College of Marin and Blach Construction Celebrate Groundbreaking of Miwok Aquatic and Fitness Center on Indian Valley Campus

Novato, Calif., October 18, 2018 - Blach Construction (Blach) was on-site at College of Marin's (COM) Indian Valley Campus (IVC) for the groundbreaking of the new 19,500 square-foot Miwok Aquatic and Fitness Center, a long-awaited addition to IVC that will provide comprehensive health and wellness benefits for students, staff and the community. The groundbreaking took place Saturday, September 29, as part of a larger event celebrating construction and modernization projects happening across the 333-acre campus made possible by the voter supported Measure B bond.

"Bolstering our offerings in physical education, wellness and kinesiology with this innovative facility will help to attract new students, as well as better serve existing students and our surrounding community"

"Bolstering our offerings in physical education, wellness and kinesiology with this innovative facility will help to attract new students, as well as better serve existing students and our surrounding community"

“We are thrilled to be moving forward with the new Miwok Aquatic and Fitness Center on our Indian Valley Campus,” said Isidro Farias, director of capital projects at COM. “Bolstering our offerings in physical education, wellness and kinesiology with this innovative facility will help to attract new students, as well as better serve existing students and our surrounding community,” continued Greg Nelson, COM’s assistant superintendent/vice president of administrative services. “We thank the project team for its incredible attention to detail and creativity in executing our vision.”

A design-build project by long-time partners Blach and ELS Architecture and Urban Design, the state-of-the-art building will house a fitness center including cardio equipment, weights and group fitness spaces. Locker rooms, classrooms, offices, a lobby and storage space will surround the Miwok Center. Adjacent, outdoor Olympic-size and lap pools will serve COM as well as the aquatic needs of the community for swim classes, team meets, recreation and youth camps. Using Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, the project has the potential to earn zero net energy (ZNE) consumption. Construction of the Miwok Center is anticipated to complete by summer 2020.

“We are happy to partner with our friends at ELS to bring College of Marin a facility that will meet so many needs in one space. From enhancing the school’s overall educational and wellness offerings to bringing high-caliber fitness and recreation options to the community, we look forward to the next exciting phase of building the Miwok Aquatic and Fitness Center,” said Kim Scott, vice president of Blach Construction.