When one door closes, another opens!

With the opening of the brand new Health Club, Crèche, Spin Room and Group/Family Change Rooms the APARC Renewal is finally feeling real and tangible. After an initial 7 months of largely behind the scenes work we are beginning to see the results unveiled at a startling pace. I find that it’s the unperceived finishing touches such as the extended vinyl flooring and metal baseboards that add to this feeling of completeness.

“When one door closes, another opens” – Alexander Graham Bell

Alex’s words ring true in a literal sense when it comes to the Ashburton Change Rooms. The closure of our old Main Change Rooms will coincide with the opening of our brand new Dry Change Rooms (don’t be fooled, they do have showers), creating a smooth transition for members and guests. Closure of the existing Main Change Rooms will result in a final goodbye to our aged tiles, shower partitions but also the dated plumbing and lighting fixtures, which is an exciting development for any avid greenies out there.

A recent study conducted by Sydney Water outlined the breakdown of typical water usage within an aquatic centre. This breakdown attributed 22% of a Centre’s usage to leaks, noting that a leaking tap can waste up to 221,000 litres per year. Some of these leaks are hidden whilst many are visible such as old washers and tap fittings. As we transition to brand new plumbing, combined with water efficient fixtures, we are sure to see a reduction in this usage.

In addition to improved water usage the new areas have seen significant improvements in lighting efficiency. The new areas are being upgraded to energy efficient LED alternatives. What does this mean for energy usage?

Spaces where there were previously 2 x 36-watt florescent tubes (72-watts) have been replaced with 1 x 25-watt LED tubes.

Spaces where there were previously 50-watt halogen down-lights have been replaced with 13-watt LED down-lights.

These changes are taking effect throughout the Centre, most recently in the upstairs ‘Wellness Deck’. You would have noticed some significant works occurring upstairs and you can take comfort that these works are occurring at a rapid pace. Unlike many of the other areas within the Centre, the construction crews have been able to work in this space without delay or interruption. As a result the space has already been gutted and wall frames erected ready for plastering.

I look forward to joining you in a Yoga class at the not-to-distant the opening of the ‘Wellness Deck’.

With regard for a sustainable future, yours truly,

Lachie McLean – Environment, Sustainability and Operations Coordinator

2015 is here!

Welcome to the first 2015 edition of the APARC Renewal Blog. I'd like to welcome APARC Health Club Team Leader as our guest blogger - talking all things health club and more!

The new year is now well and truly underway and as most people start back at work this week, at APARC we’ve already been surging forward with work on our renewal! You’d be forgiven for thinking Santa had made a very prosperous visit to Ashy over the holidays because new, exciting things have started appearing all over!  If you’ve been away on sunny holidays or just having a nice, quiet break, here’s what you can expect to find when you head back into the centre.

Health Club Relocation:

The Health Club has a new, temporary home in the Group Fitness room extension on the ground floor (soon to be known as Program Room 1). We did some reshuffling and have added more Cardio machines to the upstairs Cardio Room. Our move into the newly developed space has freed up work to really get ramped up on the new Health Club and ramped up it sure has! All the glass has gone in along the front and back extensions and the whole space is a hive of activity vailed behind black, plastic sheeting. Get excited because it’s all coming very, very soon!

Front Entrance and Foyer:

The finishing touches are being put onto our new entrance and reception foyer with the turn stiles going over the last couple of  weeks. The pedestrian crossing outside the centre has been redone and the curbing fixed. You’ll also notice much of the scaffolding and building materials along there have been removed which has given us a facelift and means we’ll be using our new entrance soon.

Program Room 2:

Program Room 2 (or the Spin room) is only days away from completion. Starting on February 9^th, this room is our first big launch and the first of many to come. The new timber flooring has been laid, the new spin bikes are already being put through their paces by members.

The Outdoor Pool:

The Outdoor Pool is looking fantastic and has been very popular over the summer break. Members have been loving the landscaping, new bench sitting areas, shade sail umbrellas and turf to play on. And there’s still more to come! The Hob is yet to be completely rendered and there is a storage shed being built in the western corner.

Upstairs:

The upstairs Cardio room and Group Fitness room can once again be accessed via the staircase near the Café. Works have commenced on the landing where new consultation suites and offices are going to be located. The Cardio room and Group Fitness room remain fully operational during these works.

Thank you again for your ongoing support and enthusiasm with the renewal. 2015 is going to APARC’s best year to date and we can’t wait to share it with you!

Matt Hanton
Health Club Team Leader
Ashburton Pool and Recreation Centre

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas and that means that our friends from 2Construct will be taking a break. They have a lot they want to achieve before then so I sat down with the Construction Manager this week to pull together an update for all our members. There is so much exciting stuff happening so make yourself a cup of tea and sit down and have a read of what's in stall for the next couple of weeks.

We have added a folder of updated photos to our Facebook page. Please feel free to check it out to see what has been happening behind the hoarding. Facebook Album (you don't need a Facebook account to view)

APARC Centre Entrance

The construction company are currently finalising the curbing and pavement out the front of the centre. They have built a bridge style ramp over the curbing works to allow this to occur. This bridge will be in place until next week. They are aiming to hand back the front of the centre before they leave for the Christmas break with the temporary fencing removed and their construction containers and bins off site.

Construction Hoarding

You will start to see the temporary construction hoarding come down over the next two weeks. This should give you front row seats to the new areas. The timber hoarding will be replaced by sturdy webbing affixed to bollards. Please refrain from entering these areas until they are properly handed over. You will soon see what has been going on behind the walls and how your new centre has been taking shape.

Health Club Extension - Front

The glass window panes will be installed, enclosing the front of the health club extension. This will mean that the construction company won’t have access to the work site from the front of the centre. They will be politely making their way through the health club and entering the site through a temporary door placed in the hoarding. We have asked that entries are kept to a minimum and that members are not interrupted during this time.

Health Club Extension - Back

The glass window panes will be going in next week and the timber hoarding panels will come down. Black plastic sheeting will be put up over the windows to protect the glass from further construction works.

New dry change rooms and corridor to Program Room 2

The construction company poured the slab for the new dry change rooms on Saturday. There will be a corridor connecting the centre with the new dry change rooms and the new program room. This will remain a timber floor until all works are completed in this area so it isn’t damaged. It will eventually be a vinyl surface. You’ll get to enter this space early next year when the health club relocation occurs.

Program Rooms

They have laid the new timber flooring in the new spin/circuit room (soon to be known as program room 2) last week and will now need to apply one coat of floor coating. They have also laid the timber flooring in the Group Fitness Room extension (soon to be known as program room 1). There may be some residual smell from this process. Ventilation plans are in place but if they are not effective enough, we may need to relocate classes. We will keep you updated if this is to occur.

Walls between Café and Stadium

The brick walls will be rendered next week. A 1-1.5m clearance is needed from the wall.  There will be times when areas may need to be cordoned off but we will point you in the right direction.

Curved feature wall near the café

There will be completion works taking place in this area. The wall is going to be a feature of the centre. I look forward to everyone seeing the finished product. There will be trades people working on this wall so we apologise for any isolations of this area.

Western Change room – Deep end of 25m Indoor Pool

This area is very much nearing completion with final painting, fixtures and fittings to be completed before the shutdown period. We look forward to opening this space to customers in the near future.

Outdoor Pool

We are looking forward to using this space for our annual Christmas party and hope to see as many of our members there as possible. The bench seating that is currently being worked on is another area that the construction company are going to try and give us in time. We will also be opening the grassed area for the first time. There will be a choir, jumping castle, face painting and plenty of food at our annual Christmas party so we look forward to seeing you and your family there.

If you have any questions about this update please do not hesitate to contact me on 9885 0333 or via email amanda.craven@ymca.org.au. We thank you again for your patience during these works. I assure you that this short term inconvenience will definitely be worth it when you see how magnificent APARC will be.

Yours in health and happiness

Amanda Craven

Centre Manager

Ashburton Pool and Recreation Centre

Project Update - It's all happening!

Welcome to another APARC Renewal – Project Update. In this issue we will re-cap the recent major developments and give you some insight into what will be happening in the coming weeks.

Outdoor Pool Landscaping

The outdoor pool is looking fantastic with the following aspects completed and an insight of what is still to come:

- New Synthetic grass has been laid and a larger, level area has been provided for members and guests to sit and enjoy the outdoor environment

- New turf has been laid on the upper level of the area. This is still being given some breathing space so it has the best opportunity to “take”. It is likely to be opened in 3 weeks’ time.

- New retaining walls have been installed creating a lovely feature for the outdoor space

- New shade sail umbrellas have been installed to keep you out of the sun on hotter days

- New bench seating – there will be more delivered over the next 2 weeks.

- The outdoor pool concourse has been sealed with a monotek surface. You may notice some cracks appearing, these will be repaired once the surface has sufficiently settled – they are on our radar.

- The hob is yet to be completely rendered – this is still to be completed

- The feature posts are currently being painted and some additional feature posts are yet to be installed

- A storage shed is also being built in the western corner

Western Family/Group/overflow change rooms

These are coming along extremely quickly with the external walls, plumbing and electrical almost complete. The plaster board sheeting will be brought in next week and in the next couple of weeks the epoxy flooring will go down. Watch out for some additional communications and safety isolations of this space.

Extension to Group Fitness Room, New Program Room and Dry Change Rooms

If you drive down Warner Avenue you will get a good view of how far this area has come along. Due to construction works, this area could get quite noisy in the next couple of weeks as the builders commence form work in that space. They’ll also be putting up the glass walls of the new program room. It is going to be a challenging and lengthy process with out of hours works for the construction company to connect the existing group fitness room to the new extension. There’ll be some additional communications about what impact this may have on you once we get the details. 

Upstairs – “Wellness Deck” (working title)

Work will commence on the upstairs “wellness deck” over the next 2 weeks. Some initial work will commence on Friday 17th of October which will mean that access to the current program room and cardio room will be via the stairs near the hydrotherapy pool. The stairs near the café will be closed for 2 weeks. Please see attached document for a temporary way finding map. Once reopened, works will have commenced on the consultation suites that will be utilised by Warner Avenue Physiotherapy and our Massage consultants.

Health Club and new entry to facility

You’ll start seeing steel work go up from Monday 20th of October. There will be some changes to the hoarding panels that are currently in place between the existing health club and the crèche to create room to build the health club extension.

We are well and truly in the thick of it and it is EXCITING!

It's been a while since I have blogged and there is a really good reason for it - there has been so much happening! We are well and truly in the thick of these construction works and it is so, so, so, so exciting!

So, what exactly has been happening?

• Demolition works are complete in preparation for our new areas
• Slabs are being or have been poured in the new areas (the one out the front is being poured next Wednesday)
• The landscaping is looking fantastic in the outdoor pool space

Check out the photos of these areas in our Facebook album here

Last night some serious work began in the main thoroughfare of the centre. The ceiling panels have been removed and that carpet that just wasn't working for our centre has, in the most part been removed. Check out the photos here. This work has been completed to make way for new flooring and a new ceiling. It's fair to say that we are definitely rocking the "Industrial Look" at the moment with exposed cabling and internal roof structures.

The works are progressing well and as the Construction Manager from 2Construct said to me yesterday "We are out of the ground." This means that we will start seeing structures take shape for the new spaces, framework etc. Your new change rooms, program room and gym will all literally start taking shape over the next few weeks.

I can't thank our loyal members enough for their patience and their optimism. I am especially heartened by those wearing the "I'm part of it" t-shirts. It is also phenomenal hearing the kids of the centre talk about what the new centre is going to be like. I especially loved eavesdropping on a young patron showing their grandparents the enlarged photos on the wall and explaining to them how great the centre will be when it's finished - I almost offered him a job!

Coming up, we have a few events that I'd like to share with everyone, get your diaries out now to be a part of it:

1. Celebration of the Outdoor Pool works - Members BBQ - Wednesday 1st October 12pm - 2pm.

2. Meet the Manager - Come along and chat to me and our team of middle managers that look after your favourite areas of the centre - share your ideas and ask any questions. Details and registration here

Yours in health and happiness

Amanda Craven

Centre Manager

Thanks for being a part of it!

It has been a massive two weeks and all I can say is Thanks for being a part of it!

So much has happened in the last two weeks that I don't know where to start. For those of you who have visited the centre recently, you will have seen some physical changes. Here's just a few:

• The Warner Avenue Car parking is getting a face-lift
• The old staff room and staff change room near the Group Fitness Room is no longer in existence
• The front wall of the gym has been replaced with a ply wood wall
• The physio and massage consulting suites are all but demolished
• The new family and group change rooms are well underway at the deep end of the 25m indoor pool
• The outdoor pool landscaping is coming along very nicely

You can see some of these changes taking shape by viewing our latest APARC Point of View video clip Click Here.

This week our members and customers stuck with us through some detours that were put in place to avoid noisy demolition works as well as the relocation of some our classes. We thank you and we promise you that it will all be worth it when you see the brand new centre.

We were extremely excited to start giving away our t-shirts for members who had visited the centre 12 times since the 6th of August. Our first member to receive the t-shirt was Wieslaw Wajcik pictured below with Liz our Customer Service Officer. Congratulations!

Coming up in the next 2 weeks, we have a "two week look ahead" from the construction company. Listed below are some of the things you might see when you come to the centre:

• Concrete slab being poured for the new group and family change rooms
• Continued demolition of the old front entrance area and then the pouring of a new concrete slab
• Finalisation of demolition of old staff room and change rooms and the pouring of the slab for the new dry change rooms (as well as the sewer works)
• Continued landscaping works and preparation for synthetic turf in the Outdoor pool area
• Warner Avenue car park planting and landscaping works

We hope to see you soon and thank you for your continued patience.

Yours in Health and Happiness

Amanda Craven

Centre Manager

APARC Health Club Revealed

What a week! From bobcats through the front door to excavators on the grassy hill next to the Outdoor Pool! It was all happening at APARC! As the excitement of the renewal is as ripe as ever I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to show you what the Renewed APARC Health Club is shaping up to look like.

Who is this? How rude of me. My name is Richard Quail and I am the Assistant Manager at Ashy and this is my first addition to the APARC Renewal Blog!

So anyway, back to the gym! Health and Wellness is certainly my background, passion and pretty much consumes my life, so it is my sincere pleasure to show you the indicative APARC Health Club Layout as can be seen below. Boasting a huge 544 square metres the Health Club is almost exactly twice the size of the current APARC Health Club. It will consist of an extensive free weight and resistance space along the proposed floor to ceiling northern windowed wall. Flowing through will be an extensive range of cardio equipment and a large separate core, stretch and stability space.

But what is the other section with the green you ask?

The name of this area is up for debate but essentially this is proposed to be state of the art functional training area! This exciting space is fully laid out with all the latest and greatest pieces on the market with ample free space for body weight exercises. An additional feature of this space is also the proposal of fully fitted synthetic grass to allow for everything from barefoot stability work to high intensity sled work. Please see the indicative 3D render of what this area might look like, we hope you like it!

Have a great weekend,

Richard Quail

Assistant Manager