2008 Olympic Swim Trials: Omaha could purchase used pool
Omaha News -Journal Online
BY STEVE JORDON
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Omaha might become the permanent home for at least one of the Olympic-sized swimming pools from next summer's U.S. Team Trials, giving the city an aquatic economic development tool that also will boost the sport of swimming. Two 50-meter, top-quality pools are to be installed at the Qwest Center Omaha for the June 29-July 6 event, one inside the arena for competition and the other in the adjacent convention center for practice and warm-ups. A smaller competition/recreation pool will be installed as a display in an "Aqua Zone," which will be open for free to the public at the convention center.
The pools, which can be taken down and reassembled, are for sale at a discount — more than 50 percent of their retail price, a markdown from about $2.5 million to about $1.2 million for the full-sized pools. More than a dozen potential buyers from around the country have expressed interest already, and discussions in Omaha are in the early stages. Mayor Mike Fahey said he likes the idea and pledged to cooperate, possibly by making city land available, although he doubts the city has the money to buy or operate the pool. "It's got some merit to look at," Fahey said. "Maybe there's a place where all this could fit in." The pool could be located anywhere in the city, he said. The Omaha Sports Commission, which is holding the swim trials, is promoting the concept, said commission chairman Harley Schrager, an Omaha businessman. "The swimming event will be spectacular," he said. "We think that if we do it right, we have an opportunity to get the 2012 Trials back in Omaha. "Part of doing it right is not only putting on a first-rate event and making sure that all the spectators have a wonderful experience, but also to create a swimming legacy in Omaha.
" One way to create that legacy, Schrager said, would be to buy, install and operate one of the pools as a year-round permanent site for competition, swimming lessons, water safety classes and other aquatic pastimes. "It could create a swimming venue that could be enhanced over time so that it could become a place that we might be able to host big-time swimming events, NCAA championships, Big 12 championships, regional youth swimming meets, that kind of thing," Schrager said. He said the commission wouldn't operate the swimming venue but is looking for backers. For example, private donors or a foundation could buy the pool and give it to an operating group such as the city, a school district, a university or a private group. Roger Dixon, president of the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority and a member of the sports commission board, said he hopes at least one pool can stay in Omaha. "It would be a shame not to see it saved somewhere in the community," he said. Could MECA operate such a facility, as it does the Qwest Center and the Omaha Civic Auditorium? "That's not our core business, but stranger things have happened," Dixon said.
Pool at a glance
Manufacturer: Myrtha Pools
Size: 50 meters long, 10 lanes wide, three meters
deep, holds 1 million gallons of water
Price: $1.2 million, marked down from $2.5million
Construction: Stainlessteel sides and
framework with laminated surface
First use: 2008 Olympic Swim Trials at Omaha's
Qwest Center
Companion pools: A 50-meter warm-up and
practice pool of the same size, plus a smaller
competition/recreation pool in an "Aqua Zone"
for fans
Sale expected: By Christmas
