It's full steam ahead for the Brookfield Swim Club. Thanks to an approval Tuesday from the Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA), it may construct a new swim club building to replace its old, outdated one built in 1967.
"IT IS great news," said swim club president Carl Cecil. "The pool leadership is excited about the new opportunity to serve our membership and the community with an all-year facility — something modern and attractive to be proud of. We've got an awesome pool, and now we'll have an awesome building to go with it."
Seven years ago, Brookfield installed a two-story slide; two seasons ago, it renovated the pool. So a new clubhouse building is the final step in the improvements. Some 300 families belong to the Brookfield Swim Club, and 100 children, ages 4-18, are on its swim team.
It will be a nearly $500,000 project, and Cecil said a new building is crucial to member retention and growth — motivating people to stay in the club and to join it — and "to provide a social club for Brookfield and the Chantilly community." The Brookfield Swim Club recently entered into a contract with Vantage Construction to officially kick off its state-of-the-art clubhouse and pool-deck expansion.
Swim team director Maryellen Silsby said a new building is "definitely needed. And, from a swim-team standpoint, she said, "It'll enable us to host bigger meets." Brookfield's been a member of the Northern Virginia Swim League (NVSL) since 1973, but has never been able to host a divisional meet or major event because of the facility's capacity.
THE OLD building will be knocked down when this swim season ends in September, after Labor Day. The new one should be finished and ready for use by the end of December.
The current building is 20x50 feet; the new one will be 30x65 and 35 feet high and have bigger locker rooms. A new, 10-foot deck will form an apron around the building, off the second story. And the second floor will contain a meeting room for various parties and events and also for viewing swim meets.
It'll contain a mini-kitchen, bathrooms, skylights, a trophy case and lots of windows overlooking the pool. The new facility will be able to host adults-only parties with food, drinks, a deejay and swimming, as well as preteen and teen parties on summertime Saturday nights for kids, ages 9-18.
The West Fairfax County Citizens Association (WFCCA) Land-Use Committee approved the project on April 19. The BZA heard it on April 26, but deferred its decision until this Tuesday, May 10.
It agreed to hours of operation beginning at 7:30 a.m. for the swim team and said the building may be used for indoor activities, Fridays and Saturdays, until midnight. Outdoor events lasting 'til midnight will be permitted six times a year. The facility must also comply with the county's noise ordinance if its outdoor events involve amplified music.
For membership information, see www.BrookfieldSwimClub.org.