Upon completion of each construction project taking place recently at Manchester College, members of the campus community are often left wondering what will be next? The answer to that quandary has been revealed as one MC official announced the next undertaking will be to put an Olympic size swimming pool in the north end of the campus mall.

  
Each spring, the grass in the center of campus is worn down in several places due to repetitive student traffic to and from buildings on campus. The MC Physical Plant staff hopes to eliminate the constant hassle of attempting to maintain the landscape in the high-traffic area, while also providing a valuable asset to the campus itself.

  
Chris Garber, associate vice president for Financial Affairs and director of Operations for the Physical Plant, explained that the project would be done “in-house,” meaning that his staff will handle the construction and upkeep of the new facility. “We have the sprinkler system coming from Cordier (Auditorium) so rather than using that to water the lawn, we’re going to use it to fill the pool,” Garber said. “We also are considering tearing out the grass in the south half of the mall and bringing in sand to make it something along the lines of a beach.”

The pool itself will offer 15 full-length lanes and will be completely encompassed by a 12-foot fence topped with barbed wire, for keeping animals out and discouraging trespassers. There has been some discussion regarding the incorporation of a retractable roof in order to shelter the pool and its occupants from inclement weather and unwanted guests of the flying persuasion, but nothing has been finalized as of yet. Another idea being tossed around involves mounting a large waterpark-style slide on top of Cordier that would carry riders around curves and through tunnels all the way down to a designated area in the northern-most end of the pool. The legal aspects of such an endeavor are being looked into.

  
In adding a pool to the list of other current campus facilities, there is the potential for both benefits and problems to occur. One benefit of this project is that it provides a new means for students, faculty and staff to unwind, thus escaping from the pressures which accompany the daily college routine. Some others involve the potential for new sports to be offered either through the NCAA or through intramurals. During the warmer seasons there could be water polo, competitive swimming and diving, synchronized swimming and water basketball; then the pool would remain filled in the winter so it could freeze over allowing for figure skating and ice hockey.

The main cause for concern in adding a facility of this nature, would be the temptation students face to skip class, put off homework, or both, in wanting to spend more time at the pool. “There is always the potential for students to be swayed from meeting their responsibilities when there is something considered to be more interesting going on, but if it became too much of an issue we could always accommodate students by allowing some classes to be held in the pool itself,” Garber said.

Groundbreaking for the college’s first facility of an aquatic nature is set to take place just days after the 2008 graduation ceremony, while the anticipated opening date is scheduled to coincide with the first day of the 2008-2009 academic year.                     

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