- April 16, 2024
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East County swimmers can take a victory lap.
Manatee County commissioners on April 18 unanimously approved a $39 million plan to build an aquatics and racket sports complex that will include a 50-meter competition pool at Premier Park.
When the original plans surfaced in 2021 and only included a 25-meter pool, local swim teams joined to convince commissioners that it wouldn’t meet the needs of the residents or generate nearly as much revenue.
A petition on Change.org was signed by 1,643 residents to rally for a bigger pool. The page now reads, “Victory Update: We did it!!” The final plan includes both a 25- and 50-meter pool, along with a third therapy pool.
The 50-meter lanes were critical if Manatee County expects to attract the competitive events that will draw competitors from outside the area and therefore would have an economic impact.
G.T. Bray, on the western side of the county, has a 50-meter pool, but it’s only eight lanes, so it doesn’t attract tournaments. A full-size competition pool is 50 meters with 10 lanes.
Many Manatee County swimmers travel to Arlington Park in Sarasota, which Commissioner Mike Rahn said was “worn out.” Rahn said a competitive pool at Premier would likely draw swimmers from outside the county.
“Arlington Park during spring break, for those three to four weeks, brings in three to four college teams every week, and they’re paying to use those lanes,” Manatee County resident Derek DiPasquale said to the commissioners. “Louisville (Kentucky) comes down with 50 swimmers, and that’s hotels and food and whatever else they’re doing.”
Tournaments can draw more than 1,000 athletes and their families to the area, and local teams contract with aquatic centers to pay for lanes, lifeguards and meets. The Tsunami team alone pays Arlington about $50,000 annually to use 16 lanes for 25 hours of practice each week and to host meets.
“I’ve been a coach for 47 years and I’ve been in aquatics since 1969 as a lifeguard, running pools, things like that. Manatee County needs this badly,” Tsunami Swim Coach Ira Klein said. “There’s just not enough space. They have eight different schools that have swim teams, high schools, and not a single one has their own pool. When you look here Sarasota, they have three full Olympic-sized pools.”
The commission was in full agreement over the necessity of a 50-meter pool. Rahn said this is Manatee’s chance to become a major swim destination.
“What I can’t wait for is the day that I can come back to my house for lunch at one of these national level meets and bring my kids back to finals,” DiPasquale said. “Even if they're not swimming, we’ll probably be spectating, and we’ll be paying to come in.”
The project began in 2017. The original target date to open the pickleball facility was last summer, with the aquatic center targeted for 2024. According to the current proposal, the racket sports part of the project would be targeted for November 2024 and the aquatics facility would be finished in June 2026. However, the commissioners asked the staff to look into the possibility of opening the aquatics part of the facility first and building the complex in stages.
The county had $23 million earmarked for the entire project, but Deputy County Administrator Charlie Bishop told commissioners that wasn't enough. The new estimate for the complex is $39 million, so funding concerns led commissioners to ask the staff to see if the project could be built in phases.
“Even if you had to wait two years to build some pickleball courts, people can manage,” Commissioner George Kruse said. “We don’t have any other 50-meter pools.”
While Commissioner Vanessa Baugh objected to the notion that Lakewood Ranch has plenty of pickleball courts, she agreed the pools were the top priority for all residents. Having three pools allows for swim lessons, exercise classes and recreational swimming in addition to hosting teams and events.
“We can figure out a way to start, I’m hoping, with the aquatic center,” Baugh said. “I agree with Commissioner Rahn and Commissioner Kruse, and we do need to move forward.”
Now that those in favor of a 50-meter competition pool have been satisfied, they also are suggesting the county look into a bargain, modular Olympic pool that could be purchased and moved to Premier Park.
Klein has coached six Olympic athletes over his career, and he let commissioners know that he has a lead on the possible purchase of an Olympic Trials pool.
The Olympic Trials are being held in June 2024 at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts. Two stainless steel, modular pools will be erected on the football field for the competition before being disassembled and sold.
DiPasquale, speaking for Klein, told commissioners they should act fast if they want to consider buying one of the two Myrtha pools, which will be offered at a 35% discount because they will need to be moved from Lucas Oil Stadium after the Trials.
Florida Aquatics Swimming & Training in Ocala purchased a similar Myrtha pool in 2021.
“It has this ambiance. It’s just amazing. I think that’s also a big draw,” DiPasquale said. “It’s been used for Olympians, and it brings something special to the county and fits with Premier and the whole thing they’re going for.”
According to Mike Mintenko, director of sales for Myrtha Pools, there are typically about 30 clubs, cities and universities that reach out for more information on buying the modular, Olympic-sized pools after competitions. But in the end, he said, only between three to five of those are ready to put down a deposit.
Even with a discount of up to $700,000, the pool alone costs between $1 to $1.5 million.
“It leads to having the best possible pool system for a discounted price,” Mintenko said. “It’s very advantageous for the final user.”
Klein worries the standard protocol of getting multiple bids could be problematic if Manatee County doesn't act quickly.
“I would say at some point in the next two months, things need to start coming together,” Klein said.
Baugh said she wants to see research about the pool, but said too many unanswered questions, like “How long is it made to last?” and “How is it run?” exist before commissioners can comment on the possibility of a purchase.
Klein is a member of the USA Swimming board and Myrtha is headquartered in Sarasota, but neither “in” would put Manatee County on the top of the list.
“We would love to have it be right down the street from our office. To be totally frank, it would be spectacular,” Mintenko said, “But obviously, there are other interested parties around the country.”
Once delivered, a permanent placement takes longer than 10 days because the pool is placed into the ground. And because of the modular design, the depth can be reconfigured according to the needs of the facility, whether it be a shallow or deep end.
Facilities will often store the panels until they’re ready for the installation. Final designs have included record boards from those specific pools because they’re among the top times in the world.
