Massive Rogue X project nearly halfway done

The immense scale of the $76 million project, which will cover an area about the size of two football fields, is already apparent, and the project is proceeding as expected.

“It is going very well for a project of this size and complexity,” said Rich Rosenthal, Medford parks director.

Recently, 103-foot-long laminated wood beams were delivered, and they will support the roof of the aquatics center, which will feature a competition and recreational pool, both of which will operate year-round.

“If people are driving by, they’ll see a very tall crane that will be hoisting the beams into place,” Rosenthal said.

Residents in the area should be aware that sometime this spring a roundabout will be built at Rossanley Drive and Cheshire Way to provide a safer and easier access into Rogue Credit Union Community Complex, known as Rogue X.

It will also make it safer for pedestrians.

To build the roundabout, motorists will have to contend with detours for about three weeks. This will be the third roundabout in Medford, the other two being at Highland and Siskiyou as well as at Springbrook Road and Cedar Links Drive. The roundabout is needed to handle the vehicles that will be going in and out of the 500-space parking lot at the sports complex.

Pence Construction began erecting the structural steel for the events center in August 2022.

The pools will be able to accommodate up to 275 swimmers at a time, and the events center can handle about 1,800.

Even before it opens, the city realizes the sports complex will be a busy place.

“We’re in a position to have a lot of swim meets,” Rosenthal said. “We’re looking for partners for the competition pool. We obviously know the facility is going to be a hub for the high school swim meets.”

High school swim meets run three months of the year, and clubs and other organizations will use the competition pool the remaining nine months. The two pools will be heated for year-round comfort, with the competition pool slightly cooler with temperatures in the low to mid 80s, and the recreational pool in the high 80s.

“Water needs to be cooler for competitive events,” Rosenthal said.

The competition pool will have 11 deep water lanes and two shallow lanes. The two pools will replace the former pool at Hawthorne Park as well as the pool at Jackson Park, which will open for the last time in summer 2023. Jackson Park, which opened in 1960, leaks thousands of gallons a water a day and will have operated for 63 years when local children take their last plunge at the end of the summer.

To run a massive facility, Medford parks officials plan to hire five full-time staff members and up to 65 part-time people, which includes 40 lifeguards. Recruitment is already underway for lifeguards, and the city is looking at hiring people of all ages for this position.

“It is a daunting challenge, and we still have to train them,” Rosenthal said.

The five full-time staff will include a building utility manager, a full-time custodian, a customer service person and two recreation coordinators who specialize in aquatics. Other part-time staff include customer service and eight recreation leaders, who will handle programming events.

Medford City Councilor Kevin Stine, who has supported the project for years, said he’s looking forward to the opening of the sports complex at the end of the year. He said it took a lot of effort on the part of the city to get this project completed, including from the voters who passed a ballot measure to increase the transient lodging tax.

“From a council perspective, being heavily involved in getting this sports complex done is an example of why people get into public service,” Stine said.

He was at the facility recently to see the beams that will support the roof of the aquatics center.

“We had a beam-signing event a few weeks ago, and it is just an amazing thing to see from the inside, even at partial completion,” Stine said. “It really brings to life the opportunities that this will give the community as whole.”