Yucca Valley Aquatics Center on track for completion in 2026; welcome sign hits property problems
The Yucca Valley Town Council received a couple updates regarding construction and town beautification at Tuesday’s (2/17) meeting.
The 37,000 square foot Yucca Valley Aquatic Recreation Center (YVARC) is still on track for completion in 2026, but a few issues have pushed back the expected completion date.
Jen Wagner is a Project Manager with the Dahlin Architecture Group who is working in collaboration with the town on the new recreation facility which will include a pool, water play area, locker rooms, a gymnasium, outdoor gathering space and multipurpose rooms. She says that while construction continued from October through December, a delay in steel deliveries and weather-related material damage has pushed back the expected completion date to September 21 of this year.
If you haven’t seen the YVARC construction yet, it’s much more than just a framed out skeleton of a building. Wagner reports that interior work has advanced including fire sprinkler installation, HVAC ductwork and interior walls and framing. Plumbing and electrical infrastructure “rough-ins” have also began.
Over the next few months, construction will focus on finishing the exterior and sealing up the building from the weather – a point that was well taken on one of the windiest nights of the year. Once the weather is kept out, drywall will be brought in as interior work continues to progress.
Wagner says that at the end of December, the project was at 76% completion and has only 168 calendar days remaining until the project is considered complete.
Town of Yucca Valley Monument Sign
Deputy Town Manager Frank Luckino updated the council on the Yucca Valley Monument signage planned for the entrance on the west side of town. At a previous meeting the Town Council approved a design by Corey Hamilton as well as the property where the sign will be installed.
Since then, a few bumps in road.
The existing sign is located on private property which is currently for sale. The sign is also adjacent to a large Western Joshua Tree which could increase construction costs due to the take permits that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife would need to issue for the ground disturbance near the sign and the tree.
Perhaps most importantly, the sign itself isn’t owned by the town. Town Manager Curtis Yakimow clarified the issue with the Town Council, saying “Not only does the town not own the property where the existing sign is, the town does not own that sign that was erected by — I think as our history shows — a service group. It may have been here even prior to (the town’s) incorporation, but that’s not a town sign, it’s not town property. That just complicates our efforts in that process.”
The town does own the property at Camino de Cielo Trail, however. The site was offered as an alternative during the initial conversation about the signage. The Town Council approved moving into the second phase of the project with a design, fabrication, and installation of a new sign at the Camino de Cielo location. Town staff says that the entire process could take the rest of the year but it also aligns with other Town beautification projects planned for intersections on Highway 62.
