Lake Oswego Recreation & Aquatics Center up and running

The people of Lake Oswego had been waiting a long time for a new swimming pool.

And in June of this year, they got it.

But LO residents got so, so much more than “just” a swimming pool.

The new Lake Oswego Recreation and Aquatics Center – which opened June 16 at 17525 Stafford Road next to Lakeridge High School – actually contains two pools. The first of those is a 12-lane, 25-yard competition pool that’s 9 feet deep from end to end. The second pool is a three-lane, 25-yard rec pool that measures from 3 1/2 to 5 feet deep, with a splash/play area, two water slides, a spa and play structures.

But there’s more to LORAC than just its state-of-the-art swimming pools – much more. Here’s what else you can find there: a 3,500-square foot weights and cardio area; a 7,250-square foot gym that hosts a wide variety of activities and leagues; locker rooms; a 2,000-square-foot multi-purpose group fitness room for education and outreach programs, and additional events; and an expansive lobby/front desk area for centralized check-ins – including for the new Lake Oswego Public Golf Course – scheduling and office space.

So far, Lake Oswego residents seem to appreciate the amenities at the new center.

“(Reactions to the LORAC have) been overwhelmingly positive,” said Superintendent Anthony Markey. “We’re a new facility so we’ve had some bumps and bruises along the way – and that’s as expected – but I think that business is booming and people are happy with (the facility).”

“People have been really receptive,” said Robin Krakauer, communications and sponsorship coordinator for the Lake Oswego Parks Department. “They’ve been using all parts of it, too. They all have their favorite areas, so it’s been fun to see.”

LORAC is open to all patrons – not just Lake Oswego residents – through a variety of different membership levels or drop-in fees.

The competition pool at the new Lake Oswego Recreation & Aquatic Center features giant logos for both Lake Oswego and Lakeridge high schools. (Staff Photo: Miles Vance)

Competition pool

The competition pool is a 12-lane facility often segmented into two six-lane sections by a movable bulkhead; the competition pool will accommodate lap swimming, open swimming, swimming lessons, exercise classes, swim meets and water polo.

“It’s one of the most unique pools around this area,” said Markey, noting that the competition pool features eight-foot lanes to better accommodate lap swimmers, cooler temperatures (81 degrees) and splash-free gutters. “It’s built to be able to do water polo and swim meets, that kind of stuff, mainly for the high schools. But we are entertaining the idea of potentially doing other events down the road.”

The movable bulkhead allows the competition pool to be used for “deep-deep” water polo – it’s just the second pool in the area with that capacity (along with Chehalem Aquatic Center’s Jim McMaster Competition Pool) – and there’s enough seating that it could be used for the Three Rivers League district swim meet.

“I don’t know if it’s Olympic quality, but I bet you it’s pretty darn close,” Markey said. “And there’s spectator seating. We have movable bleachers so we can change things up if swimming is going on (or water polo).”

The rec pool at the new Lake Oswego Recreation & Aquatic Center features three lap swim lanes, two slides and a play structure. (Staff Photo: Miles Vance)

Rec pool

In addition to the three lap lanes, the 25-yard rec pool features a play structure with spray features and a small slide, the “L” – an L-shaped section around the slide splashdown – that includes an in-water bench and a big water slide.

“We have two play structures, one slide we call the candy cane slide – it’s big. You’ve to be (four feet tall) or taller to go on it,” Markey said, noting that the Rec pool is kept between 85-86 degrees. “And the other one is a little smaller play structure. It’s meant more for preschool or younger kids to play on.”

The adjacent spa will be heated to 102 degrees and is open to adults, youth ages 14-18, and youth ages 6-13 accompanied by an adult.

The weights and cardio room at the new Lake Oswego Recreation & Aquatic Center features treadmills, stair climbers, weight machines, free weights and more.. (Staff Photo: Miles Vance)

Gym/weights & cardio/fitness studio

LORAC’s 7,250-square-foot gym has six basketball hoops to accommodate either one or two full-court layouts, multiple configurations for pickleball and a high enough ceiling for competitive volleyball.

LORAC uses the gym for youth basketball camps, rec league play, pick-up hoop, volleyball, pickleball and sessions of Cornhole, Gaga Ball, Spikeball, Ladder Toss, Connect4, Horseshoes and Axe/Star Throwing.

“It’s kind of the full gamut of everything the community could possibly want, in my opinion,” Markey said.

The weights and cardio room – which features an expansive view of the golf course’s rolling hills – measures 7,500 square feet and includes a handful of treadmills, stair climbers, weight machines and free weights.

“So there’s something for anybody who wants to come,” Markey said.

The fitness studio measures 2,000 square feet and hosts a variety of classes, recreational programming and spin classes.

Accessibility

Markey and Krakauer said that the creators of the new recreation center relied heavily on community input during the design phase, but also emphasized accessibility and energy efficiency.

“When they built this, they had a couple of things in mind – energy efficiency and … ADA compliance,” Markey said. “Everything’s on timers for lights … and everything in this building is ADA compliant. So if you go into the weights and cardio room, all the weight room equipment has space for somebody who wants to access it in a wheelchair. … The idea was that anybody could come into this facility be able to use it.”

Partnership with LOSD

While the old pool at Lake Oswego High School was owned by the Lake Oswego School District, LORAC is a city-owned facility, but it came into being in partnership with LOSD.

“We do have an (intergovernmental agreement) with the high schools and they are a big partner,” Markey said. “It’s a big reason why the competition pool was built. … I want people to understand that we’re trying to work with the high schools and honor that agreement. It’s important that they are here. They’re members of the community, too.”

“(Working with Lake Oswego and Lakeridge high schools) was part of the process that we went through, just figuring out what would be the best,” Krakauer said.

The results, it would seem, have been outstanding.

“It’s state-of-the-art. There are other pools in the state of Oregon that (are similar), but they are very few and rare,” Markey added. “It’s top of the line.”