Olympic pool complex for Oklahoma City.

[Laramie]

We need an Olympic pool complex for the Oklahoma City area to address the needs for amateur & high school swimming competition for the metropolitan Oklahoma City area. We could also bid for collegiate competition. The Oklahoma City riverfront area; either the Riversport Rapids or the south banks near the AICCM or the Wheeler District near the new Ferris Wheel may be an option.

Historic OCCC Pool in Oklahoma City Will Close in August After 25 Years (2015):
https://swimswam.com/historic-occc-p...fter-25-years/

Have no idea what an Olympic pool complex would cost; however, we need to consider this for the future of our students in the OKC area.

Could this become apart of the next MAPS extension initiative?

[Pete]

The community couldn't support the pool at OCCC so I don't see another being built any time soon.

Swimming is not a very big deal in Oklahoma. I don't think one state university or college even has a swim team. OU dropped their program in the mid 80's.

[Roger S]

Swimming is not a very big deal in Oklahoma. I don't think one state university or college even has a swim team. OU dropped their program in the mid 80's.

I know Rose State is just a Community College but they have a swim team. I don't know how big their facilities are though. I'm guessing nowhere near the size the OCCC facility was.

[jerrywall]

Isn't a lot of the need being filled now by the Olympic pool at the new YMCA in Edmond?

[Bill Robertson]

The addition to OCCC that houses the pool was one of the last things I worked on as an electrician before going into facility management. I can't believe it was that long ago.

[Laramie]

.
Omaha, Nebraska:


Omaha hosts the U.S. Olympic Trails at its 14,500-seat CenturyLink Center at the Omaha Convention Center & Arena.

https://swimswam.com/omaha-wins-bid-...imming-trials/

[Pete]

I know Rose State is just a Community College but they have a swim team. I don't know how big their facilities are though. I'm guessing nowhere near the size the OCCC facility was.

That is not a university funded team; it's a private team that uses their pool.

[jn1780]

A course can be setup in the Oklahoma River. It's cleaner than what the Athletes will be boating, rowing, or swimming in at Rio. lol


Has OCCC did anything with the building or is it just an empty building with an empty pool inside?

[UrbanNebraska]

.
Omaha, Nebraska:


Omaha hosts the U.S. Olympic Trails at its 14,500-seat CenturyLink Center at the Omaha Convention Center & Arena.

https://swimswam.com/omaha-wins-bid-...imming-trials/

Just for the record. US Swimming Officials have said they can't use NBA or NHL arenas b/c the pool begins to be installed in late May and would conflict with potential playoff dates.

The 2020 games are earlier than 2016 too so it will probably need to be installed in mid May.

[Throckmorton]

Just for the record. US Swimming Officials have said they can't use NBA or NHL arenas b/c the pool begins to be installed in late May and would conflict with potential playoff dates.

The way things have been going this summer, that may not be a problem around here for a very long time.

[Snowman]

We need an Olympic pool complex for the Oklahoma City area to address the needs for amateur & high school swimming competition for the metropolitan Oklahoma City area. We could also bid for collegiate competition. The Oklahoma City riverfront area; either the Riversport Rapids or the south banks near the AICCM or the Wheeler District near the new Ferris Wheel may be an option.

Historic OCCC Pool in Oklahoma City Will Close in August After 25 Years (2015):
https://swimswam.com/historic-occc-p...fter-25-years/

Have no idea what an Olympic pool complex would cost; however, we need to consider this for the future of our students in the OKC area.

Could this become apart of the next MAPS extension initiative?

It is not like there are none around the metro already, I would rather see money go to keeping existing ones open/renovated or more local ones than a grand competition one. UCO, OC and OU have ones open that meet college levels. There is one near downtown, several suburbs and a couple OKC parks have pools with lanes; they are probably the shorter lane style but that probably is the most common at the high school level anyway.

[SoonerDave]

What the average, non-pool-owning person has no reason to fully understand is that the upkeep and maintenance of a pool is, at times, an astronomical expense. When you factor in the enjoyment/use of a pool and divide it by the time and financial resources necessary to keep it operating, you rapidly discover it's one of the worst investments you can possibly make - and most realtors will tell you that they won't do much, if anything, to the value of a home - in some cases, the presence of one can diminish it. Heck, most of the pools in my mom's neighborhood have either been filled in or covered for precisely this reason.

This is precisely the problem OKC encountered with the OKCCC pool. That aquatic complex was funded by a ballot initiative waaaay back when as a means to improve our chances at landing the '89 Olympic Festival - and I actually got to volunteer at that venue when the pool was outdoor. It was an absolutely *fabulous* facility. And it was still pretty impressive for years after they enclosed it.

But, over time, you have structural problems, finish problems, equipment problems, water problems...you name it. Pumps fail. Chemical costs go up. Cracks form and leaks develop. Pipes fail. Filters have to be changed and parts replaced. And after the Olympics go away, its very hard to find a good, stable funding source for those maintenance issues. My understanding is they were kept up out of OKCCC's budget (correct me if I'm wrong) and I doubt seriously in this political/economic client it would have been very feasible for OKCCC to go to OKC or the state and ask for funds while they were firing academic staff.

I hate that we've lost this pool - and my understanding is the building is locked, the pool is drained, and all utilities to the building are cut off; it's essentially "abandoned in place" because of...leaks, maintenance issues, and other expenses that, when it comes to a pool, never go away. For the world-class/Olympic-class facility this was and aspired to be, it was a grand ambition. We just didn't understand quite *how* big. I have a very tough time believing we could sell *another* city-area facility. If someone with appropriate deep pockets wanted to make some sort of proposal to the city to fix the OCCC pool, great, but my understanding is that the next wave of fixes for that pool were big-time, and the related expenses were what finally shuttered it.

[Richard at Remax]

Agreed. I have shown plenty of homes to buyers and most avoid pools. However, if it is a unique backyard (custom pool, landscaping, outdoor kitchen ,ect) then that can be desirable, but you still appeal to a small range of buyers.

A friend of mine bought his home at the top of the price range, then proceeded to drop at least $75K in the backyard for a pool and landscaping. Probably never going to see that money again.

[SoonerDave]

Agreed. I have shown plenty of homes to buyers and most avoid pools. However, if it is a unique backyard (custom pool, landscaping, outdoor kitchen ,ect) then that can be desirable, but you still appeal to a small range of buyers.

A friend of mine bought his home at the top of the price range, then proceeded to drop at least $75K in the backyard for a pool and landscaping. Probably never going to see that money again.

BIngo.

As a kid who grew up through his teenage years getting to help maintain our pool - and I didn't have to do as much as I probably should have - I learned back then that the only way I'd ever entertain having a pool would be if I were fiscally sound enough to be able to call a pool maintenance company and tell them "see that pool? Make it swimmable 9 months out of the year and send me a bill." If I couldn't do that, no pool. And I've got no pool.

[SOONER8693]

Have had a pool now for 16 yrs. We built it when youngest daughter was 8. It was used extensively while she was growing up and a teenager. Now, she's grown. I wish I could fill it in and be done with it. Wife and daughter would kill me, even though it is minimally used now.

[Motley]

This is a little surprising. Does it hold even for upper end homes? In San Diego, most all upper end houses have pools and spas. I just went through a new development where the homes are built around courtyards and patios and there are multiple outdoor areas with pools, spas, and water features throughout. Many homes just don't have the lot size to have one, but I know of several friends that have them and absolutely love and use them all summer long. I would think a pool in OK would be a great way to cool down in the evening.

[SoonerDave]

This is a little surprising. Does it hold even for upper end homes? In San Diego, most all upper end houses have pools and spas. I just went through a new development where the homes are built around courtyards and patios and there are multiple outdoor areas with pools, spas, and water features throughout. Many homes just don't have the lot size to have one, but I know of several friends that have them and absolutely love and use them all summer long. I would think a pool in OK would be a great way to cool down in the evening.

That's the Platonic (idealized) view of a pool. And you're right. It is a great place to cool off - for an hour or two a few days out of each summer. And no one who has one is going to be entirely forthright about the maintenance side any more than one would complain about the hassle of mowing a yard every other day to keep it golf-green perfect. For a pool, unless you pay to have it heated and maintained through the winter, it's a hole in the ground through the non-summer months of the year. And just like SOONER8693 mentioned, when the younger kids grow up and move out, that minutes-of-use versus minutes-of-maintenance becomes miniscule.

I remember my dad joking the summer after he put the thing in that if he divided the cost of construction and maintenance by the number of times he actually dove into the pool, he'd have never built it. I liken it to the homeowner's analog to owning a boat - it looks, sounds, and seems *great* - until you actually have one. Then the happiest day after buying it is when you sell it

Not to say that they aren't nice - when it's blue and clear and perfect and the neighbors or friends come over - yeah, it IS a great thing. And when it's 100+, its fun to dive in. But it isn't always that simple, and reality just isn't quite as stellar as the demo. As I mentioned before, if you've got the coin to have them maintained, or don't mind doing the work yourself, great, but...caveat splashor.

Here's a minor picture - and I realize some aspects of it may have changed in the interim, but the idea is the same. You want to maintain a pool properly, you have to consider the finish (plaster on concrete versus a vinyl insert), and then you have to do a good job of keeping the chemicals balanced. You have a little test kit where you grab a sample every day, maybe every other day, drop in some reactant, and measure the "free chlorine" level and the pH level. In the summer, when it's hot, it is exceptionally difficult to keep the chlorine level at the right level, because the sun likes to chemically combine with the chlorine and prevent it from reaching a proper level for sanitation. If there's low or no chlorine, you head back to the storage shed and grab either a set of chlorination tablets and toss one in the skimmer, or pour it like laundry detergent around the surface and let the skimmers mix it in over the day. If the pH indicates the water is too alkaline, you add acid - we added muriatic acid - a few ounces at a time. And, after you get it right the next day - guess what - lather, rinse, repeat. If you get the chlorine level *too* high, you get what they call "chlorine lock" and that entails its own set of possible problems and remedies. Then there's the matter of algae - a green powdery algae forms on the sides of some concrete/plaster pools, and the only way to be rid of it is to manually brush it off. Every wall. Every surface. And if it gets worse, you pick up some algaecide to mix in with the chlorine and muriatic acid....

...every day, maybe every other day, swim or not, just to keep the thing swimmable when you *do* want to take that glorious hot summer dip. We used to buy chlorine at Toys-R-Us, believe it or not, because (back then) they had the best price in town on these ridiculous 100lb drums of HTH powered chlorine we stored in our storage bin- although years later, we switched to tablets that made that process *somewhat* better, but harder too in that they didn't affect the free chlorine level as quickly as the powdered.

I've gone on too long - sorry - but I wanted to try and illustrate the point of the ugly side of pool ownership. I'm not trying to *detract* anyone from it, but just trying to point out the side that just doesn't get published in the magazines and pool brochures which are generally laced with clear blue reservoirs occupied by beautiful girls in bikinis floating on inflatable rafts. Nice idea, but 'taint necessarily so

[Jeepnokc]

I literally just walked in the house from a miserably hot and humid week in Canada and Boston and even with all the maintenance costs and issues that may be true...I am heading out there to jump in as soon as my son gets his suit on. These hot summer days spent in the pool with my kids are worth every penny. When they are gone and the pool may not be used, I can still sit back there and remember all the good family times.

[Zorba]

I'm not trying to *detract* anyone from it, but just trying to point out the side that just doesn't get published in the magazines and pool brochures which are generally laced with clear blue reservoirs occupied by beautiful girls in bikinis floating on inflatable rafts. Nice idea, but 'taint necessarily so

See, if you want girls in bikinis, you actually have to buy a boat!

Pools may actually be the one thing that makes boats not seem crazy expensive.

[Brett]

A realtor once told me "A swimming pool is a hole in the ground that you throw your money into."

[SoonerDave]

I literally just walked in the house from a miserably hot and humid week in Canada and Boston and even with all the maintenance costs and issues that may be true...I am heading out there to jump in as soon as my son gets his suit on. These hot summer days spent in the pool with my kids are worth every penny. When they are gone and the pool may not be used, I can still sit back there and remember all the good family times.

My dad was such a miserably unhappy human being that i have not one such single happy memory with the pool and him. He put it in one summer, and left the familiy two years later. That's not some "boohoo" story, just a fact.

The good memories I *do* have are those when I'd get my friends to come over not quite every day during the summer and we'd swim like crazy most of the day or until my fair skin would start to lobsterize in the sun. I think one day we maxed out at like a dozen.

Ironically, just as I'm typing this, Ch 9 is running a story about a new bug showing up in public pools that aren't properly chlorinated and its making kids sick......