City of Driggs for use at the aquatics facility!

Timeline

May 2016
Started TVA non-profit process.
Engaged USA Swimming for creation of Enterprise Plan.
Established community steering committee.


December 2016
Launched website.
Opened community survey.


February 2017
Closed community survey.
Over 1,000 completed surveys!
Conducted 1st stakeholder meeting.


March-April 2017
Conducted community outreach and meetings/events to go over Enterprise Plan & Survey results.


April 2017
Conducted a philanthropic feasibility study to determine capacity of private philanthropic donations towards our goal.


Summer 2017
Successfully participated in our first Tin Cup Challenge.
TVA received federal 501(c)3 status.


Fall 2017
Katie McNamara hired as first Executive Director.


January-March 2018
Began facility feasibility study for specific build and maintenance cost for overall project.


Fall 2018-Spring 2020
Produced a facility feasibility study including estimates for construction and operation costs to inform planning and design of the aquatics facility.


Fall 2021
Squeak and Patti Melehes and Ball Ventures, Inc donated a total of 7 acres of land to the City of Driggs in the fall of 2021 for the final facility.



2024-2025
TVA will work with the City of Driggs to complete final design work for the future facility and finalize construction and operational funding for the facility.


March 2023
The City of Driggs, with TVA, hired Cushing Terrell to complete the conceptual design of the aquatic facility. The Conceptual Design will be completed by the end of 2023!

Late 2026/Early 2027
Anticipated opening date!

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 FAQs

  • The City of Driggs and Teton Valley Aquatics are working in partnership with a common goal which is to provide a year-round aquatic center for the Teton Valley. Teton Valley Aquatics (TVA) is responsible for fundraising for construction and operations of the facility and the City of Driggs (CoD) is responsible for the construction and operations of the future facility.

  • Driggs is the Teton County seat and is a central location in the valley. Driggs is close to Teton School District #401 elementary schools, the middle school and high school; key users of the facility.

  • Proposed sites were evaluated by a City of Driggs and TVA project team. The selected site, just north of the 5th street skate park, ranked highest against our criteria. Site attributes include:

    1. Adequate land for this facility

    2. Good access for the community to use the network of trails and public transit

    3. Walking distance from schools and centrally located for community

    4. Great visibility for visitors to help increase facility revenue

    5. Offers compliant options for discharge of water to the landscape or into a network of ditches

    6. Cost effective option as the land will be donated to the City by the current land owner (developer)

    7. Great opportunity to partner with other nonprofit organizations who have a common goal of protecting the Teton Creek habitat

    8. Access from arterial and collector roads, with minimum traffic impact on neighborhoods

  • We are eager to learn lessons from other facilities. Based on a conversation in January 2020, with Blackfoot Mayor Carroll, TVA learned that the primary reason for closure of the Blackfoot pool was cost (no surprise). The high investment required to keep the facility open was caused by many years of operating without a funded maintenance program and poor initial facility design choices. Specific items learned from the discussion with the Blackfoot Mayor regarding the nearly 50 year-old pool include:

    -25yd X 40yd lap pool generally 5+ft deep with a diving area and 3m & 10m diving boards. Depths below each board did not meet current requirements.

    -This pool has an aluminum liner which was the subject of much weld repair due to corrosion. They eventually began installing membrane liners.

    -Kiddy pool was considered to be too deep for kids two years and under; not a splash pool.

    -Blackfoot never had a maintenance budget for the facility and things were fixed as they broke.

    -In order to continue to operate the pool, it became critical to fix failed systems. Bond requests and an attempt at a recreation district failed.

    The Teton Valley facility concepts differ from the Blackfoot pool in efficiency in systems and buildings, technology advances and differences in serviceable market, including higher income and a more active population. We have carefully reviewed lessons learned from facilities in comparable communities that have either failed or been successful. Mission Valley, Montana and Mountain Home, Idaho are two similar communities with successful facilities or pathways to a successful facility. Planning for an adequate operating budget over the long term is critical to the success of this facility.

  • Identifying an achievable funding matrix is a key component of the business plan. What we expect to see out of the business plan, which will be completed after conceptual design, is a diverse funding stream for resiliency of the financial model for both construction and operations of the facility. Funding can include local, state and federal funding, a robust capital campaign supported by individuals, businesses and foundations and creation of an endowment to support facility operations.

  • Opportunities for improving funding of recreation amenities in Teton Valley are being looked at by the Teton Valley Sports & Wellness nonprofit organization, one of the options being looked into is a Recreation District. Funding provided by this form of tax would go to support recreation within Teton Valley which could, or could not, include operation of the future aquatics and recreation facility. As this separate group works towards better funding of recreation amenities in Teton Valley, TVA and the City of Driggs are continuing to look for diverse funding methods for resiliency of the financial model for both construction and operations of the facility which include public, private, and non-profit sources.

  • The City of Driggs and TVA have worked with Friends of the Teton River, Teton Regional Land Trust, other members of the Teton Creek Corridor Project and Idaho National Laboratory staff in locating the facility and assessing the pros and cons of a geothermal well. Such a well, drilled to much deeper than current culinary and irrigation wells, will deliver a sustainable pressurized hot water source capable of generating electricity, heating a recreation facility and other uses like greenhouses. This well will ultimately recharge the aquifer and increase water availability in the valley. The only expected consumption of this water is via evaporation prior to recharge/disposal. A full analysis will be required by Idaho Department of Water Resources as part of the well and water right permit application submitted by Teton Geothermal, LLC.

  • $15,000 in sales & lodging tax were spent by the City of Driggs in 2018 on the feasibility study. Aside from costs to record the land donation (paid from impact fees), there have been no expenses since 2018.

    The geothermal well will be drilled and paid for by Teton Geothermal, LLC and, upon completion, will be donated to the City of Driggs.

    The conceptual design phase is estimated to cost $105,000, which would be split 71/29 between City (sales/lodging tax) and Teton Valley Aquatics (donations/grants).

  • The City of Driggs and Teton Valley Aquatics agree that affordability is a key consideration in all significant policies and actions. Going forward, each step in the process will be a point to consider options to maintain affordability - for the facility and the community.