Montgomery County Cuts Ribbon on New Facility

Officials from Montgomery County, Maryland, hosted the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Silver Spring Recreation and Aquatic Center on February 24 with pools designed for general swimming, low level diving, exercise, aquatic play, training and teaching opportunities.

The 120,000 square foot SSRAC offers recreation and leisure activities and also features a gymnasium, fitness center and a new home for the Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame. The venue is part of a larger, 419,000-square-foot complex that includes a recreation center, indoor natatorium and community space. The construction cost for the building was $72 million.

“Our team has been working tirelessly to get this first of its kind center ready for our community,” said Montgomery County Recreation Director Robin Riley. “We have hosted engaging opportunities for Silver Spring residents to provide their ideas and feedback, participated in and hosted outreach events to raise awareness and continue to work hard to develop and implement programming for residents of all ages and abilities. We are thrilled that the day is finally here for us to be able to open this center and see people using the pools, fitness room, gymnasium, social hall, community lounge and more, every single day.”

The SSRAC has earned LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The facility features a building enclosure with triple glazed windows in the natatorium to reduce building energy consumption, occupancy and daylight-saving equipment to reduce power consumption, special air filtration to absorb and exhaust chlorinated air within the pool area and soundproof windows to block passing train noise. It also has a plant-covered “green roof” extension designed to improve air quality, retain rainwater to moderate stormwater runoff and prolong the service life of the building’s HVAC systems through decreased use.

“The Silver Spring Recreation and Aquatic Center will be a great addition for Silver Spring,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “The residents of downtown Silver Spring and nearby communities have been looking forward to the opening of this facility and I think they will be impressed with the amenities and activities there. This is the first County recreation center in downtown Silver Spring and offers a variety of ways for residents to stay active and maintain a healthy lifestyle. I want to thank our general services and recreation departments for creating this beautiful, eco-friendly facility. We invite residents to take full advantage of everything the center has to offer.”