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In 2004 a group of parents associated with the North Country Aquatic Club (NCAC) began discussing the need for additional space for swim teams to train and compete. The increased popularity of competitive swimming in the area and the constraints on existing pool availability were making it difficult to accommodate the growing demand. The group began to discuss and assess what it would take to develop an aquatic center that would not only support the needs of competitive swimming, but would also be a place where other water based programs could be offered.
As discussions and research continued, an anonymous donor stepped forward to make an extremely generous and significant lead donation that would serve to catapult the project forward. The donor stipulated that the center had to support competitive swimming and had to be accessible to all members of the Upper Valley community.
With the lead donation and challenge of the donor in hand, the group established the non-profit Sports Venue Foundation, whose purpose would be to assess the feasibility of the project, develop a plan for the center and ultimately oversee the construction and operation of the center.
Shortly thereafter, Counsilman - Hunsaker (St. Louis, MO), a leading aquatic consulting, design, and operations company, was hired to conduct a feasibility study to assess whether or not the area could support the center and what the design and programming for the center should consist of. After reviewing the results of this assessment, it was determined that the Upper Valley could support and would benefit from the development of the aquatic center.
Using the recommendations obtained from Councilman — Hunsaker, the Sports Venue Foundation board started to work on a formal plan to develop the center on an undeveloped piece of land in Hartford, VT that was donated by a local donor. The Town of Hartford was contacted about the possibility of developing the center and they quickly and enthusiastically got behind the project, eventually developing a formal partnership with the UVAC.
The UVAC was designed by Steve Nelson from Moser Pilon Nelson Architects LLC (Wethersfield, CT). Steve has worked on a number of other aquatic and athletic facilities and successfully developed a design that fits beautifully on the piece of land and will provide people of all ages with a facility that is easily accessible and fun to be in. Construction of the center is being managed by Engelberth Construction Inc. (Colchester, VT), who has worked on many premier construction projects in the Upper Valley and surrounding region.
January 1, 2009
The pools are filling with water and we’ll be open in less than one month!
  
  
November 11, 2008
Vermont Governor Jim Douglas stopped by to get a firsthand look at the construction progress on October 29. Engelberth Construction and the UVAC team celebrated the efforts of the whole construction team with a cookout lunch, and Gov. Douglas toured the facility. See more photos.
September 18, 2008
   
September 12, 2008
 Construction is flying along and we're on schedule to open this winter! Please take a look at some pieces of the center that are rapidly taking shape. If you would like to see it for yourself, please give us a call at 802.296.2850 or 802-299-7730. We'd be happy to arrange a tour for you.
  
February 15, 2008
Today was an extremely exciting day, as the project started moving out of the ground. After three months of site and foundation work, the first steel beam was put in place. The center still has a long way to go, but it is great to start seeing it take shape. Keep an eye on our project as you drive by in the coming months.
October 24, 2007
 We couldn't be more excited about the location for the center; a beautiful piece of land right in the middle of the Upper Valley with great access for everyone. The bad news; we have to move a lot of rock to build the center.
Luckily our expert site crew is skilled at moving rock and digging holes. We had hoped to use Jake, a strong yellow lab (see pictures), but when the rock was discovered, we figured Jake could use a little help. The next time you are driving by on Route 5 make sure you check out their work. We will also keep you updated on our progress on the website.
 
 
October 23, 2007
 Governor Jim Douglas and Hartford Town officials joined Andrea Ciardelli, Laurie Albert and other distinguished guests at a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of the construction of the Upper Valley Aquatic Center.
The aquatic center will be located on Route 5, just south of the VA hospital, in White River Junction, VT. Designed by Steve Nelson from Moser Pilon Nelson Architects (Wethersfield, CT), the center will have two pools, a water slide, a fitness center, and many other features that will provide a wide range of water based activities to people of all ages. Site work and construction have started and will be managed by Engelberth Construction, Inc.
 
Pictured at the ground breaking from left to right are:
Richard Grassi, Town of Hartford Select Board
Robert Snyder, President, Sports Venue Foundation
Leonard Berliner, Chair, Town of Hartford Select Board
John Hazen, Jr., Town of Hartford Select Board
Gayle Ottman, Vice-Chair, Town of Hartford Select Board
Governor Jim Douglas, Governor of the State of Vermont
Andrea Ciardelli, Developer, Atlas Ledge Sports Park
Laurie Albert, Executive Director, Sports Venue Foundation
Bruce Boedtker, Principal, Bruno & Associates
Steve Nelson, Partner, Moser Nelson Pilon Architects
Pierre LaBlanc
Hunter Reiseberg, Town Manager, Hartford, VT
October 6, 2007
Governor's Day marked the start of what supporters of the new Upper Valley Aquatic Center expect will be the first step towards constructing a state of the art aquatic center in Hartford, VT. As part of the Governor's Day activities in Hartford, Governor Jim Douglas and Hartford town officials joined Andrea Ciardelli in dedicating Arboretum Lane which will provide access to the Upper Valley Aquatic Center. Ms. Ciardelli, who generously donated the land for the project, hopes that the two other lots on Arboretum Lane will become part of an Upper Valley sports park. Arboretum Lane and the site of the Upper Valley Aquatic Center are located on Route 5 just south of the VA Hospital in White River Junction, VT.
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