Cumming Aquatic Center Makes A Successful Splash

At the Rotary Club of South Forsyth meeting on Wednesday, members welcomed guest speaker and director for the , Greg Little for the latest information on the growth of Cumming's new aquatic center.

The cost to build the much anticipated facility neared $15 million and by all accounts, it has been worth every penny. "The funds from SPLOST along with an intergovernmental agreement has turned out to be a great cooperative agreement for everyone and it has been such an exciting venture from start to finish," said Little.

Of course, growing pains are an expected factor in the kind of success and community response the aquatic center has received. Greg little compares the excitement (in jest) to that of a family having their first baby. "It's a whirlwind of excitement and anticipation, then comes the reality of 2 a.m. feedings!"

"For example, the outdoor leisure pool has been an extremely popular venue for visitors. "We initially estimated between 500 to 600 people enjoying the outdoor leisure pool each day, but we are currently averaging between 900 to 950 visitors daily in the facility (including the competition and instructional pools)," said Little.

Two daily pool sessions have been scheduled at specific times with specific fees. The pool is cleared for 30 minutes between the sessions to allow staff and maintenance crews to regroup and get ready for the next session.

"As it turns out, the first session from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. is more popular with mothers and younger children. The second session, from 2:30 p.m until 6:30 p.m. appears to be the preferred choice for teens and older kids, which make sense because teens like to sleep in late," explains Little.

In addition to a lazy river with jet propellers, a 156-foot water slide,  a splash and play area and a 10-lane competition pool, the aquatic center houses a 25-yard, four lane therapy pool with bench seating and 86 to 88 degree water temperatures. (Typical temperatures for competition pools range between 77 and 78 degrees.) "This pool is ideal for instruction as well as rehabilitation therapy," said Little, who added that the aquatic center is the first in the country with this design.

The aquatic center's competition diving boards are not available for public use and require a certified coach on deck for those in training. Little explained the reason for the rule. "This decision has not been popular with guests, but for safety reasons, our insurance company allows only certified coaches with those in formal training to use the competition boards."  

Currently, the aquatic center's employees are non-stop busy, working through the initial, but positive growing pains that typically arise considering the overwhelming community response. Coordinators are also trying to work with Forsyth County high schools to accommodate swim practice schedules to ensure everyone has the opportunity to maintain a reasonable schedule in terms of avoiding too many late night practices.

"We will likely work with all the high schools on a rotation basis so that all teams have as few late nights as possible and regular practices where they are in and out without having to be on the roads late at night," says Little. "Carla Wilson, our coordinator is hard at work trying to coordinate practice times that work for every group." 

For information on competitive swimming, fees for pool times and a variety of instruction venues for swimmers of all ages, please visit the City of Cumming or call 770-781-1781.