Drawings for a new aquatics center in Mobile were unveiled on Thursday, showing the images of a future indoor and outdoor facility that officials believe will enable the city to host competitive events.

The county is seeking an additional $5 million before it can break ground on the first of a two-phase project. Officials are hoping it can be under construction this year. The first phase is estimated to cost $20 million.

“With our strong swimming community here, I think it’s a facility we need,” said Danny Corte, executive director of the Mobile Sports Authority.

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The proposed 40,000-square-foot aquatics center, when complete, will have an indoor 25-yard by 25-meter short court competitive pool, a warm-up instructional pool, locker rooms and restrooms, an outdoor 25-yard by 50-meter competition pool with two dive wells, and parking for over 200 vehicles.

Phase 1 includes the outdoor pool, concessions building, the indoor instructional pool with locker rooms and restrooms, and a 100-space parking lot. The second phase includes the short-course indoor pool, spectator seating for 645 people, a lobby, offices and concessions area.

Mobile County Commissioner Connie Hudson, in a news release, confirmed that $5 million was still needed before construction can begin. She has asked the Mobile County Board of School Commissioners to partner in the project. Board members, in January, agreed they will be a part of the project.

Rena Philips, a spokeswoman for the school system, said they are working to determine how much to contribute.

“We are definitely going to give some money to it,” said school board member Reginald Crenshaw. “A number of public schools have swim teams, but they have to go to different places to practice and cannot host meets. It’s definitely needed.”

The County Commission, aided with American Rescue Plan Act money, allocated $4 million toward the future aquatic center last year. The Mobile City Council, in September, dedicated $3 million toward the project.

Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, last year, said the region “desperately needs more places for our youth to participate in swimming.”

In a statement Thursday, he said he was hopeful there will be a groundbreaking on the project’s first phase “very soon.”

“Our community has a great need for additional public swimming facilities, so it’s very exciting to see Commissioner Hudson’s plan take another step forward,” he said.

Corte said Mobile is a “water community” that lacks in places for youth to take swim lessons, an odd reality given the short drive to the Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

It is also unusual when considering that Mobile is home to Olympic swimmer Paige Madden, who earned the silver medal during the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and is a graduate of UMS-Wright.

“Mobile is a water community and for us to not have a top-notch aquatic center not built here, I just really don’t understand that,” said Corte, who has said that an original aquatic center feasibility study dates back to 2001.

“Thankfully Connie (Hudson) is pushing that forward and we’ll see where it goes,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll have answers soon.”

The pool is also expected to service club teams like the City of Mobile Swim Association (CMSA) that hosts practices at Bishop State Community College’s pool but cannot host any competitive events. Last year, the Mobile County Aquatic League – which has around 1,000 swimmers who participate during its summer programs — hosted a “home” competition about an hour’s drive away in Biloxi, Mississippi.

In addition to club swimming, more than a dozen public and private schools within Mobile County have either swim or swim and dive teams. Besides offering swimming and diving practice and competition opportunities for high schools and youth club teams, the Aquatics Center also provides recreational swimming, water exercise, wellness/therapy classes, and instructional programs that benefit water safety and lifeguard certification, stroke mechanics, Scuba training and learn-to-swim and dive classes.

The aquatics center will be built within a now-170-acre Mobile County Sportsplex on Halls Mill Road. The growing facility includes three lighted soccer fields and plans to add several more including a championship-style venue.