Project Background:
At the heart of the Deadwood community, buried amid the historic Black Hills, lays the Deadwood Recreation Center – a community treasure originally constructed in 1912 as an auditorium. In 1958, the auditorium was converted to a recreation center with the creation of a swimming pool and indoor basketball court. In its most recent addition and renovation, space was adapted for a new regulation length swimming pool with amenities to meet the evolving recreational needs of the community. Prior to working with TSP, the City contracted with an out-of-state firm to plan and design their facility improvements. “After two failed attempts at bidding the design work, with bids far exceeding the budget both times,” notes Jim Raysor, Public Works Director for the City of Deadwood, “the project was nearly dead.”
To achieve budget, design, and schedule demands, the City engaged TSP as the design partner of a Construction Management at Risk team to led City representatives, community leaders, and the Deadwood Historic Preservation Department through an intense, six-month planning process that focused on developing a list of priorities and labeling wants versus needs. This engagement was the first use of Construction Management at Risk delivery by the City of Deadwood and would provide a template for future capital improvement projects.
The project was completely redesigned by TSP’s Architects and Engineers, breathing life and hope back into the project for an invested community who had endured a rollercoaster of ups and downs in the preceding years. Raysor adds, “TSP understood the economies and overall dynamics of small towns and was very cognoscente of this during preparation of their designs.”
Raysor concluded, “At the end of this experience, the City of Deadwood now resides in an extremely improved facility that caters to our community. Something special was included for every age group: there is a sitting area for seniors to play cards or visit, a zero-entry pool for accessibility and child-friendly playing, and upgraded exercise spaces throughout. The TSP and Ainsworth-Benning Construction Team kept the project within budget, allowing us to accept all of the additive alternates to our project that enhance the facility beyond our expectations. AND it was delivered to us on-time!”