Upgrades are planned for the Covington Aquatic Center later this year thanks to a $400,000 Washington State Commerce Grant.

Ethan Newton, aquatics supervisor for Covington, explained in an email interview that the pool, which is more than 35 years old, was in need of some renovation work to keep the facility “safe, functional, inviting and relevant.”

Work began on the design of the project in October when the city hired Fred French as a project-construction manager on a part-time, as-needed basis. Since then, Covington hired Taproot Architects to work on the design and development of concept drawings, Newton wrote.

Because of the budget involved as well as grant requirements, the scope of the project was narrowed to include an art installation, improvements to the roof, outside plaza area and exterior paint along with an addition to the building which can be a room available for rent to the community or as a classroom.

“The current roof is near the end of its useful life,” Newton wrote. “A new roof system will be installed that will protect against future leaks and protect the building for many years to come.”

Outside the building is a plaza area which sees considerable traffic from pool patrons as well as Tahoma High School students — the aquatic center is next to the school. During the more than three decades since the facility opened, the stairs and concrete slabs in the  plaza have been cracked and pitted to the point they are hazardous, Newton wrote. This area, due to the wear and tear, doesn’t look inviting.

“To address these issues the plan is to replace the entire plaza’s concrete slab, add a new concrete sitting ledge atop half of the existing stair, install a flagpole with lighting, add an arbor along the front of the building, landscape with planting beds and planters, and furnish with a bench and two new picnic tables,” Newton wrote. “The large concrete block closest to the building with a planter on top will be removed. The large concrete block closest to the stairs will be repurposed to display artwork. New name signs will be installed to match the design.”

Currently the rental room at the aquatic center is a converted storage room. In this project, the plan is to build an addition off the lobby which extends into the plaza to provide a larger rental space, about 480 square feet. That is double the size of the current space. At first, Newton wrote, the plan was to remodel the existing rental room, but given its original purpose it was limited in how it could be improved. With the addition, the rental room can be converted back to storage space.

“By converting the existing rental room back into a storage space, some equipment will be able to be moved from the pool deck into storage making for a more open pool deck for programs,” Newton wrote. “This element of the project will provide for better program space at the pool, which translates into better programs and a better experience for patrons.”

Newton added that the design phase of the process will likely wrap up in May with plans to put the project out to bid before the end of June. Construction could start in July and be complete in September. Because the work will not be in the locker rooms or pool area, the aquatic center will remain open during construction.