The Queen Creek Recreation and Aquatic Center opens to the public
After years of gathering feedback, planning, designing, and constructing, the much-anticipated Queen Creek Recreation and Aquatic Center in Arizona opened on March 29, 2025. The facility serves as a hub for wellness, community engagement, and family fun. The state-of-the-art facility offers residents a variety of amenities for all ages and interests.
Amenities
The Queen Creek aquatic facility boasts a wide array of features:
- Competition Pool With Diving Boards: The eight-lane, 25-yard competition pool is great for fitness and for more experienced swimmers who want to play in deeper water, including youth swim and dive teams.
- Activity Pool: This feature is great for both children and families as it boasts a splash playground, shallow water with a beach entry, and several places to sit and play with friends and family.
- Water Slides: Featuring four unique slides, the slide tower is great for adventure-seekers and includes two racing slides for patrons who want to challenge their friends and win bragging rights.
- Lazy River: Enjoy a leisurely ride along a 500-foot lazy river. This is the perfect spot to relax for swimmers of all ages and abilities, and includes two accessible entry ramps.
- Ramada Spaces: The pool deck features seven reservable party ramadas, including three large spaces along the lazy river and four smaller spaces adjacent to the activity pool.
- Picnic Patio: This is the designated spot for food and drinks at the pool. The patio also connects to a food truck lot for parties and concessions.
- Spray Pad: This small spray pad features gentle, ground-level spray features, a great option for little ones who want a safe and fun way to stay cool.
The recreation center includes several amenities:
- Multi-use Courts: The courts feature adjustable equipment and flexible layouts, allowing for quick transitions between different sports, like basketball, volleyball, and pickleball.
- Fitness Floor: This area has a wide array of fitness equipment. The space is designed to be welcoming and non-intimidating, encouraging users of all fitness levels to engage in healthy activities.
- Fitness Rooms: These spaces are designed for group fitness classes and accommodate various activities. The rooms are spacious, with an emphasis on creating an energetic and motivating environment.
- Large Conference/Event Room: This multipurpose space is ideal for hosting a variety of events, from community meetings and workshops to private gatherings and large conferences. The room is easily customizable to meet the needs of different events.
- Multi-use Classrooms: These classrooms are designed to support a variety of educational and recreational programs. The rooms are adaptable, making them suitable for arts and crafts, workshops, and more.
- Teen Center: The teen room is designed to be both fun and functional, encouraging teens to engage in positive activities. It includes a lounge area with comfortable seating, gaming consoles, computers for homework and internet access, and spaces for group activities with access to the gym and outdoor spaces.
- Child Watch: The child watch area provides a safe and engaging environment for children while their parents or guardians utilize the recreation center’s facilities. The space is designed to be fun and interactive, with a focus on keeping children entertained and secure.
- Elevated Walking Track: The elevated walking track provides a unique vantage point for users while they walk or jog. This track allows for continuous movement without interference from the gym activities below, offering a convenient option for cardiovascular exercise. The elevated design maximizes space efficiency while creating a dynamic, engaging atmosphere within the facility and ensuring it is climate-controlled.
Years In The Making
The Town of Queen Creek is a young municipality, incorporated in 1989. As the town has developed, the focus has been on roadway infrastructure and public safety. With significant progress in those areas, the town has invested in parks and a unique trail system. The Recreation and Aquatic Center was approved by the town council in December 2021 following resident input received through the Parks & Recreation Master Plan Update (adopted in 2018) and the recreation amenity survey, completed in summer 2021. In the amenity survey, 75% of residents reported wanting a town aquatic center and/or multigenerational center.
“Queen Creek is such an active community,” says Mayor Julia Wheatley. “Moving projects of this magnitude forward takes a shared vision by former and current council members, resident input, and lots of planning. Our Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee was actively involved, along with the feedback we continued to receive from the community. We know our residents are using our parks and recreation facilities, and we know they want more.”
In the most recent Citizen Survey (2023), 83% of Queen Creek residents reported visiting a town park in the past year, with 32% visiting a park more than 10 times.
Overcoming Challenges
Like many large-scale construction projects, the process was not without hurdles. Supply-chain disruptions, the cost escalation/value engineering process, weather-related delays, and unforeseen construction challenges extended the timeline for the facility’s opening. The project broke ground in May 2023 and was originally slated to open in 2024, ultimately opening in spring 2025.
Community Milestone
The opening of the Queen Creek Recreation and Aquatic Center marks a significant milestone for the town. With a variety of amenities, the facility not only enhances opportunities for physical fitness but also opportunities to gather and connect.
"This facility has been years in the making and will be such an asset for our community," says Parks and Recreation Director Adam Robinson. "It will be the hub for activities that benefit individuals, families, and, frankly, our town. It’s really exciting to be part of the process, and seeing the facility come alive when we opened the doors was truly a career highlight."
The Queen Creek Recreation and Aquatic Center aligns with all five of the strategic priorities outlined in the Corporate Strategic Plan. “Our parks and recreational opportunities are key elements of the quality of life that we enjoy here in Queen Creek,” says Mayor Wheatley. “This facility is certainly an example of superior infrastructure, and the approach to reduce costs based on shared spaces is in line with being an effective government. Having a positive outlet for our youth, especially with the teen center, plays into having a safe community, and having a healthier and connected community lends itself to a secure future. I am so honored to be part of this process—this is where families will gather and recreate for years—generations—to come.”
Constance Halonen-Wilson is the Communications & Marketing Manager for the Town Of Queen Creek, Arizona. She can be reached at constance.wilson@queencreekaz.gov.
