Episode 4: Beyond the Water: Building the Pool Experience

In Episode 4 of Star City Stories, Darren Miller and Katie Quackenbush return to go beyond the pools themselves and explore the many details that will shape the guest experience at Miamisburg’s new aquatic facility.

From admissions, concessions, bathhouses, shade, and seating to customer service spaces and staff planning, this episode highlights the intentional choices being made to create a facility that is welcoming, comfortable, and built for community. The conversation also takes an honest look at the challenges of construction, the uncertainty that comes with planning a brand-new operation, and the balancing act of building something exciting while keeping safety, service, and trust at the center of every decision.

More than just a construction update, Episode 4 is about the vision behind the project—and the people working every day to create a place where families will make memories for generations to come.

Transcript

Aaron Stonecash (Intro) 0:11

Welcome to Star City Stories, a podcast from Miami's Bird Parks and Recreation, inspired by the spirit of Dick Church Jr.'s around the berg. Each episode takes you behind the scenes of the people, places, and projects shaping our community. This is where we slow down, add context, and share the stories that don't always fit into a headline, website, or social media post. From major projects to everyday moments that make Miami's Burg special, Star City Stories keeps you informed, connected, and part of the story. Thanks for joining us. Alright, let's dive in.

Ryan 1:15

I don't know why I did it.

Darren 1:17

If you don't have fun with it, what's the point? Yep.

Ryan 1:19

All right, you guys ready to go? Let's hit it. All right. Welcome back to the Star City Stories. We are recording today. I have my two favorite friends with me, Darren Miller, our operations division manager, and Katie Quackenbush is back again for more, our aquatic manager. Hey guys, what how's it going? Doing great. Just uh chugging through February here. Here we go.

Darren 1:39

Really enjoying this really nice cold February that we have.

Ryan 1:41

Yes. So I was thinking about what I would say on the pod today about the project and construction and timelines and all that stuff. And I don't actually have a good update in terms of like timeline because not much has actually changed. Um but I think we just have to talk about how we've experienced all four seasons in the last two weeks since we recorded last. We've had winter. We had some spring. We had a little peak of summer, maybe, maybe, maybe. And then we went right back to fall, and then we got snow this weekend, and so we're back to winter. Good night. This has been a rough month.

Katie 2:16

And it's supposed to be spring by the end of the week.

Darren 2:18

It's just wild. I mean, you you watch the construction guys out there, and I mean they they they have to have all seasons all day long of clothing that they need, from the t-shirts to the full winter gear, uh, depending on when they're working out there.

Ryan 2:30

Yep. Yeah, they were in full coveralls this morning, and then a couple days ago they were not wearing their coats, and it's like, oh my goodness, they're just all over the place.

Katie 2:37

Hopefully they don't get sick with this like fluctuation.

Ryan 2:41

Speaking of sick, Darren, you're sounding better today.

Darren 2:43

Back on back on the uh the good end of things. Yep.

Ryan 2:46

I believe you said that you didn't sound as bad as you thought you did on the last on the last show. We'll we'll see what the community has to say about that.

Darren 2:52

Not as bad as I thought I did. I didn't say it was good. Yeah. Not as bad as I thought.

Ryan 2:57

There we go. There we go. So the last show we talked through all the pool features, the water, and the fun that people could expect to experience at the new facility on the outside in the water. Today we wanted to kind of take a deep dive into some of the other things that maybe aren't quite as visible from the road, but also will be very important in the guest experience out there. So let's just do a quick recap, Katie, if you will. So for anybody that didn't hear the last episode, they should. But what would they have gotten from that last episode? Talk about the pools real quick.

Katie 3:28

We have five bodies of water at the new pool. Uh the splash pad that you saw open in 2023 still exists. We have a new lap pool, a new exercise pool with a vortex area. We have a leisure pool that has a basketball key, zero depth entry, great big slides. And we also have a waiting or a kitty pool that has a max depth of one foot that has just all kinds of fun for the little people.

Ryan 3:54

Yep. And then top that all off with three amazing new slides that we will see coming into the world here in the next week or so. Uh, and all that makes just a really great aquatic environment, which is the reason that the that the project exists, right? We are building a pool. But Darren, let's talk about what else can people expect when they come to the facility. So they'll see all the new pools, they'll see all the new concrete, they'll see all that new shade structures and all those types of things. But what are some of the things that maybe they can't see from the road that we want to talk about today?

Darren 4:22

So obviously the facility has grown. We talk about the number of pools that we're talking about. We went from one body of water to this multiple body of water complex. Uh, with those changes, comes a lot of um need for different operational needs on the building side of things that we had before. Uh, so there's been a number of updates to the buildings, expansion to the building areas uh at the pool. Um, kind of as you walk up to the facility, you see this grand kind of half-barrel vault uh that's that's spanning the uh entrance area now, which is a really cool feature. A lot of a lot of shade there, a nice gathering place as you come into the facility. Uh there's a brand new admissions building. Uh, so as people come up to the come up to the pool to uh you know check in and uh get their membership scanned and get into the facility, there's a new new building there uh to work through. We've been some updates inside the bathhouses, some changes to kind of the layout of the bathroom areas to help those flow a little simpler. Um there's been some updates to the concession side of things where we have some concessions facing the parking lot area of the pool now, which we can talk about a little later in this. Uh, we've got some updates also to some of the staffing areas uh with some of the bigger need of staff in the facility due to the larger body of water and more pools. Uh, there's a need for more staff at the facility as well. So we've uh expanded some of the staffing areas to make those a little bigger, expanded some of the manager spaces as well, uh, just so we have good operational space and training spaces for those uh groups of individuals that come in. And then there's also some some uh facilities that will help service the overall park uh at the at the Sycamore Trails Park as well. Uh so there's some uh expanded areas for the maintenance guys as well uh at the facility.

Ryan 6:01

Yeah, that's good. And and you know, the the thing that that I keep going back to is everything that's being built out there was really designed intentionally to enhance the guest experience, right? So so Katie, let's talk about the admissions. Let's start there. So what's what's changed for the admissions process? What will that uh look like a little bit differently for people that have been there up there before?

Katie 6:21

So before the admissions booth was in front of the gate. So you went to the window, you purchased your admit ticket, scanned your membership card, and then you were able to come in and you went through the turnstiles with the new facility. We moved the building back. The gate, the building is between the gates now. Um, so there's less need for somebody that's sitting between the building and the gate, making sure that people have paid to get in. Um and we've gotten rid of the turnstiles. It'll make it a little less crowded as you're trying to walk into the facility.

Ryan 6:55

Yeah, and I think it speaks to like it's it's we're just trying to make it easier, right? Like it's it's just one less step when you enter the facility. You don't have to buy there and then check in there. You just you just come on in, right? Right. And then we talked about um the concessions. So, Darren, what's new with concessions?

Darren 7:12

Yeah, we we've changed a little bit of how the concession stand uh will operate at the facility, um, just with how we've laid it out a little bit. Uh, hopefully it'll be better for the for the guest user uh at the end of it and simple for us to operate from a staffing standpoint as well. We still have the the windows that face toward the pool, you know, where you can get your hot dogs and your uh nachos, and we're gonna have an ice cream uh cone machine there, which we're really excited about. But then on the parking lot side, kind of facing uh away from the pool, we've actually added an expansion area there to the concession stand so you can actually get uh concessions outside of the pool. So whether maybe you're waiting for somebody to get picked up, maybe you're just enjoying uh Sycamore Trails Park, or maybe you're just stopping through and want to get a snack somewhere, uh, we'll actually have um uh windows that face the parking lot that you don't have to be inside the pool uh to get concessions as well. So uh kind of a dual purpose there that'll serve uh two different facilities in one.

Ryan 8:08

Yeah, so easy admission, lots of concessions options. And then one of the things that enhances the guest experience a lot is are the restroom restrooms and bathhouses and what that kind of feels like in terms of the facility. And uh the previous facility had a very kind of industrial feel to it, lots of concrete floors and things like that. Katie, what can people expect when they come and visit the bathhouses this year?

Katie 8:30

So we now have changing areas, private changing areas. We know when you bring your family to the pool, it's hard to keep that two-year-old contained while you're trying to change. So we have um individualized changing areas for families that inside each bathhouse where they can go in as a family, change, um, and then go out and enjoy the facility. The floors are updated, less concrete. Um, look for an epoxy flooring, new fixtures, just an overall refresh to the bathhouses.

Darren 9:00

I think a good way to describe it is we we brought some of the idea of the family restroom, which are still part of the facility that we had before, um, that are kind of in that entryway to the plaza. But we kind of brought that family restroom feel into the men's and women's bathhouses. So you can kind of have your own sectioned off space uh while you're using the restroom, maybe if you've got kids, family, you know, a group of you, something like that, uh, or you can kind of have your own space to take care of what you need to take care of, and then go back out to enjoy the facility.

Ryan 9:30

That's great. And you know, so we so we've enhanced the admissions process, we've we've expanded the concessions idea, we've paid attention to the restrooms and the need to change um and and things like that. And the other thing on the outside that people will see most visibly, even maybe from the rotor, is all the changes to the shade structures. So Katie, talk to us about what what's different with the shade. What changed in our mindset and what changed in the in the process of building shade out of the facility?

Katie 9:58

So previously we had five umbrellas that provided shade in the whole facility. So if you weren't one of the first 15 people in the building, you did not get shade. You were stuck in the sun. Um, and that has changed. We have on the concessions patio a huge shade structure that provides shade for the concessions area. But then we also have 11 shade structures throughout the facility, um, strategically placed to provide shade for people that want shade. Um, but then if you are a person that wants full sun all day long, we also have space for you.

Ryan 10:34

And the space that we have for you, it's all comfortable and brand new chairs, right? And that's the other piece that goes to the kind of this experience, right? So it's you had to get there early and get your first foot in the door so you could get underneath the shade. And there's also races to get to the seats. So what are we doing differently with with seats, Darren?

Darren 10:52

Yeah, the the whole deck of the facility is getting an update and an upgrade, which sounds silly to say because it's just concrete at the end of the day. Um, but as Katie mentioned, the the shade is going to be expansive and there's going to be lots of opportunity uh for that as well around different bodies of water and depending what you might be be there for during the day. But also the seating around the facility is going to be different. Um, you know, we're getting a lot of the kind of deck pool lounge chairs, and we're maximizing the space as much as we can. But we're not just getting deck pool lounge layback type chairs. Uh, we're actually getting some also sitting style chairs where maybe you don't want to lay back, you want to just sit up and enjoy and look around and watch what's going on. So there'll be option for you in that way. We're getting some Adirondack style chairs as well, both in like an adult size and in like a kid size. So depending on uh your family situation and where you might be around the facility, um, maybe you're not just you're just coming over and enjoying this body of water for 20 minutes and headed somewhere else. So instead of parking in an area for a while, you just want somewhere where you can sit down quick, watch the kids play, and then move on somewhere else. There's a lot of different seating option, and there's a large quantity of sweet seating as well around the facility.

Ryan 12:08

So it's one thing to build a really great facility, and it's another thing to to create an environment that you want to be in that's that's based on the safeness that you feel with the staff, based on how welcome you feel and how the staff interact with you. And Katie, that's your that's your that's your wheelhouse, right? So talk to us about how you think the staff make a huge impact in the in the guest experience out there and what what are you planning and thinking about as you're as you're crafting the staffing model and what it looks like.

Katie 12:36

I think everybody can realize in customer service-facing positions that staff make or break an experience. So our pool is no different. So if the first thing that you encounter when you walk up to our admissions booth is a grumpy, sad face, then obviously your experience is probably going to be based on that initial interaction. So the first thing is training the staff and getting the staff excited to be at the facility. It's new, it's fun. Um, so creating an environment for them. And then something that we did in the new pool was we created a guest service space inside the facility. So there's a dedicated space for members and guests to come to get help in the facility if they can't ask a guard because the guard is vigilant and watching the water. There's a dedicated space for someone to answer their question or help them um get first aid or register for a program, just giving them information about what's happening in the facility that day.

Ryan 13:34

Yes, we've kind of tried to define a dedicated dedicated space that if you have a question or if you have a need, you kind of know where you're supposed to go. An actual information booth kind of built in, so to speak. So you're not wondering or trying to, you know, cautiously don't I don't want to bother that person, but we have dedicated staff that are meant to kind of play that role. Is that correct?

Katie 13:54

That's correct. So they're in that building, and then we're also going to have some of those staff out on deck between the management staff and our guest service staff walking around providing customer service to you as you're sitting in the chair.

Darren 14:08

That's awesome. Yeah, it's it's a really uh different shift of mindset maybe from the previous facility because there wasn't that dedicated space that you could go up to. You know, you thought maybe you were bothering somebody in the admissions booth if you were you know talking about something that was happening behind the lap pool, for instance. Um, so now you have a dedicated place that you can go if you have a question or need something addressed, or you just you know need some help in some way. It it's really bringing that idea of that community service into that facility of this is the community pool. And if you need something, we are here for you and we want to help you out while you're here.

Ryan 14:55

So we've talked about all the all the physical elements that kind of exist out in in the pool construction process and things that are being built and being created, and we're kind of trying to create this vision of of what the environment's gonna feel like. And one of the most important things that we focus on, and I think that the community actually relies on us for is the idea of safety. Above all else, it should be very welcoming, it should be very fun and exciting, but there should be no question that this is a safe place to visit, to learn to swim, to swim in, to engage in, all of all those kind of things. So again, Katie, that's kind of your bailiwick there, right? So talk to us about how the safety matters the most and and what we're doing about that when we're thinking about building this facility.

Katie 15:39

Well, as a parent, I think it comes back to I wouldn't take uh my children to swim at a place where I didn't feel like the staff was taking their safety of the utmost importance. I want my kids to be able to go to a facility where they can go run, have fun. And yes, I'm watching them, but I also know that the staff has my back.

Ryan 15:59

Ma'am, there is no running at the aquatic center.

Katie 16:02

I mean galloping. There we go, galloping. Galloping. Um so that is a priority in uh in the last 15 years of my aquatics career, that has always been a priority at the places that we go. So when we talk about safety, that's staff training, staff certifications, making sure that they're staying up to date on all of those um aquatic um expectations. And we're changing with the times and making sure we as a facility are staying up with those expectations.

Ryan 16:37

Yeah, I remember in the old facility, you know, when you and I were a lot younger, Katie, when we worked out there, we used to hear stories from people and and and hear people at the facility tell us, like, hey, I live in Hubert Heights or I live in Zenia or I live, you know, pretty far away. And I and I come here to my daily swim. This is where I'm a member because I feel so safe here. And that's this balance that we were able to create that I know that that's our mission is to kind of recreate that in this new facility is balancing utmost safety with an amazing experience where you actually want to be here. And those two things don't always go hand in hand, right? It takes effort and energy and training and the right staff and the right skill set and all of the reinforcement of the standards to make sure that we can provide a safe facility and a welcoming facility at the same time.

Katie 17:27

Right. I think sometimes we think that because it's safe, we are gonna be, hey, no, no, no, no, all the time. But there's a fine balance between following those rules and watching the water and then letting the kids be kids, but also not, you know, diving in shallow water or running on the pool deck. But we will let them gallop.

Ryan 17:48

Yep. It comes down to defining like what are the most important things that's absolutely not never, and what are the things that we can let play happen, right?

Darren 17:58

It's a delicate balance of marrying the safety of the facility. And there are the non-negotiable things like, no, no, you cannot do that in that body of water because it's it there are legitimate safety reasons why you should not do it with the fun of the facility. Because at the end of the day, you're you're coming to a water park to have fun, to enjoy your family, to enjoy friends, time in the sun, all those great wonderful things that we love to do in the summer. But we have to balance that for you of the safety part of it. And we don't want to be the the rule following, you know, finger wagging people toward you, but we want you to really enjoy the space and and let us create the atmosphere for you to be able to do that.

Ryan 18:39

Yeah. And we haven't we haven't launched a recruitment process for this new facility yet. We're still waiting to define when the pool's gonna open and what that's gonna look like so we can be very clear with people about what the hours may be or or those types of things. But if but if you were gonna give me a 10-second pitch, right? I'm a I'm a prospective employee. We've talked about what's gonna be built, what we want it to feel like from a guest user experience, the safety matters, the the feeling of the facility matters. Pitch to me what what I need to be to fit into this new environment.

Darren 19:15

I think for me it kind of just comes down to three words. It's as simple as we need you to be able to follow the rules and policies and procedures. That kind of checks the safety uh word for us. We want people to come to this facility and have fun. Like you have to welcome the fun that's going to come along with with this. There's water flying everywhere, there's there's kids laughing and you know, families enjoying each other all over the place around the facility. And at the end of the day, we're a community pool. So we're we as the parks and recreation department get to serve you in that way. So uh I think for me it comes down to safety, it comes down to fun, and it comes down to service because we are there to serve the community. And if you can help us check those three boxes, uh you're gonna be successful for us uh working at the facility.

Ryan 20:00

So Darren just threw down three words, Katie. So three words I think that kind of define his like value proposition for what this facility is supposed to be. Well, what were they again? Safety, fun, and service. All right, Katie. So your turn. Three words that is your value proposition of what this facility is gonna be.

Katie 20:16

So I agree with safety and fun, but I'm gonna come back to community. Um, I we're building a community within the community. So we're building a place for our community to come, run, have fun, and spend their summers. Um, so if we talk about for me, the person that like if you were asking me what who I would look for, what I how to pitch it, did you spend the summer at the pool when you were a kid? Did you look up to the lifeguards? Like, do you want to be that person? Can you be the person that sits there and is a role model for the next generation of people that come to our facility?

Darren 20:51

Good. Now, Ryan, you you as the director of the department, I'm I mean you know, you've you've lived and breathed in this space so much, you know, through the design and the construction process. What's kind of your vision for the facility as you as you look forward? Maybe you can keep it in these three words if you like, or if you want to go bigger, we'll let you do that too.

Ryan 21:08

I'm pretty good at not sticking to any small amount of words and and language, right? I think that this facility continues transformation. So what we what the community has experienced in total, in my opinion, over the last 10 years, has been transformative from the downtown revitalization to Riverfront Park to Sycamore Trails Park, and now this facility kind of continues that legacy of transformation. And and and that transformation actually drives maybe what my second word might be, which would be impact. So the facility is is intended to provide a positive impact on the community, those that visit it, those that know about it. It's impacting, you know, property values and and the you know the the value of people. Being part of this community. I've heard from people that bought a house in Miami's work because of what this last facility was. And this is supposed to do similar things. And then to Katie's point, I think the impact that this facility has on the youth and the workforce development piece is critical. And as the director, that's one of the things that I kind of hold my hat on is this is an opportunity for us to help the youth in this community learn how to work, learn how to participate in society, learn how to make an impact in their community and do good things. And that's evidenced of the you know 25 years of the last facility that I have reference to. But you know, let's go back to 1936. How many people have worked for a municipal pool in Miamisburg? And how has that experience of serving your word, Darren, the community impacted their future trajectory of their of their career and their lives, right? So we are literally changing lives in this community by giving people a great place to go and visit and spend their summers, a great place to work and and learn how to be a productive part of our society and how to give back to the to the people that they live around. And it literally is community, right? Like that's there's your word, right, Katie? Right. Um so my words are yours and yours are mine, but that's that's the idea of what this thing is. It's a it's a pool within a park, within a city, as part of a community. And it's all of that inner kind of kind of intertwined into one.

Katie 23:27

I will say, like, I run into people that worked for me um when I was a manager at the pool way back when, and they are so excited because their kids are old enough to work at the pool now. And so they'll see me and they're like, hey, my kids are gonna work for you. So I think building that tradition is huge.

Ryan 23:43

Yeah, and I think if there, if I were since Darren gave me permission, I'm gonna add one more word to the mix. It's trust. I think that this facility, the project, the the department has been the recipient of so much trust from this community to be able to have the opportunity to make the impact through these projects and this transformation. The trust is something that we hold sacred as staff. Is that if the community can trust us, that's that's our North Star, right? And that's what's driving us to make sure it's safe and make sure that it's a great experience, is because we value that trust intrinsically, and we want to really hold on to that and and foster that with everybody that works there and with everything that we do. So let's continue the lightning round of questions. Ready?

Katie 24:46

Let's go. Bring it up.

Ryan 24:48

Okay. So what's happening behind the scenes at the pool that most people don't know about that you think that they wish they they would know about? That's tricky.

Katie 25:02

I think one of the things that people have no idea what my job entails. So they one the one number one question I have is Katie, what do you do as an aquatics manager with no pool? There's no pool. What are you managing? What are you doing? Um so the old pool had this great playbook that we were able to use year after year after year. But with the new facility, that playbook is kind of a foundation and we can use some of those pieces and parts. But we've had to rebuild everything as we plan to operate a brand new facility. Yeah.

Ryan 25:37

So your full day is trying to speculate how you're gonna operate the things as the things are being built with the humans that aren't working there yet, but keeping in mind what they need to be successful in their jobs before we recruit and hire them for that job. So you're you're in a you're in a completely very precarious planning environment.

Katie 25:59

Correct. And keeping in mind like the facility, like the community has an idea of what they liked at the old facility. So like marrying the idea of the old and the new while keeping things fresh. That's good.

Ryan 26:10

Darren?

Darren 26:11

Yeah, I think I would I would echo some of that. Um Katie and I were even having a conversation just earlier today about some of this the trickiness of trying to plan and and budget and and build the operational model for the facility that we're literally building right now. Um we're taking as much data and information as we can from the old facility, which was leaking water and it had its issues that we, you know, for the all the reasons that we've talked about that brought us to where we are now. But we're trying to take as much data from that to project forward to a facility that's partially built, you know, some of the pool shells aren't even there yet. And trying to figure out, well, how do we how do we staff this place? How many lifeguards do we actually need for that body of water that that doesn't actually exist yet? Um, how do we how do we take the information from the design that we have and and parlay it forward into real pieces of information that we can actually use to make good informed decisions? So trying, as she said, build that playbook while the literal facility is being built is this very tricky game that we are playing every day with as much knowledge and information, it's input as we can from other people to make good informed decisions to plan to be ready for it to be open.

Katie 27:31

Yeah. Yeah, I was gonna say, like, how much chemical will we use when we have no idea? I mean, we have five bodies of water and we know about how much water and how much water we had in the past, but it's a big, it's a big guess on how much chlorine we'll use next summer.

Darren 27:45

Yeah, considering that the the previous pool had water leaking out of it. So there's there's a weird um conversion factor there that nobody knows the conversion factor that we're trying to figure out at the end of the day. So um it it's a really tricky scenario to play out of well, how many memberships are we gonna have there? And and how many, what's the daily admission gonna look like for people that are excited about a new facility? Are we gonna draw from you know just Miamisburg? Are we gonna draw from some of those more surrounding communities, like you mentioned, that people enjoyed in the old facility? That's a really tricky game to play of trying to figure out not just the expenses, but the revenue side of how many people are actually coming to this facility and how are we managing that part of it uh as well.

Ryan 28:29

Yeah. Yeah, it's actually, I think one of the things that's so unique and interesting about parks and recreation as a career field is a lot of times people have a perception that it's cutting grass and running camps and things, and it and it is, but it's so much more than that. Like it's actually very business-minded. It's it's we are running a business up there and we have to project revenue and we have to project expenses, and we have to make uh assessments of how much chemicals we're gonna reuse, and all of those things happen as a part of that administrative function that most people don't really think about.

Darren 29:02

Yeah. It's it's a wild, a wild world to walk into as you just look at the various aspects of, oh, it's it's just a pool. People come, they pay their five bucks, they swim, they have a good time, they go home. Yes, but there was 87 steps behind that that got to that decision point, that got to the price point, that got to the staffing model, that got to everything around the facility and operation as a whole.

Ryan 29:29

Yeah, and I think it also, again, it speaks to the professional nature of the staff that we have in this department to put like, I mean, you two included, right? So kudos to you guys for hanging in there and doing all this effort. But the professionalism of our team to do all of these behind-the-scenes things that come across so seamless for the community actually take a significant amount of workload to get it kind of to where they can see it. And I think that would be mine. Like the thing that people don't really understand potentially about a project like this is, in my opinion, how evolving it is. You know, you go into the bid process with a with a 172-page construction document that outlines exactly where every nail is and every piece of concrete is and every piece of this and that. And then they start and it it doesn't change completely, but but there are check-ins every day along the along the way, right? Even this morning I was out there and they're like, okay, so this is where this pool is, and this is where it shows this shade structure is gonna be, and this is where it looks like this uh landscape bed's gonna be. Are we comfortable with this? Do we need to add a foot? Do we need to add six inches here? Uh do we want to stick with this as the idea, or do we want to change it at all? Like and it's not that it's not a good design and a good plan. It's that as it goes from 2D on paper to 3D in the real world, we have to verify that and we have to gut check that. And so we are constantly you know balancing this. Here's what the community said they wanted, and here's what the vision of what this space is supposed to look like, feel like this experience is supposed to be with real-world you know, brick and mortar construction taking place and and balancing all of those decisions along the way. I think I may have said this at some point along the way, like the design process for Riverfront Park required 5,000 decisions. And then when we did Sycamore Trails Park, it was a lot bigger. So we probably had to make 10,000 decisions in the design process. And the pool is a hundred thousand decisions in the design process. And in my opinion, it's a hundred thousand more now that we're under construction.

Darren 31:39

Oh, it it is every day. We are, it seems like we're talking about uh what color should this be? Or how should that what if we moved that a little bit over here, as you mentioned, or you know, the main thing we need at a pool is is water. Well, the water goes through pipes under the ground. So we have to have the pipes in the right spot to make sure that everything flows the right way that it's supposed to. So that then tweaks and changes. It seems like every day, it's not literally, but it feels like every day. Where we're talking about do we need to adjust something that you would see on on top on the concrete so that we can make sure that everything under the concrete is in the right spot and flowing in the right direction and and situated in a spot that it's ready for what it needs to do for the next number, number, number of years.

Ryan 32:24

Yeah. And I think it's important to like reiterate, it's not because it it's not well designed or well-intentioned or hasn't been thought through or engineered. All of those things have happened. It's it's small tweaks along the way that we have this pipe at this at this depth going in this direction, and this pipe at this depth going in this direction, and they're not gonna cross, but they're gonna be close. Do we want to keep it as close as we have it designed, or we want to add a little bit of space here or a little space there, right? And so it's not fundamental changes to what the intent is, it's a lot of just kind of gut checks along the way.

Katie 32:58

Well, and just the rock process there out there, at like there's lots of rock underneath the ground. So it's sometimes a matter of, hey, we literally cannot dig that deep because of the rock. So what can we do with this shade structure to keep it where you want, um, but not have to dig through rock?

Ryan 33:18

And our and our shade structures are cantilever style. So there's one post that that kind of holds the weight of the entire, of the entire shade structure, right? And so do we do we want to do a 14-foot deep, you know, circle cylinder, or do we want to do an eight-foot deep but 16-foot wide concrete foundation, and which direction makes the most sense? What do you guys think? You know, and so those are the types of not changes, but just adjustments in the process uh are those types of decisions.

Darren 33:48

Yeah, adjustments is the right word. It's we've got the big plan, and it's the same thing that we're doing, you know, with getting ready for the pool to open. We we've got the general plan. And along the way, as we take steps, as we learn more, there's just little tweaks along the way to just kind of fine-tune everything. It's like just like adjusting anything that you would, your bicycle or your guitar strings or anything like that. You get it generally about where you need it, and then you just keep adjusting it and fine-tuning it and tweaking it until you hit the sweet spot everywhere to make everything flow and work in just the right direction. Yeah.

Ryan 34:20

So, what's been the hardest part for you guys as staff? So you've been you've been on the team through the design, through the construction. So, what's been the toughest part of this journey for you?

Katie 34:30

I think we already touched on it. I think it's kind of the unknown and trying to have to make those educated guesses and hoping that those educated guesses that we make are going to like be prudent or be what we actually need about in like four or five months.

Darren 34:48

Yeah. Yeah, I think there's a lot of ups and downs along the way with this journey that it that the kind of facility is on. Um definitely what Katie said is a real thing of like trying to find the right mix and balance of everything along the way. Uh I think I think the weather has done it to me a little bit too, just with like the that that very much dictates the construction uh out there. And so as the weather comes and it's crappy weather out there, it's like, oh man, there's just not much happening right now because there's just only so much they can do when it's freezing cold or there's a foot of snow on the ground and so on and so forth. And then when the weather picks up, like we did a week ago, it's like, oh my goodness, this place is nuts. This is exciting. We've got so much happening. Look at look at all the progress over the last two days. And then it's like, oh now, now it's snowing again. Now it's cold again. And it just, you kind of go up and down with that a little bit uh as well. Yeah.

Katie 35:38

What about you, Ryan? What's been the hardest part for you?

Ryan 35:41

Yeah, I think I think the hardest part for me has been balancing the excitement of a new facility with the weight and gravity of the decisions that we have to make along the way. Whether it's decisions about what goes where, what gets purchased and doesn't get purchased, how do we balance the stewardship of dollars with the long-term vision of what a facility is supposed to be, maintaining positive you know, perspective of of what it's gonna become and that it will open and and we don't know when, we don't know how, but it will, and I promise, and it's gonna be great. But right now it doesn't feel great, but it is gonna be great, and and that the weight of that is what the community has entrusted us with. And so it's the it's the emotional, not the emotional, it's it's the it's the gravity of that trust that we carry has been one of the harder things. It's like, yep. They want they want this facility to be a certain way, and and we are the ones that drive that to come to reality. And so we're er with every decision and every day that passes, making sure that we can fulfill that promise that we've that we've given to the community is that we're gonna deliver this amazing facility and they're gonna love everything about it. Hopefully. Right? And hopefully we didn't make the one decision that's gonna make it not perfect. Um you know, I think that's where the that's what community is, is community is being great with everything that's out there, even if it's not perfect. Perfect is not our goal. Our goal is the right thing for the right amount of money and the right amount of time, with the right experience, with the right level of staffing and all of those things. It's finding, it's finding what our perfect looks like, and that's that's been a journey, right? And so that's been the tough part.

Darren 37:33

Yeah, it's very tricky to marry all of those things together. Um, we we've gotten to experience it along the way because we got to live in the design world and then the bid world, and now the construction starts and the construction rolling along, and and we just kind of go in those ups and downs of it of yeah, like we've got it right now. It we're we're on it. And then it's like, oh, uh, that one's a good thing.

Ryan 37:56

Well, and it's it's one of those things where it's like, I want the pool to be done on Memorial Day. I do. Yeah. I'm mad that it can't, but it can't. Like the construction process for any pool, it's it's nearly impossible to align building a new pool facility with a traditional summer season. It's it's nearly impossible unless you have an extra year or so to give, to align it perfectly. But that doesn't stop me from wanting it to be done. And so it's like, dag on, it's just frustrating that we just can't get there and we can't just move mountains. But there's literally, it doesn't work. You can't do it, right?

Darren 38:32

Yeah, there is no solution that gets it there. Like, you can't throw more money at it, you can't just bring more people in. Like, there are certain things weather-related that have to happen at certain times.

Ryan 38:42

And I think what's been great, if we can transition to a more positive question, like what's been really great, I think the community understands that. They get it, they understand what it takes to do it. And the contractors have been amazing getting work done out there. So you can't, you literally cannot drive by a day without being like, whoa, look at them working out there. So it's not that the community is mad necessarily that it's not opening in time, because everybody I think generally understands we're doing the best that we can. It's just like, dag on it, I wish we could do that, right? So, so what's been the most exciting or the most fulfilling part of being part of this journey?

Katie 39:22

I'll say, so I went to the old pool as a kid. I actually went to the old, old pool, like when downtown. Um, and then I remember this pool opening. Um, I remember working at the old pool. So for me, it's coming back to the city and being a part of this process. Um, and then being part of opening a facility that is going to be just a big beacon in our community for such a long, long in the future, um, and an opportunity for so many kids to have first jobs, families to come and enjoy the pool, kids learning how to swim.

Darren 39:58

Yep. Darren? Yeah, I think personally for me a little bit, the the ability to go through the design, construction, opening, and then up, you know, fully operational model of this facility is a very like rewarding from a career uh aspect of thing. I mean, this is like a once-in-a-lifetime type opportunity uh to open a facility like this and be a part of the journey along the way. Um so even just from the start of the journey when um, you know, when I knew that I would be a part of this process, not only from the design and the construction, but then of the actual operational of the facility, has been a really exciting part of the journey for me. Um, it's been stretching for me, you know, personally and professionally from a you know on the career side of things. Um, but it's really exciting personally as well to look at what we're gonna be able to build and offer our community that's gonna last for for years and years and years to come. Kind of like Katie said that you know, people grew up at this one pool and now their kids are coming, and you know, their kids are gonna work here, and maybe their kids' kids someday are gonna work at this facility, to see that generational impact um that we can take on this facility uh and build forward and to know that that I got to have a little part of it uh along the way is a very rewarding and exciting uh piece of it for me.

Ryan 41:19

That's good. That's good. One of my favorite parts about what we get to do, you know, we as a as a group get to do is we we hold that trust in our hands and then that gives us opportunity. And the opportunities that we have are to shape shape some of these these impacts, right? So obviously the construction is a huge element of shaping that we get to do. But as we as we kind of talk about some of the smaller things, the most excitement that I have are for the mini moments that the slides are gonna be amazing. Like you're gonna drive by and be like, holy smokes, those are sweet. Can't wait to get down those. And and the kids are gonna be excited, and the adults are gonna be excited, and it's gonna be awesome. But it's like, oh, actually, we're thinking about how can we tell the story of aquatics and swimming in Miami'sburg from 1936 to 2026 and beyond. That's actually pretty cool. And and and we get to kind of like come up with that idea and figure out how we can make that happen. That's not that's not an architect doing that. That's us and our team kind of being the creative energy behind some of those things. To me, that's that's some of the most fun that we get to do.

Darren 42:26

Yeah, construction only lasts for a short amount of time. It feels long because we're in it right now. But in comparison, you know, the construction is a short amount of time, but we're gonna get to enjoy the facility for a lot more after that. So, like you say, the little moments along the way of people being excited about a feature or the way we did a sign or you know, where we put this, or this is our favorite little spot in this facility now. Those are the things that just keep the excitement of the facility going over and over, year to year, family to family, and and just build that community aspect around it all. Yeah.

Katie 43:00

I'm also excited to see and to share with the community and like future podcasts and when they come, how we incorporated Billy from the old pool into the new facility, so bringing some of that old into the new.

Ryan 43:12

Yeah, yeah, because we have some really cool things coming up when we talk about Billy the Bullfrog. And there's been a lot of speculation in the community about what happened to Billy. Where did Billy go? Well, teaser, Billy lives. And you'll find out more in a future episode. So thanks everybody for joining us on this episode of Star City Stories. We'll leave it there for now. Darren, Katie, thanks so much for joining.

Darren 43:34

Great to be with you. Excited to get this project moving forward.

Katie 43:37

It's been a great time tonight. I can't wait to do it again.

Ryan 43:40

Yep, do it again soon. Thanks, Mimesberg. We'll talk to you soon on the next episode of Star City Stories.