The facility will close on Aug. 10 for three months of construction. Several projects will be undertaken during the closure, including installing a $700,000 solar photovoltaic system, which will generate more than 100,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each year. The solar installation will help offset electricity use at the facility and generate an estimated annual utility savings of $9,400.

An additional $2.6 million in infrastructure improvements include replacing a 20-year-old boiler system, upgrading the building’s ventilation system and improving lighting in the interior and exterior of the building. The new boiler system and lighting upgrades will further reduce the center’s energy use and the ventilation upgrades will greatly improve indoor air quality throughout the facility.

“The Weyerhaeuser-King County Aquatic Center is a world-class facility and these upgrades demonstrate King County’s commitment to energy efficiency and sustainable management of the county’s energy use,” said Christie True, director of the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks.

These projects were identified as part of a comprehensive energy audit of the facility completed in January and are funded in part by two grants totaling $975,000 from the Washington Department of Commerce’s 2013-2015 Energy Efficiency and Solar Grants for Local Governments program.

Funding for this work is also coming from the 2014-2019 King County Parks, Trails and Open Space Replacement Levy, which King County voters approved in 2013.

The facility, which hosted the 2012 U.S. Olympic Diving Team trials, was built in 1990 for the Goodwill Games. It annually hosts more than 40 regional, national and international competitions and events, as well as offers swimming classes, open swimming hours, exercise programs and a banquet hall that can be reserved for private events. The center is located at 650 SW Campus Drive in Federal Way.