Renderings courtesy of city of Chandler
Chandler’s Tumbleweed Recreation Center (TRC) will soon be able to accommodate more community members due to an expansion project.
This project will expand the existing facility by approximately 11,000 square feet, adding programming space that will be located on the east side of the building, located at 745 E. Germann Rd. The expanded programming space will accommodate both active and passive recreation programs targeting all ages and ability levels. The expansion will include two multipurpose rooms, two patios with shade structures, a fitness room, game area, restrooms, events hall, lobby, reception area with a separate entrance from the existing TRC, and updated landscaping. The front of the existing building will be updated with a new shade structure and signage. Also included is a necessary upgrade of the existing fire alarm system.
As required by city ordinance, this TRC expansion will also have a public art element, which was planned as part of the overall project and recommended by the city’s Arts Commission. The arts project will include a walkway with arches leading into the building’s expansion.
The TRC was originally constructed in 2008 as a 62,000 square-foot recreational facility that provides a variety of classes and activities for all ages. The TRC currently features an art studio, catering and teaching kitchen, ceramics studio, child watch, classrooms, dance studio, fitness areas, group exercise studio, gymnasium, indoor track, locker room with showers, meeting room, multipurpose room, and racquetball courts.
In 2017, the Community Services Department worked with PROS Consulting to conduct a Senior Needs Assessment, targeted survey, and amenity spatial analysis. In 2018, a city council subcommittee reviewed the assessment findings, which showed that overall, the city’s senior programs have performed effectively, but were impacted by space constraints in the existing senior center (originally constructed in 1986 and with significant future capital improvements) and an aging population with changing needs. The subcommittee’s and study’s recommendations supported the city taking steps to develop a Multigenerational Recreation Center Feasibility Study.
In December 2019, the city council approved a contract with GreenPlay, LLC, to conduct this study, with recommendations presented in a council work session in September 2020. The study found sufficient demand to justify a new multigenerational facility in Chandler. Several options were presented to council, including the option of a new or re-purposed facility in Chandler or an expansion of the existing TRC. City council directed staff to investigate a possible expansion of the TRC and approved funding as part of the annual budget process. On May 26, 2022, the council approved a contract with Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture to design the TRC multigenerational facility expansion.
Construction of the TRC expansion will be led by the Chasse Building Team, Inc. and is expected to begin in early 2024 with a targeted completion in spring 2025.
For more information about this project, visit chandleraz.gov/trcexpansion.
