"Serving" a New Purpose

Constructed in 1966, the original Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center pool served the community for decades between swim lessons, meets, events, and more. However, over the past several years, the complex fell into disrepair—making it no longer safe to use the building. To remediate this issue, the owners hired Zwick Construction and MHTN Architects to redevelop the space, turning it into eight pickleball courts and one tennis court.

Prior to construction, an intensive demolition process presented significant challenges. The original pool building was a concrete structure with 110-foot-long, 100-ton single-T post-tension beams spanning the ceiling. Years of pool humidity caused the steel brackets supporting the beams to rust, requiring redevelopment. Additionally, 6,500-pound storefront panels welded to the structure’s bonding beams had to be carefully removed to prevent them from falling into the building.

Removing the beams and storefront required both a 900- and 600-ton crane. Because the excessive weight of the beams combined with wind factors, removing the beams created a risk of crane instability. The team designed special brackets to safely secure and remove each beam. Working in tandem, the two cranes carefully and strategically completed the demolition.

Additionally, midway through demolition, the team discovered an undocumented underground bunker. Rather than removing the bunker, they were able to redesign the drawings to avoid delaying the project.

As if demolition itself wasn’t challenging enough, the  team also faced obstacles from working next to an adjacent, operating pool. They frequently patrolled the area to make sure patrons of the fitness center were not entering areas closed for safety precautions. Moreover, the fitness center is located across the street from Kearns High School. The team also monitored the site closely to ensure no students improperly entered the site.

Working through each challenge as it was presented, the team turned over an impressive project to the owners of the Kearns Oquirrh Park Recreation Center. Patrons of the park have been enjoying the courts and features for a few weeks.

As the Olympics come to Utah in  coming years, this project will have high-visibility since it neighbors the Olympic Oval.

Congratulations to our Tenant Improvement and Special Projects Division on this exciting turnover.