Hillsboro: Draft Study Puts SHARC Needs at $70.6M; Staff Rank Pool Expansion First
- Hillsboro's Shute Park Aquatic & Recreation Center, known as SHARC, needs $53.8 million in work within five years, according to a draft condition assessment shown to the city's Parks & Recreation Com…
- The 19-slide Aquatics Update, presented by Parks & Recreation staff and the design firm Opsis, was posted to the city's document site on Oct.
- The assessment, labeled "May 2026 (Draft Phase)," forecasts $70,642,000 in total needs.
Hillsboro’s Shute Park Aquatic & Recreation Center, known as SHARC, needs $53.8 million in work within five years, according to a draft condition assessment shown to the city’s Parks & Recreation Commission on Oct. 22. The same slides estimate a 50-meter pool expansion at SHARC at $47.8 million to $58.3 million, and staff rank it ahead of a new pool at Hidden Creek Community Center.
The 19-slide Aquatics Update, presented by Parks & Recreation staff and the design firm Opsis, was posted to the city’s document site on Oct. 27. The Oct. 22 agenda lists it under reports and presentations, and the slides do not record a vote by the commission or the City Council.
Three-quarters of the needs fall within five years
The assessment, labeled “May 2026 (Draft Phase),” forecasts $70,642,000 in total needs. Of that, $53,844,000 falls in the “Now to 5 Years” window and $16,798,000 in years six to 20. By our calculation, 76.2% of the total is due within five years ($53.844 million divided by $70.642 million).
The draft splits the total between the building and the outdoor pool. Indoor and site conditions account for $33,290,000. The slide says the roof is in poor condition, piping is “leaking (beneath slab)” and the PA system “has failed.” The outdoor pool accounts for $37,352,000, and its basin “has multiple leaks,” while the fill pipe “no longer functions.”
Those two figures add up exactly to the $70.6 million total (our check). The slides do not say whether any of those needs overlap with the expansion estimates below, and this story does not add them together.
Two pool options, side by side
The expansion and the Hidden Creek pool are priced the same way: one estimate each for 2028, 2030 and 2032. The table pulls those estimates and the draft operating figures from slides 10, 11, 15, 16 and 19.
| Option | Total project cost (2028 / 2030 / 2032) | Yearly expenses minus revenue, years 3–5 (draft) | Cost recovery (draft) | Staff ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHARC outdoor pool expansion | $47.8M / $53.1M / $58.3M | $687,000 | 32.4% | 1st |
| Hidden Creek Community Center pool addition | $51.0M / $56.3M / $62.0M | $2,478,000 | 26% | 3rd |
The second item on the staff list is not a pool. The “Department Prioritization” slide ranks “Additional Parking at Hidden Creek” between the two aquatics projects.
Our calculations show how far apart the options sit. Hidden Creek’s yearly operating gap is about 3.6 times SHARC’s, a difference of $1,791,000 a year. Its capital cost is $3.2 million higher in 2028 and $3.7 million higher in 2032. Waiting from 2028 to 2032 adds $10.5 million (22%) to the SHARC estimate and $11 million (21.6%) to Hidden Creek’s.
What the SHARC plan would build
The largest line in the SHARC estimate is the pool enclosure, $26.5 million of the $29.1 million in 2028 direct construction costs. The scope slide lists a “50 meter x 25 yard pool expansion (70% increased capacity),” a new enclosure “for year-round use,” a cardio and fitness addition, a new splash pad and refreshed locker rooms and lobby.
A floor plan in the deck shows the existing pool area at 7,500 square feet and the new pool area at 12,777 square feet. That is 70.4% larger by our math, close to the plan’s own “70.36% Increased Capacity” label. Soft costs such as design, permits and contingencies make up $18.7 million of the 2028 total, or 39%.
The Hidden Creek plan takes a different shape. Its drawing shows a 6,296-square-foot leisure pool and a 25-yard lap pool, with a slide, a whirlpool and a lazy river marked as an option.
A goal written into city plans
The deck’s background slide ties the study to existing city goals. It says the Hillsboro 2035 Community Plan and the City Strategic Plan each call to “build a lap pool that will accommodate swim teams.” The commission’s 2025/26 priorities include a feasibility study for a new pool.
The deck does not name a funding source for either project. Its floor-plan cost diagrams carry a two-part legend, “Potential SDC Funding” and “Likely Non-SDC Funding.” System development charges, or SDCs, are fees paid by new development. The slides do not total the costs under either label.
How the estimates reached the commission
The numbers arrived a month later than first planned. Minutes of the Aug. 27 commission meeting say Opsis “will return at the September meeting with preliminary cost estimates for both projects.” At the Sept. 24 meeting, minutes show Kendall Reid told commissioners during director updates that an aquatics update would come in October.
SHARC sits on the Shute Park campus, where the city said construction of the Cloud Nest art dome would begin in late October. The slides do not list next steps or a council date. Minutes of the Oct. 22 discussion were not among the commission documents the city posted on Oct. 27.
Residents can comment at commission meetings, which the Oct. 22 agenda lists at 8 a.m. at the Parks & Recreation Administration Office and on Zoom. Public comment is limited to three minutes, and anyone speaking online must register with the clerk by 3 p.m. the day before.
Top image: Illustrative image, 2011: an indoor competition pool in Olney, Maryland (not SHARC). Photo: Ben Schumin, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).
