Oregon City's community pool has been serving swimmers since January 1966, and at 60 years old, with just six lanes stretched across 25 meters, the city says it is approaching the end of its useful life. Now city leaders are dreaming bigger: a sprawling new aquatic and recreation center that could rise on land owned by Clackamas Community College, just down the road from Oregon City High School.
A College Partnership Takes Shape
The city is in talks with the college to build the new facility on college-owned property off Beavercreek Road, a proposed site nestled between the campus and the high school, according to OregonLive. City and college officials are still working out what that partnership could look like, and commissioners have said the city will need formal agreements with both Clackamas Community College and the Oregon City School District on how to share costs and facilities before anything moves forward. Oregon City made the potential partnership public at a virtual open house held on October 28, where it also confirmed the project remains in its early planning stages, per the city's official project page.
That same city page stresses that no construction start date has been set and that there is no identified funding for building the new center yet. Importantly, officials also note that the existing swimming pool is still safe to use, even as it edges toward the end of its lifespan. The city says community input will help shape whatever design ultimately gets picked, and it's exploring in-person office hours around town, with dates to be announced on social media, the city's project page notes.
Three Concepts, Three Very Different Scales
On October 13, the Oregon City Commission reviewed three early design concepts presented by Parks and Recreation Director Scott Archer alongside consultants from Scott Edwards Architecture, OregonLive reports. The work session produced no vote, budget, or contract, but it gave commissioners their first real look at what a replacement facility might include.
The smallest option would rebuild a 37,500-square-foot, two-story facility on the current pool site, but commissioners largely rejected it, citing limited parking, steep grade changes, neighborhood traffic, and an expected three-year construction closure that would leave the community without a pool. The medium and large concepts both move to the college site instead, each using about 20 acres of undeveloped land there. The medium concept calls for a 38,700-square-foot building with an eight-lane pool, a recreation pool with a slide, an outdoor splash pad, multipurpose rooms, fitness space, and 100 parking spaces. The large concept balloons to 65,300 square feet, adding a full-size gym, a dedicated fitness center, an on-deck spa, more meeting rooms, outdoor playgrounds, and nearly 200 parking spaces.
Officials Favor Going Big
The largest early design concept is much bigger than Oregon City's aging municipal pool, and it received favorable reactions from city officials, per the same OregonLive report. Commissioner Mike Mitchell said Oregon City is growing and needs full indoor recreation space for young families and youth sports. Architect Timothy Gordon said separate competition and recreation pools would resolve a long-running conflict over water temperature, since each proposed pool could be heated to suit its use — cooler for athletic training, warmer for public swimming.
Commissioners backed building on college property and told staff to keep exploring that option. Site layouts for the college land include an outdoor loop trail, landscaping, and open park space beneath Portland General Electric transmission line easements, according to the article.
Cost Concerns and a Possible Bond
Commissioner Adam Marl urged staff not to let extra park features drive up construction costs, and said any future bond measure must remain affordable to win voter approval. Oregon City is exploring putting a bond on a future ballot so residents could decide whether to fund the project, though no funding source has been identified yet.
Consultants are working on cost estimates, construction cost escalation projections, and operating assessments, while the firm Echo Northwest is separately studying operating costs, event pricing, and comparable facilities, the outlet reports. Elsewhere in Oregon, similar projects carry steep price tags — Hermiston's city council heard estimates in May ranging from $59.6 million to $63.5 million to expand its existing aquatic center, or $63.75 million to $64.5 million to build an entirely new indoor facility, according to the East Oregonian. Those figures apply only to Hermiston's separate proposal and offer no indication of what Oregon City's project might ultimately cost.
What Residents Have Asked For
Community outreach conducted between June and July drew 114 responses, and residents showed demand for lap swimming, competitive swimming lanes, recreational water play, splash pads, and indoor wellness space, OregonLive reports. Those public comments will be folded into a final report with refined concept plans.
Mayor Denyse McGriff said community access, swim lessons, and family wellness must remain the project's focus. The city's announcement said many in the community had long dreamed of a facility in this part of town, calling the moment significant. The final report and refined concept plans are expected to go before the city commission in early 2027, when commissioners will decide on a bond strategy. Oregon City voters elected Adam Marl mayor this week.
