Submitted by W.L. Butler Construction

The $6.5-million project consisted of a complete renovation of a 50-year-old private athletic club in Menlo Park.

The project consisted of extensive site work adjacent to Los Trancos Creek, ADA parking upgrades and additional stalls at the main entry, demolition of existing buildings and renovations to an existing 115,000-gallon Olympic-size pool.

A major challenge included the fact that the site sits over two counties, requiring a detailed SWPPPS plan. Some of the land was under the control of Stanford University, so trenching on its land required an archeological expert to make sure the contractor did not discover any Indian bones. In addition, the project ran parallel to an existing creek so workers had to construct barriers so the frogs and snakes would stay in their natural habitat and not enter the construction area. This all had to be reviewed and approved by a local naturalist.

Phased construction required to keep portions of the existing 50-year-old private athletic club in operation while a new main clubhouse, dressing rooms, locker rooms, dining area, kitchen, ballroom and offices for staff were added.

The pool area received a new equipment room, skimmers, filters, drains, lights, plaster, tile, coping, deck, fixtures, mechanical, plumbing, electrical and finishes. A new fire suppression and sprinkler system was added to the entire three-building facility.

Says Mike Miller, chairman of the board of the Ladera Oaks Swim & Tennis Club, “Despite the problems and challenges, [W.L. Butler’s] team of Lee Elsner, Jaime Perez and Tim Silva have worked very hard not just to resolve problems but to keep the club informed… They have made suggestions and have proposed good solutions. Most of all, they have worked with good humor which has allowed us to keep a good, open and mostly collaborative relationship with the company.”

Project Team

Developer/Owner: Ladera Oaks Swim & Tennis Club, Menlo Park
General Contractor: W. L. Butler Construction Inc., Redwood City
Architect: CJW Architecture, Portola Valley
Civil Engineer: BKF Engineers, San Jose
Structural Engineer: BCA Structural Engineering Inc., San Carlos
MEP Engineer: TMAD-Taylor & Gains, San Francisco
Subcontractors: Aberle-Scrodin Inc., Livermore; Air Systems Inc., San Jose; Bay Area Concretes, Livermore; Benchmark Steel, Holister; Jos. J. Albanese Inc., Santa Clara; Mission Electric Co., Fremont; SDI Plumbing, Redwood City