An aquatic center is currently being constructed for a sports project called “Kinesiology Labs & Aquatic Center” on the Liberal Arts campus.
The construction of the new center is managed by LBCC and the Bond Management Team.
The idea of building a new aquatic center was created by the kinesiology department.
The construction started last summer. In a recent interview with Bill Husak, LBCC’s athletic director, about the aquatic center, Husak said, “We are excited. We hope that in the upcoming year, 2021 or 2022, we will be able to occupy that building.”
The project is scheduled to be finished in Fall 2021 and will be ready for the students’ use in Spring 2022. The aquatic center will be located in front of the old soccer fields and next to Carson Street.
John Doung, manager of the Bond Management Team, said that the construction will “take over the west side of the gymnasium, next to Faculty Road. [The entire area] will become an athletic center.”
The construction will be on the southeast side of the Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The new facility will contain an Olympic-sized pool in the center, new team rooms, new coach locker rooms, new student locker rooms, new offices and support rooms.
Regarding the differences between the old pool and the new aquatic center, Husak said, “First of all, [the new aquatic center] will be one of the best pools in California. It’s spectacular because of its size, what’s capable of hosting and doing. The locker rooms and the viewing area will be outstanding.”
LBCC is planning on keeping the old pool facility, which would make LBCC one of the few schools in Southern California with two aquatic facilities and two pools.
The athletic department is trying to expand aquatics sports within the Viking community with the construction of this new building. Husak said, “We envision becoming a hub for any aquatic sports. Long Beach [City College] has always had a great tradition of aquatics and this will add to that tradition.”
Future aquatic competitions will be played and hosted in the new aquatic center. The Viking athletes of the water polo team, and swimming and diving team will train there as well. The old pool facility will be used for the aquatic classes LBCC offers to all students.