Audrey Moore Rec Center needs updating

Community members feel strongly about the need to renovate and expand the Audrey Moore Rec Center. What they’d most like to see are improved locker rooms and showers.

That’s one of the key findings from a survey that will help guide improvements to the facility. The survey was conducted by the DLR Group, an architectural/engineering firm hired by Fairfax County to oversee the design and construction for the renovation and expansion project.

Audrey Moore Rec Center, at 8100 Braddock Road in Annandale, was built in 1977 and remains one of the oldest recreation centers operated by the Park Authority.

“While the facility has undergone several targeted renovations in the past, as a whole, it has aged to the point where it no longer meets the spatial or performance requirements of the Park Authority,” the report on the survey results states. Audrey Moore requires “significant renovation/expansion or replacement.”

Partial funding was allocated to the project from the 2016 and 2020 park bonds. Additional funding for construction is expected to come from future park bonds.

Related story: Report recommends Audrey Moore Rec Center be demolished and replaced

To ensure more accurate results, survey respondents were asked about how they used the Audrey Moore Rec Center before Covid.

Here are some key findings from the survey:

• When asked what enhancements they prefer, locker room improvements, individual showers, and private changing areas ranked highest by far.

• Other features respondents want include improved accessibility, more children’s play areas, family bathrooms, more space in the fitness area, an indoor track, more or larger classrooms, and additional programs and amenities.

• Among survey respondents who don’t use the rec center, the most requests for new programs were dog training, gardening, and activities for teens.

• 68 percent of nonusers said they were “somewhat likely” or “extremely likely” to use Audrey Moore in the future if the facility is improved.

• Respondents who don’t use Audrey Moore said the most common reasons were outdated facilities, distance, and a lack of programs and services their families want.

• When asked about their viewing preference in the fitness area, most respondents prefer views to the outdoors or other rec spaces, followed by a personal device or a personal TV.

• Among new fitness possibilities, an indoor elevated running track was the most popular, followed by a climbing wall and pickleball.

• Aquatics priorities cited by users and non-users include lap swimming, recreational swimming, and water exercise.

• Swimming pool improvements cited by Audrey Moore staff based on their experiences with users include a spa/whirlpool, a warm-water or therapeutic pool, accessible entry, and a river/current channel.

• When asked how the Wakefield Senior Center could be improved, the most common enhancements mentioned by users were field trips to area museums, multicultural programming, and technology classes. Staff most often mentioned the need to better connect the senior center with other Audrey Moore programming.

• The majority of respondents were middle-aged, women, White, and had a household income of $100,000 to $200,000 or more.

• 78 percent of respondents live within four miles of Audrey Moore.

Local residents can email comments by March 2 to [email protected]. A community meeting will be held in summer 2022.