Conway Community Center
Conway, Ark.
DERO STANFORD/COURTESY THINKDERO
- Architect/Landscape Architectafton Tull
- Aquatic Designer/Aquatic Consultant: Counsilman-Hunsaker
- Pool/Spa/Water Feature contractor: Rotolo Consultants
- General Contractor: Nabholz
- Structural Engineering: 360 Engineering Group
- MEP Engineering: IMEG
- Interior Design: Grace Design Studios
This facility was designed to capture a town’s past while investing in its collective future.
The center stands as tribute to a source of pride and joy for the city: Dennis Cantrell, the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) first “Mechanic of the Year.” The owner of Cantrell’s Aero Service was known as a top expert in aircraft maintenance. The city named its airport after him, and he was inducted into the Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame in 2019.
To honor Cantrell, the design team for the Conway Community Center decided to focus its theming on the city’s aviation heritage. Overhead lighting mirrors jet spinners, while a mural by Joel Boyd depicts the planes that fly over the city, and adds a sense of town history to the gymnasium. In the play areas, aircraft-themed sculptures adorn the playground, while the outdoor spray pad features custom-made aeronautical iconography.
The aerospace theme was introduced in more abstract ways as well, in the use of certain contours and lines throughout the aquatic center. A chevron shape was repeated on the ceiling, graphics, and signage. The shape was chosen to depict ties between nature and aeronautical flight. Greens and wood tones referenced the natural hues in the Ozark Mountains, forests, and hot springs in Arkansas.
DERO STANFORD/COURTESY THINKDERO
Backed by the city’s residents in a special election in 2022, the center was billed as a testament to the city’s commitment to health, wellness, and community. It includes an indoor facility made by renovating an existing warehouse/IT support building. This reduced both spending and impact on the environment. The team believed this strategy would have another long-term effect with even further-reaching implications—illustrating aquatic spaces could be integrated into existing structures to enhance the community with minimal impact.
The facility includes 15,430 sq. ft. of indoor space, providing year-round access to aquatic and fitness amenities. Indoor features include an eight-lane, 25-yard competition pool, a community fitness center, and a 1,052 sq. ft. leisure pool with a ramp entry, shallow step entry, underwater seating, and bubbler features. During warmer months, visitors can also enjoy an outdoor aquatics area featuring a pool, lazy river, tot pool, and water slides. The 6,800 sq. ft. lazy river features a two-flume waterslide complex with a 35-ft tower.
Measuring approximately 58,000 sq. ft. the outdoor space also includes a 6,200 sq. ft. leisure pool, zero-depth entry, a themed multi-level aquatic play structure, underwater seating, a tanning ledge, crossing activity, and a climbing wall. A Vortex pool and various spray features round out the outdoor attractions.
Future expansion plans include three additional flumes, volleyball and pickleball courts, a community lounge, and dedicated party rooms for events.
The interior receives plenty of natural light. The therapeutic spa area can be seen toward the back. The aeronautical theme extended to the splashpad, which features custom-made airplanes.
SUPPLIERS:
Conway Community Center
Conway, Ark.
- Circulation Systems, Gutters: Glassworks
- Controller/Control System: Pulsar
- Filtration: Waterco
- Guard Chairs/Safety Equipment: Recreonics
- Heaters: Lochinvar
- Interactive Water Features: SplashTacular
- Pool Cleaner: Maytronics
- Pumps: Pentair
- Racing Lanes: Competitor
- Slides: Splashtacular
- Springboards: SR Smith
- Variable Frequency Drive: Schneider
- Water Play Features: Splashtacular
- Starting Blocks: Spectrum
- Aquatics UV: ProMinent
