The Irvine City Council is moving forward with plans to add a third 50-meter competition pool to the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center, one of the premier facilities in Southern California.
The project will also include room for a temporary expansion featuring 4,000 seats, bleachers for 600 people, a small splash pad for children ages 2 to 12, and other amenities. PBK Architects’ design plans are expected to be finalized by the fall of 2024 for a cost of around $1.15 million with construction set to be completed around the summer of 2025.
The 2026 Pan Pacific Championships were recently relocated from Canada to Southern California, sparking speculation that the Woollett Aquatics Center might be chosen as the host site. The facility held the 2023 TYR Pro Championships this summer and hosted Pan Pacs back in 2010.
The renovations at the Woollett Aquatics Center are meant to address a reported rise in usage requests from local programs and national competitions, according to the OC Register. PBK Architects have experience planning more than 40 aquatic centers and 125 sports centers, including Fountain Valley High School Aquatic Center and Yorba Linda High School’s pool.
A state-of-the-art USA Water Polo facility is also coming to Irvine in the future, but the City Council decided this spring to prioritize other parts of the park’s development ahead of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The water polo facility is now expected to be finished around 2032.
Great picture! Go RAYS!
If they could fix the shade and parking situations, that would be nice.
USA Swimming please take a look at the incredible new swim facility at Mt. SAC college in So Cal. Big and tons of parking too!
Maybe should invest in shade structures over the seating area so the swimmers, coaches, and spectators don’t fry. Summer Juniors was brutal in that regard.
This will make for one super mega swimming complex.
Masters nationals was in Irvine last year and I heard it took forever to run the meet due to 2,400 swimmers.
This would alleviate that problem.
“A 50 meter pool, temporary expansion featuring 4,000 seats, bleachers for 600 people, a small splash pad for children ages 2 to 12, and other amenities.”
Im actually blown away that all of this only costs $1.15 million.
It’s incredible how much less expensive things are when they’re outdoors.
And free land probably!
LOL Braden, the article clearly states it’s *design* that will be $1.15m.
Are we sure about that 1.15 million? A high school pool was recently redone in my area. 25 yards x 30ish meters (im not sure) and that cost was around 10 million with the bathrooms. And yes this was in California so it’s outdoors.
California should worry about saving their water
Damned if you do support/promote swimming, damned if you don’t. Nobody is ever happy
Good news, they are filling the pool with syrup
Nathan Adrian to inaugurate the pool
It threw off his technique! But us normies should be fine!