Not only are Olathe and Johnson County, Kansas my old stomping grounds—but the community center is a project the BRS/SFS Architecture team was fortunate to win via a national design competition in 2011.

The design procedures were certainly unique due to the competition process. Following the win, we conducted a pre-design process that included touring the client through several similar community recreation centers in Colorado, Kansas and Missouri, and then gauging the City Council’s preference regarding the look and feel of the proposed building. Schematic design and design development phases followed with a program enhancement for an approximately 72,000-square-foot center with a triple-court gymnasium, fitness center, indoor pool complex, and community events hall.

BRS and our consulting team developed the project using Revit software, and SFS Architecture continued to complete the model in construction documents with BRS’s support. This is the first building I’ve stamped and sealed as a registered architect in the state of Kansas, and I greatly appreciated SFS’s knowledge and expertise in dealing with the City of Olathe, Johnson County, and State of Kansas procedures.

At the groundbreaking, the Kansas City metro area received a good drenching overnight: a much-needed downpour bringing several inches of rain to the region. An hour before spade time, the sun broke through the clouds and all those century-old oak trees in Stagecoach Park created a wonderful dappled light on Mayor Michael Copeland, City Council members, parks board members, and a hundred or so residents who braved the brisk, 49-degree morning air. Olathe Parks and Recreation Director Kevin Corbett thanked the leaders, city staff, BRS, SFS, our design team, and the construction team led by McGown Gordon Construction.

Kevin turned the mic over to Mayor Michael Copeland, who exclaimed, “This is a time to celebrate community. This is a perfect time for us to celebrate this facility that will bring our community together, so that we may strengthen relationships, forge new relationships…talk about the matters that are important to all of us… [This will be] a gathering place, a place to learn, a place to become healthier…a place that unites young and old, a place where friendships are built and—as the name implies—so is community.”

Mayor Copeland then went on to announce, “Today we break ground for what will be a treasure for all of Olathe… My friends, this community center will be exceptional. I am so proud to stand here today and make our residents’ voice a reality. This is a great day for Olathe and a testament to all those who entrusted us to listen and to make their desire come to life."

The mayor, City Council and parks board grabbed 10 shiny shovels and turned the earth to thunderous applause.

The community center has been staked out–it’s got an impressive footprint–and the grand trees are protected with orange construction fencing around their reach of branches and root systems, creating a colorful collage of circular patterns in the 41-acre park setting. The contractor is mobilized and began excavation the following Monday. The highly anticipated center is slated to open in mid-2014—and we can’t wait to see it become a reality.

A delicious buffet of sliders, wings doused in nacho cheese (my guilty favorite), herbed chicken, salad, mashed potatoes, home-style mac ‘n’ cheese, and an array of sweet desserts awaited us on arrival. Beer flowed like wine, wine flowed like beer, and of course Chuck had his signature tequila in hand.

With full bellies, we BRSers turned to what we do best: play! One group hit the bowling lanes. Some people tried to knock down as many pins as they could during their allotted turns, while others were more concerned with choosing a bowling ball that matched their outfit—even if that meant the ball was too heavy to handle. Another group pushed pucks back and forth on the shuffleboard court.

After the games, it was time to gather ‘round the old fireplace (yep, there was an actual fireplace) for our gift exchange. This year we changed things up a bit and instead of merely placing a dollar limit on the gift for our randomly-selected coworker, we were tasked with creating a magnet that was a reflection of that person. This was designed to add a bit of flare to our office lobby magnet wall (come check it out sometime)! One by one, thoughtful, handcrafted magnetic gems were presented to their new owners. The shared memories between bouts of light roasting offered us newbies the chance to get to better know some of our colleagues, not to mention our office’s collective sense of humor.

I heard on the radio the next morning that over 50% of U.S. employees did not enjoy attending their office holiday parties. Somehow I doubt that was the case for anyone here at BRS… because our office party was way cooler than yours!