Bernalillo County breaks ground on North Valley Aquatics Center

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Bernalillo County officials gathered Monday to break ground on the new North Valley Aquatics Center.

The center will soon be at the Raymond G. Sanchez Community Center. Across the street are residents Lorraine and Robert Abeyta who are excited for the addition to the neighborhood.

“The kids need a place to go play to stay cool. I’ve been bringing my nieces and nephews over here to the splash pad and they love it,” Lorraine said.

With the ground broken, construction begins.

“We’ve been working at this for a few years initially, trying to determine the best location. The best location was where we’d had a pool in the past,” said John Barney, the manager of parks and recreation for Bernalillo County.

Renderings show plans for an outdoor pool, a standalone waterslide, a lobby/check-in area for guests, and an indoor wellness pool – the first of its kind in the county.

“It was about a year-and-a-half to two years in design. Then, it was securing all the funding, including million dollars in ARPA [American Rescue Plan] funding,” Barney explained.

In total, the project will cost nearly $7 million with a target completion date of next June.

“It’s gonna be amazing what, you know, they’re doing to the North Valley. They needed it for a long time,” Lorraine said.