Swim advocates meet to discuss indoor aquatic center
By Jim Ecker
CEDAR RAPIDS – The effort to build an indoor aquatic center in Cedar Rapids is off and swimming.
Swim advocates who care passionately about the project met for an hour at the Cedar Rapids library Monday night to discuss a wide range of issues.
Jim Voss, the legendary former swim coach at Cedar Rapids Washington, lent his voice to the conversation. Voss, who won 15 state titles at Washington, was instrumental in leading the effort for major improvements at the outdoor aquatic centers in town three decades ago.
Matt Sinnott, the current boys swim coach at Washington, and Megan Lewis, the girls coach for the Warriors, offered their ideas and suggestions. So did Chris Tyler, an assistant swim coach at Washington.
Nick Gearhart, who is the director of the Milky Way Masters swim program here, also contributed greatly to the conversation. Gearhart was a state champion swimmer at Washington. Chad Derlein, the combined swim coach at Kennedy and a former coach at Linn-Mar, also lent his voice to the proceedings.
Jim Ecker, the owner of the Ecker Sports Report, moderated the informal meeting. The Ecker Sports Report is taking a leadership role in the project.
The two main topics were finding land for the facility and raising money to pay for it. Modern aquatic centers are extremely expensive, ranging from perhaps $15 million to more than $30 million. The new Prairie Summit YMCA cost $43 million for the entire facility, with a gleaming pool a major feature.
The group plans to meet on the first Monday of each month at the library to continue the effort. Everyone is welcome.
The group plans to meet with city government officials, school officials and business leaders to move the project along. All agreed that an indoor aquatic center is a quality of life issue and stressed the importance of the facility serving the entire community, with the three schools in the Cedar Rapids Community School District a possible major tenant.
We welcome your ideas.
