RUDOLPH AND SLETTEN COMPLETES STATE-OF-THE-ART AQUATIC COMPLEX AND COMMUNITY CENTER FOR ELK GROVE COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT

FOSTER CITY, CA (September 20, 2004)—Rudolph and Sletten General Contractors announced today the completion of the $17.5 million Barbara Morse Wackford Community and Aquatic Complex in Elk Grove, California. Rudolph and Sletten served as construction manager for the 43,000 square foot complex, owned by the Elk Grove Community Services District. The Elk Grove Community Services District (CSD) is an independent local government agency providing parks, recreation, fire, and emergency medical services. The District serves the residents of Elk Grove and the unincorporated communities of Laguna West/Lakeside and Franklin -- covering an area of 106 square miles.

The project was managed by Rudolph and Sletten’s Sacramento regional office, located in Roseville. The multi-use complex, which opened in late August, includes an aquatic area with three pools and a waterslide; a community center building containing a teen center, full size gymnasium, meeting rooms, and a preschool; and a world-class skate park.

As a full service construction manager, Rudolph and Sletten provided both field supervision and oversight and management of subcontractors. The arrangement provided cost savings to the Elk Grove Community Services District because they did not have to hire both a construction manager and a general contractor.

Rudolph and Sletten also worked with the Elk Grove Community Services District to slash another $2 million to keep the project on budget. Rudolph and Sletten achieved these cost savings by identifying numerous ways to build the project more economically, including tilt-up wall modification for the gymnasium, and simplifying the gym’s structural system for the roof.

“The whole job showcased Rudolph and Sletten’s problem solving abilities and the value engineering they bring to a project,” said Dave Wigginton, Park Administrator for the Elk Grove Community Services District. “We came in on budget because Rudolph and Sletten came up with numerous ways to reduce the costs, yet still provide a quality project.”

Rudolph and Sletten was selected for the project not only for their skill in construction management, but also because of the company’s experience in working with theme parks and aquatic venues, including Monterey Bay Aquarium and Sea World.

Project Overview
The single story complex, built of structural steel and a tilt-up concrete addition, is situated on a nine-acre park. The site completes an entire block of Elk Grove Community Services District facilities, including several soccer and softball fields.

Entrance into the main lobby building is under a dramatic cupola that provides extensive natural lighting. The lobby leads into a lounge area with additional skylights. The lounge looks through twelve foot high window walls into the gymnasium where viewers can watch basketball or other games. The aquatic center building, which is attached to the rest of the building in a large L-shape configuration, includes a 25-yard by 25-meter competition pool, a zero depth entry recreation pool, and a kid’s splash pool. The pools are heated by solar thermal panels that are installed on the roof of the gym with a non penetrating roof mounting system. A skate park is located next to the teen center.

Construction challenges included the building of a braced steel frame structure and roof that includes diverse interlocking geometries. Metal stud framing was used to create a true conical roof shape.

Rudolph and Sletten project manager Jeff Russell said the Center contains many unique features, including the standing seam roof. “We have a conical shaped roof with various parts of the roof’s geometries built off site out of structural steel and then assembled on site,” he said.

“The curving, conical roof was a challenge because the flat structural steel metal deck doesn’t bend very well. Jim Whited, Project Superintendent, came up with a creative framing solution by using metal studs and clips of different heights like spokes of a wheel to create the cone effect.” The dramatic cone roof is 55 feet across and the roof is on a 7:12 pitch, which is almost too steep to walk on.  The top is 30 feet in the air.

Another challenge was to provide the Community Services District with a facility that would have the lowest possible maintenance costs. In order to obtain this goal, Rudolph and Sletten identified high-quality durable products that were also very affordable, and helped to solve long-term maintenance issues.

The Aquatic Center
The aquatic center, designed to accommodate competitive swimming events as well as recreation for all ages, includes a 25-yard by 25-meter competition pool, a zero depth entry recreation pool, and a kid’s splash pool. The complex contains a number of water play features, including a water slide. 

The aquatic complex has hundreds of yards of intricate piping that feeds all of the pools and play features through the center’s pumping and filtration room. The pool water gravity drains to the filtration area and is then filtered and pumped back into the pools.  The center also contains a special area with additional piping for on-site chlorine generation.

Other Features

• A signature 11,000 square foot in-ground concrete skateboard park, designed by Zack Wormhoudt, one of the sport’s leading skate park designers and skaters.  The park’s features include cloverleaf and kidney shaped bowls that are seven to eight feet deep. The skate park also includes street features such as stairs, ramps, and grinding rails
• A large tilt-up concrete gymnasium with a full size basketball court that can be broken down into three volleyball courts. There are two cross-courts. The gym, which can also be used for large banquets, has a new generation cushioned pad flooring material that is excellent for athletic play and is extremely durable
• A teen center with a state-of-the-art sound system
• A preschool, meeting rooms, offices, a community room and a snack bar

About Rudolph and Sletten
Rudolph and Sletten (www.rsconstruction.com) is one of the leading general contracting firms on the West Coast and maintains offices in Roseville, Irvine, Foster City, and San Diego, California. As a pace setter in the construction industry, Rudolph and Sletten has provided quality-oriented general contracting and construction management services for over four decades. Rudolph and Sletten’s expert professionals manage each job comprehensively, from site selection and preconstruction services through project completion.

Rudolph and Sletten’s building expertise includes virtually all types of projects with an emphasis on those markets where their technical expertise and quality excel: corporate campuses and office buildings, biotechnology and pharmaceutical research and manufacturing, wineries, data centers, health care, electronics, and high-tech research. Other areas of expertise include parking structures, educational institutions, housing, public attraction, and retail facilities.  Rudolph and Sletten’s Sacramento area clients include Kaiser, Hewlett-Packard, Agilent Technologies, The Evergreen Company, First Union, Affymetrix, Sutter Health, Catholic Healthcare West, Verizon Communications, EarthLink, and McCuen Properties.

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