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 

Colour Charts and Building materials

You're seeing it here first! The boards below will go up on the wall over the weekend but as a blog reader, you are getting the first look at the colour palette and the materials that will be used to make the facility look ace!

There are lots of natural and fresh tones of green combined with smart shades of black, white and grey. Natural timbers and splashes of bright colour finish it all off nicely.

The centre is going to look absolutely amazing and you saw it here first.

The interior designers, architects and the project manager at the City of Boroondara have carefully considered the needs of the facility for the future when picking out the building materials. They are both durable and functional with the non-slip factor being front of mind.

I'd love to hear what you think but I think it is perfect for this fantastic centre.

Also of note - the excavation began today behind the wall at the deep end of the 25m pool. That means that work is well underway for the new group and family change rooms! So exciting!

Yours in Health and Happiness

Amanda Craven
Centre Manager

What a week it has been so far!

This week we have officially said goodbye to our old entry point and customer service desk. Rosie and the team have relocated themselves into the temporary portables while their new home is built. It was lovely to hear that one of the first questions the team were asked on Tuesday was if they were ok and if it was warm enough? We've definitely made sure of that!

So, the internal hoarding is now up at APARC and tomorrow the external hoarding will be going up. I've included some photos for those of you that haven't yet made your way to the facility. We'd love to see you soon as it is business as usual - the place just looks a little different and we all know that in the end it will all be well worth it!

Yours in health and happiness
Amanda Craven
Centre Manager

Check out the Deck!

It's been another eventful week and it's been exciting to see the decking around our portables getting constructed. Everything is shaping up nicely for us to move in next week.

We also released the staging plans for Stage 1 and the external fencing. We drew up some plain speaking Fact Sheets to help everyone read the plans (a skill I'm still trying to master!).

I've included the descriptions below alongside the respective plans - let me know what you think!

Within the centre our three main focuses this week (in no particular order) have been:

1. Member Engagement throughout the Renewal 
Keep an eye out on our website and Facebook page for some of the initiatives we have in store to help our members feel part of the project.

2. Relocation of Rosie and the Customer Service Team
Rosie and the team started packing anything they could. They also took a tour of the portables and started mapping out the layout of their new home and how they were going to maintain the fantastic level of service you get every day.

3. Completing Risk Assessments and Safe work systems
We want to make sure that both visitors to the centre and staff are safe at all times during the works. One of the key focuses this week has been the changes that we are making to our Evacuation plans.

Now - onto the Staging and Hoarding plans!





Stage 1 Construction Plan Explained – Internal Hoarding

The following information is to be read alongside the Staging Construction Plan – Ashburton Pool & Recreation Centre – Stage 1 Works plan.

Temporary hoarding (walls) will be constructed commencing on the evening of Monday 28^th July (outside of centre operational hours) – So, the centre will look a little different when you turn up on Tuesday 29^th July. Please don’t be concerned, we will have staff on hand to help you find your way!

1.  Temporary portables have been constructed on the Outdoor Pool Deck. These will house:

                                                             1. APARC Customer Service desk

                                                             2. Warner Avenue Physiotherapy

                                                             3. APARC Remedial Massage

2.    The entry to the facility will no longer be through the sliding doors, you will now enter via the temporary portables and decking that has been constructed. Our friendly customer service staff will be there to greet you as per normal.

3.    Once you have swiped your membership card or paid for your activity, you will continue down the temporary decking and into the facility via the door that previously lead you to and from the outdoor pool.

4.    You will also notice some temporary hoarding near the Gym, Group Fitness room and at the far end of the Indoor 25m Pool. This hoarding is not anticipated to affect programming at all.

5.    The Outdoor Pool will also have some temporary fencing around the grassed area. Landscaping works will be undertaken behind the fencing. During our winter closure period 12pm – 4pm, concourse works will also commence.

Stage 1 Construction Plan Explained – External Hoarding

The following information is to be read alongside the Staging Construction Plan – Ashburton Pool & Recreation Centre – Stage 1 External Hoarding Works plan.

  

External hoarding will be established around the facility during the construction works. This is indicated in the plan by the thick blue line. Some of the changes that you will notice include:

  

   1.    Relocation of accessible (disabled) parking – 3 bays will be relocated to the first row of the car park bay. Parents with prams car parks will be relocated in the front row as well.

2.    A delivery compound will be established in the corner of the car park closest to the gym. This area will be inaccessible during construction periods but will be opened up outside of hours. (Indicated on map by small red dots).

3.    Warner Avenue access will be closed to allow for construction of pathways and ramp.

4.    Pedestrian crossing will be relocated so it matches the angle of the temporary entry.

5.    Temporary fencing will stretch along the Warner Avenue boundary of the facility. Temporary fencing will also enclose the construction company’s compound behind the stadium.

Temporary fencing will also be established around the external boundary of the outdoor pool to contain landscaping works, however, the outdoor pool will remain open as per the normal winter hours (closed 12pm – 4pm).

If you have any questions, comments - please feel free to add them below. 

Yours in health and happiness

Amanda Craven
Centre Manager

Preparation Works started on a "high" this week!

Monday saw the start of the preparation works for the APARC Renewal Project and boy was it exciting!

We had a massive crane deliver our 3 new temporary portables on Tuesday. (see picture)

It was well executed and well supervised from an OH&S perspective with our Leadership Team being temporarily evacuated from their offices whilst the slew went over the top - Safety first! Now, what is a slew you ask? Well I had to get some assistance from my better educated colleagues but for the purpose of this blog, I've taken the info from good ol' Wikipedia : In Crane (machine) terminology, slew is angular movement of a crane boom or crane jib in a horizontal plane. 

You learn something new every day on a major construction project!

The construction crew are busily building a deck to accompany the portables - but what is it all for?

Well... The first portable is where our temporary customer service desk will be located. You'll get the same great service, just in a different location.

The second portable is for our friends at Warner Avenue Physiotherapy and the third portable is for our in house remedial massage team and to provide some temporary staff amenities whilst they are being worked on.

The Outdoor pool is still well and truly open and operating as normal. We are hoping to have the lap timer clock hooked up to the back of the portables next week when the electrician is back on site and thank everyone for their patience in entering via the indoor pool.

That's a wrap for week one. I'd love to hear from anyone via the comments section below or please feel free to email me directly if you would like a question answered or a topic discussed.

I hope to have a couple of the other members of the team blog from their perspective really soon.

Yours in Health and Happiness

Amanda Craven
Centre Manager
Ashburton Pool and Recreation Centre

Meeting with the Construction Company

Today it was great to meet with the two key staff from the construction company, 2Construct. I think that they are going to be great to work with and they come highly recommended from a number of people that have worked with them previously. They understand that we want to keep the centre running as much as possible and that our members love the facility and want to see the best outcome for this project.

Of note, they recently completed the Ashburton Library project and it looks fantastic.

You can check out some of their other work on their website: www.2construct.com.au/

We are just working through the finer details of the installation of our temporary reception, consult suites and staff room as well as the fencing and hoarding that will start appearing from next week.

If you haven't read it yet, please have a read of our first project update for more info on what you will see from the 14th July.

Yours in health and happiness

Amanda Craven
Centre Manager
Ashburton Pool and Recreation Centre

The council and state government boards are up

I love the boards that have been placed out the front of our centre. It does make things official - it is really starting.


One of them reads "Highly Valued Centre to be Renewed" I think this really captures the essence of APARC well. The number of people that have taken interest in this project and want to ensure that it is done well is a testament to the centre. The consultation phase was extensive and the final plans have captured and executed the community feedback perfectly.


The project is lucky enough to be receiving financial funding from both the City of Boroondara who own the facility ($12.4 million) and the State government through the Better pools funding ($3 million).

Yours in health and happiness

Amanda Craven
Centre Manager
Ashburton Pool and Recreation Centre

We are underway!

Today we were able to officially announce that the APARC Renewal Project was ready to commence. After months of planning, consultation and refining, we are ready.


I am so excited to announce the project to the staff, patrons and the Ashburton community. It is going to be a tough project to manage but it is a challenge that I am looking forward to and a challenge that I know will have a great outcome!


As this is my first blog post (and my first ever blog) I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read it. I hope that through this blog, I can provide you with some insights into the project outside of the official communication channels.


I look forward to your comments and queries and to you all being a  part of this project.




Yours in health and happiness


Amanda Craven
Centre Manager
Ashburton Pool and Recreation Centre