MORGANTOWN — What began with a nervous conversation between a new county commissioner and former WVU Athletic Director Oliver Luck in 2014 ends at 1 p.m. Friday with the grand opening of the new 90,000 square-foot aquatic center in Mylan Park.
Now Commission President, Tom Bloom recalls his initial charge was to grill Luck on why the community no longer had access to university facilities.
“What we wanted, initially, was input in how the community could continue to use the WVU track. [Luck] knew at the time that they needed $14-$15 million to fix up the natatorium. We met and ended up going to the community leadership forum,” Bloom said.
Encouraged by the collaborative effort would result in a new home for WVU baseball — Monongalia County Ballpark — Luck told community leaders he could envision a facility, namely an aquatic center, that could fulfill the needs of the university and the community.
That meeting launched an 18-month community effort that resulted in an official announcement at Mylan Park on Nov. 5, 2015.
“He proposed it,” Bloom recalled. “Six years later we have it.”
And then some.
The $35 million aquatic center opening comes a year after its neighboring facility, a $7 million track complex, held its own grand opening in Mylan Park.
The track facility as well as the aquatic center will serve both WVU and prep athletics as well as the community.
“We wanted it to be separate. One area for the community and another for meets and competition. The idea was to be able to have both open and full at the same time,” Bloom said of the aquatic center. “We didn’t want the community closed out because of swim meets. That’s how we ended up with the concept we have.”
The facility features a 25-meter community pool along with amenities like slides and an outdoor splash pad.
The competition side includes a 50-meter competition pool as well as a diving pool with a dive tower and springboards.
WVU Swimming and Diving Coach Vic Riggs said his student athletes have been practicing in the facility since last Monday.
“It’s pretty incredible. It’s certainly a big upgrade from where we’ve been training for the last 30 or 40 years,” Riggs said, referencing WVU’s natatorium, which was built in 1975 with a 25-meter pool.
“As far as the Big 12 goes, I’d say it rivals what they have at Texas,” Riggs said. “We’re hosting the Big 12 in February and it’ll be the first time a team other than Texas has hosted the conference championships since we joined the conference. The other schools simply don’t have the facilities to host it.”
The Mountaineers will actually host their first meet in the new facility starting Friday, when squads from across West Virginia come to town for the West Virginia State Games.
As far as community use, Bloom said he can envision everything from first responders practicing water rescues to seniors splashing for exercise.
“Ultimately, we’d love to see a regional or national Special Olympics held there. With PACE, Stepping Stones, the track complex and now the aquatic center all out at Mylan Park, it’s something I’d love to see,” he said. “We also have a community that’s also been very supportive of Special Olympics.”
Funding for the facilities, which will be owned by the Mylan Park Foundation, includes a $15 million gift from the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust.
Information on membership rates, one-day passes and facility rentals is available at mylanpark.org.
