I'm currently in the process of putting together a committee to start planning for a new aquatic facility in our area. I'm asking all of you to help me make a list of the things that should go into a facility if you had unlimited resources and space. I want to start my project with the biggest dream possible and then have it brought back to earth by money limitations, etc.
What I'm looking for are comments about our own facilities features that work well, that you would never do again, that you would change, that you would do differently, and what you wish you could have. I want to hear from experience.... What makes your facility work so well or why you pool is the arm pit of pools. Here is an example:
I've learned from one pool that they should have built a permanent wall between their lap pool and their zero depth entry rec. pool. The building is so noisy they can barely run a meet if people are in the recreation pool. Don't leave anything untouched (pool size, deck space, configuration, locker rooms, office space, outdoor facilities, observation seating, etc.)
Our initial plan is to build a 50 meter indoor, with adjacent recreation pool, and an outdoor splash area for the hot summers. We are one mile above sea level and our winters go from October to May. I'm hoping all you can help with the things you have all learned from the many years we have been swimming.
Former Member
(4) having more bathrooms in the ladies locker room (The USS kids are always changing in them when the adults need to use them. The men, at least from what I've heard, are peeing in the pool. Seriously, my facility is doing some reconstruction and the college coach made this exact request.);
And then when they tell you that you have to reduce costs you can replace them with simple cheap changing stalls. ;)
Swim teams pay to use a pool, noodlers don't.
I don't have any personal knowledge on this issue but I was under the impression the swim teams generally pay much lower fees per hour of pool utilization than other activities. Is this generally true or not? I know that for a gym, members that work out twice a day are not as profitable as people who pay the same membership fee and only work out a couple times a week.
You could do a lot worse than copy some aspects of Ponds Forge in Sheffield, which is where our SC Masters Nationals are held each year, and is where the 1996 World Masters was held:
www.spinsheffield.com/.../2
Some reasons why it is good:
- Diving pit is the same width as the main pool, i.e. 25m, and is used for permanent warm up and swim down during meets.
- The 50m x 25m main pool has a boom that moves along the poolside rather than being raised up and down, so the pool can be split into 2 x 25m x 25m pools. Many 50m pools only split into a 25m and 23m pool. This allows the mens races to take place in one pool and the womens in the other for our SC nationals.
What can be improved:
- Inadequate poolside seating (as opposed to spectator seating). This problem afflicts most pools in the UK, it's often a battle at Masters meets to find somewhere to sit.
- Scoreboard is good but can be hard to read from the far end of the pool.
- Car parking is a bit inadequate.
- Never enough lockers, toilets, showers
- Ideally would have 2 x 50m pools so that clubs can carry on training while competitions are taking place.
The main problems I've seen in 2 brand new facilities are in the locker rooms. First the locker rooms should have a "wet access" to the pool. These two brand new facilities requrie you to go out into main hallways, one over carpetting the other over slippery marble on your way in and out.
The other thing is the surfaes of the locker rooms/bathrooms, please make them non slip and easy draining. Nothing like standing on beautiful polished marble ankle deep in dirty water worse a number of folks have slipped on these floors (one a mom helping her daughter out of her wheelchair).
besides the kids pool, have a seperate, shallow, 'therapy pool' for the water aerobic classes that can be kept as warm as they want and out of way of master swimmers who think they own the pool.
no joke! The pool I swim in is way to hot most of the time. They have finally turned it down to about 84 but its usually around 87! I can't stand it, its impossible to do a really hard workout. But because all the water aerobic people complain, they keep it that warm.
A seperate pool would be great. I got hit in the head with a beach vollyball from the water aerobics people two days ago. This was after it had already come into my lane 3 times! So I stopped and hit that sucker all the way across the pool and then started swimming again, lol. They stopped playing but I could feel their evil stares. I had no choice but to swim by them, the other lanes were full.
okay you said fantasy
Maybe make the setting area retractable so that when all of it is not needed you can use the space to stretch. There is no place to really stretch out before or after at our pool other than standing on the slimey tile floor. Yech.
Cover the outdoor pool with a retractable roofing system so that in the winter it could still be functional.
Floors in the locker room that are graded to drain esp in the shower area, so that puddles dont stand.
Adequate air flow, fans or something so that the chemicals and the perfumes/after shave fumes dont linger on the top of the pool. Really important to cut down on respiratory illnesses.
An decent sound system, so that you can understand the annoucer other than a muffled ":lane blah: :blah: lane :blah: :blah: "
Pay attn to locker room access, at an area facility in order to access the ladies locker room from the pool area you have to walk literally through the gang showers, was a little unnerving last year to be showeringafter the meet and have other women walking through dressed, :shakeshead:
1) Make it 50 meter by 25 yards.
2) Make the diving well separate from the pool
3) seating on both sides of the pool
4) make it like this
_________________
50 M Pool----l25 Y l--- diving well
____________lpool_l---
Have it all connected with walls in between.
have the 25 yard pool go across.
Put the big clock on the wall above the starting area
You said "unlimited funds" but I'd suggest you not present an ultimate pool for consideration if you are dealing with public funds. This is just a practical issue. It usually creates a negative impression if you go for luxury when taxpayers are involved.
I would emphasize elements that increase the versatility of the pool and create financial opportunities. Indoor competition pools are expensive. I believe Northside Independent School District in San Antonio spent $12M for their new indoor 50M pool (I have not seen it). The Josh Davis Natatorium in San Antonio is a competition quality SCY pool with generous elevated seating and cost about $5M. The Nitro swim team in Austin is just completing their indoor 50M pool (private funding).
Seating and parking is important because without it you can't attract large swim meets. Concrete seating is great but aluminum bleachers are adequate. Locker room space, capacity, and layout is probably more important than lockers. Deck space eases hosting of events. High school meets often have awards and need deck space for the 1-2-3 podiums. Consider locations for signage too - sponsors, pool records, etc.
If your pool will host an active diving program reserve space for a trampoline. Without diving boards (at least 1 and 3 meter) you probably can't host high school competition (well - Texas ties them together for high school).
If your pool will market to triathletes you might consider any other unique ways to appeal to triathletes and their bicycles.
And don't forget a good PA system.
More ideal things:
* Lots of light without glare. Our pool has lights that can only be accessed by a narrow catwalk 10m above shallow water and it's a huge deal to clean out the dead bugs and change bulbs. The swimmers need to be able to see the bottom clearly for turns, officials need good lighting to see turns, and media need good light for cameras (TV has especially difficult requirements for lots of foot-candles). Also use light colors on walls etc so the effect is bright and clean, not dank and dreary.
* Excellent ventilation system to conserve energy and chemical costs and yet have good temps/good air including at the water surface. Other design issues should also keep in mind how much it will cost to operate / utilities. We have problems running indoor summer meets because our computer can overheat and humidity makes the paper jam in the printers, not to mention that the parents, coaches and officials are miserable. On the flip side the swimmers need to have draft free comfortable air during meets or they won't swim well. Seems like every area has a pool where everyone complains that the air makes them cough for a few days.
* Separate warmer water shallow / small pool for instruction and water exercises ? Separate diving well can duplicate for warmup/warmdown
* Spectator area should be able to view both ends of the pool esp if running two competition courses.
