Pooling plans together

The new pool will be so cool -- so cool that it will be not only a pool but an aquatic complex.

And it will be so complex that you'd better take a deep breath before you immerse your head in it.

It will be 25 yards wide and have 10-12 lanes at 50 meters and up to 22 lanes at 25 meters when split by a bulkhead. And it will have a high-tech warning system that alerts you if someone under water stops moving. And it could be an innovative saltwater pool, too, which is safer than chlorine.

Along with the big pool will be a pool for exercise therapy, and possibly a splash court for kids, with giant mushrooms for them to frolic upon.

Sprouting alongside these pools will be men's and women's locker rooms, toilets and showers, plus spectator seating and a concession stand and offices and storage rooms and a pro shop selling swimming gear.

Such amenities made the wish list Wednesday at a "stakeholders" meeting for those seeking a competition swimming venue near the Columbus Public Library on Macon Road.

What's sought is an aquatic center to serve everyone from champion strokers to people who've suffered strokes. City Manager Isaiah Hugley said a casual estimate puts the price tag in the range of $7 million to $10 million.

Whether the pool parties get their wishes depends on what contributions they catch. The city has $3.2 million to spend on the pool, the last of the Olympic-sized pools promised in a 1999 sales tax. City leaders are looking for partners to share the cost.

The local YMCA is willing to jump in with $2.2 million, depending on the success of its $23 million capital campaign and some arrangement with the city to manage and maintain the facility.

But the city's partnering with the YMCA raises questions like: "They won't be playing that Village People song during swim meets, will they?"

Another question is: Who gets priority at the public pool when the YMCA has its own members to serve?

Hugley said the city pool will be open to all. "Complete public access is first and foremost," he said.

The city first assembled these pool people April 19. A week later it asked each by May 4 to submit proposals for building the pool. On Wednesday it pooled all those proposals together to see just how complex an aquatic center people wanted.

Among those involved were the Hurricanes swim team, the YMCA, the school district, the city parks and rec department, MidTown Inc., and Columbus Citizens for a Natatorium, which represents the parents of kids on local swim teams and the Special Olympics, the Arthritis Foundation and Franciscan Woods.

Everyone who spoke at the meeting Wednesday sounded eager to dive into building a big new swimming complex. And that's good, because building an aquatic center shouldn't be a drag, like some other library land issues. It should be fun -- like splashing in the giant mushrooms.

After taking a deep breath.