Historic OCCC Pool in Oklahoma City Will Close in August After 25 Years

The Oklahoma City Community College 50-meter pool will close at the end of the summer of 2015, the school’s president Paul Sechrist announced today. That will end the pool’s 25-year run as a center piece of swimming in Oklahoma.

An email from college president Paul Sechrist  said that the pool would close on September 7th, after the Labor Day weekend, but a notice posted on the door to the facility Wednesday said that it would close on August 31st.

Sechrist said that the pool was close to its “functional and physical obsolesce,” and that “without significant investment, it’s only a matter of time before the aging infrastructure experiences a catastrophic system/mechanical failure.”

Sechrist cited $280,000 per year in annual maintenance, and a architecturally-generated estimate of $6 million to repair.

The pool was originally built for the 1989 U.S. Olympic Festival (not the same as the Olympic Games) as an outdoor facility, and enclosed in 1991. It includes a 50-meter long competition pool, a separate diving well, and a full complement of diving boards and platforms. The facility seats 1,000 in the stands plus an additional 500 on deck.

While the high-quality facility at Jenks and the new Mitch Park YMCA Aquatic Center will soften the blow some, this is the second piece of key swimming infrastructure in Oklahoma to close recently. In late 2013, the pool at the University of Central Oklahoma closed as well.

The OCCC pool has also been the host of some version of the famed Oklahoma City ProAm meet for decades, and with two teams now claiming the right to host that meet, the battle for the water in which to host it will become more intense.

At least 2 club teams (King Marlin Swim Club and American Energy Swim Club) use the pool, as well as at least 7 high school teams.

Krista Kezbers, the head coach of the Extreme Aquatic Team that does not currently use the OCCC pool, says that the pool will be a huge loss to the state’s burgeoning swimming community. “It’s the only pool on this side of the state that can host a large meet,” Kezbers, a former University of Minnesota swimmer  said. “David Plummer and I grew up swimming there, it’s been an important part of swimming in this state for a long time.”

“This pool closing is a step backwards for Oklahoma swimming where we are already busting at the seams for more pool space. There’s no other place for those kids to swim.”

The OCCC pool, which is known as one of the fastest pools in the state, was where Jenny Thompson broke the American Record in the 100 yard fly in 1998 when she swam 51.07 – lowering the record by almost seven-tenths of a second.

The full email from the president is below. A press release can be seen here.

I have approved a recommendation to suspend operations of the OCCC Aquatic Center following the Labor Day Weekend of this year. I assure you this decision was made following a careful review and with the full understanding of the significant contribution the Center has made to the College and Oklahoma City since it was built in 1989.

The rationale for the decision is as follows:

• A highly respected and experienced consulting firm concluded that the Aquatic Center at OCCC, which is over 25 years old, is nearing “functional and physical obsolesce.” In order for OCCC to continue operations, the facility requires an investment of over $6 million in needed repairs, upgrades, and replacement of equipment and systems.

• Without this significant investment, it is only a matter of time before the aging infrastructure experiences a catastrophic system/mechanical failure. OCCC does not have the funds needed to recover from a major system/mechanical failure, forcing the closure of the facility. This scenario would require our partners with scheduled activities in the Aquatic Center to either cancel the activity or scramble to find another venue.

• The consultant also concluded that even with a significant investment in the infrastructure and mechanical systems, the Aquatic Center “does not have the ability to be a national caliber, state-of-the-art, long-course venue.” This conclusion is based on changed water depth requirements and wall inlet system differences that are now required for national/international competitive venues. In addition, the materials and finishes used at the Aquatic Center at OCCC are not consistent with newer, national/international level, long-course aquatic venues. Even with a significant investment in the current facility, the consultant concluded that the OCCC Aquatic Center would at best be a good training venue.

• The costs to operate the Aquatic Center are an on-going concern. Although OCCC does charge for use of the Aquatic Center, the direct costs to operate the center far exceed the revenue resulting in an average annual operating loss of $280,000.

As a state-funded college, OCCC faces continued financial challenges to meet the increasing mandatory cost increases necessary to serve our college students. The operational financial losses of the Aquatic Center, coupled with the looming requirement to devote millions of dollars in the infrastructure and mechanical systems to maintain a training venue that is not core to the mission of the college, has in many ways, forced this decision.

There is no doubt that the Aquatic Center has played a significant role in the history of OCCC and Oklahoma City. For over 25 years, this center has hosted numerous swim teams, diving clubs, state events, and national tournaments. However, the present day functional, operational, financial, and mission realities are overwhelming and compelling, resulting in the decision to close the Aquatic Center.

The future plans for the Aquatic Center space have not yet been determined. The space is contiguous to the existing Wellness Center, Social Sciences Division, College/Student Union, and outdoor space that the College’s Master Site Plan has as a future site for other sports venues (baseball diamond, volleyball courts, and running track). Therefore, the Aquatic Center space will be evaluated and eventually repurposed for programs and services that take into consideration its location and that align with the College’s strategic plans, the Master Site Plan, and the needs of our students and the community.

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R J
1 year ago

Long shot but if anyone knows or is interested in finding resources to open another facility in OKC email me at [email protected]

A Davis
7 years ago

….yet the Governess gets relecting pools, fancy garden walls….all the Officer-minded chesterpike dweebs and those all-so-health conscious and truly caring medical practitioners have found better write-offs in Cayman….times are tuff for the average non-elites…best find better outlets before the crowd starts building guillotines and eyeing your ‘cake’…or you start thinking about utilizing all those concentration-camp’s that Hollowburgin got mega-millions for building around the Nation… Only the builderbirds win…check your premise….only a very few of the Swiss bankers won if you’re one of them that believes the one with the biggest bank account wins…..now we understand why gun control’s so important to you….never saw much more’n smiling, dedicated faces at the meets… Fruits of ‘your’ labors…

Mark Cianciolo
8 years ago

What a shame……but at least we can send military hardware all over the globe and finance rebuilding cities in foreign lands we bombed. At least we can say we have done that for our kids.

Kelly Beaty
8 years ago

I know this probably won’t be read by anyone that cares as much as I do but I had to give it a shot.

My son is a HS freshman in Moore. He has struggled with fitting in, finding his niche, becoming part of a group (whatever you want to call it) all of his scholastic life. He tried band a few years ago and although he loved being a part of something, he didn’t love playing the trombone. We brainstormed at the beginning of the 14-15 school year and decided to try swimming. At first he struggled with the physical demand but soon learned he was really good at it and competed well. He became excited about school… Read more »

Swim Mom
Reply to  Kelly Beaty
8 years ago

Thank-you for sharing. I hope everyone such as yourself are able to write to your State reps, Board of Regents, OKC mayor, etc. to let them know how this personally impacts our children.

Some people don’t understand that if the OCCC aquatic center closes, there are not other options in our area for the southside and Moore high school swim teams such as Moore, Westmoore, Mustang, etc. They will just be out of luck. Some kids have already been told their program will not continue. The Moore high school pool was shut down years ago. The southside YMCA only has a few lanes and it is already packed. It would not be able to accommodate the high school practices… Read more »

HS Swimmer
8 years ago

This is a low blow. I don’t train here– thank goodness. But it’s horrifying to see the level swimming has dropped to in Oklahoma.

As it is, many Oklahoma high schoolers aren’t driven to swim in college– our major state schools don’t support us, after all. As a result, the club teams suffer, and the effect rebounds upward. I thought Oklahoma was making strides with the Jenks pool and the Mitch pool, only to find that our backbone has been broken beneath us.

OCCC, the dispersion of Chesapeake Swim Club, the lack of college swimming programs… The United States hosts the best swimmers of the world. Where has Oklahoma fallen short? This year, my high school has a grand… Read more »

C Walsh
8 years ago

We need the state and/or OKC to step in and help fund repairs and maintenance. OCCC offers higher education at low cost. In compensation, Oklahoma needs to help fund this center. OCCC Aquatic Center allows our city’s swimming teams to continue and grow. Let’s be a progressive state.

Debbie
8 years ago

As the 49th most obese state in the nation, Oklahoma needs every avenue to fitness it can get. Many posts reference competitive swimming in the high school, college, and Olympic levels, but as a member of the community, reference needs to be made to others the pool services. Both of my children learned to swim at OCCC and took yearly classes to upgrade their skills. The adult and senior community uses the pool for daily for exercise as well as the host of water exercise classes that have been taught. Triathletes doing training at this facility. Scuba diving classes are taught here and the pools is used by firefighters who participate in water rescue. We rejoice at the water activities… Read more »

SwimMom
8 years ago

Considering that the OCCC aquatic center serves the “community”, I am surprised that city and state officials would allow this pool to shut down. Swimming is a great sport that promotes fitness and healthy living, and prevents childhood obesity. Swimming is also a skill that can save lives.

Closing this pool cuts off access to swimming for many children and families in this area. In addition to providing a practice site for at least 7 high schools and other competitive programs, the OCCC Aquatic center provides swim lessons and lifeguard training. This pool is also an important training site for the Special Olympics programs in south OKC. Sadly, I have heard more than one swimmer say that if this pool… Read more »

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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