Excitement builds for the Morgan Hill aquatics community as the
new Aquatics Center nears its grand opening Saturday. The new
36-acre aquatics center, located on Condit Road between San Pedro
and Tennant avenues, includes waterslides, competition, recreation
and instructional pools and a play/spray ground.
Excitement builds for the Morgan Hill aquatics community as the new Aquatics Center nears its grand opening Saturday.
The new 36-acre aquatics center, located on Condit Road between San Pedro and Tennant avenues, includes waterslides, competition, recreation and instructional pools and a play/spray ground.
The spray ground features a rubber matting so kids of all ages can run through the spray, get wet and stay cool, all in perfect safety.
The center will be equipped with event rooms for individuals and groups complete with televisions with DVD players, picnic areas, a concession stand and locker rooms with showers.
The June 12 grand opening will be held from 9-11 a.m.. and includes a ribbon-cutting, speeches, food and tours of the facility.
The facility won’t be open for swimming during the ceremony but will open at noon for full use.
“This is the fabulous diamond on the west coast,” Bill Thompson, swim coach for El Toro Aquatics club said. “The initial investment was considerable, but with use over the next 30 years, it will remain the finest in California.”
El Toro Aquatics is a Morgan Hill-based club, mostly for children 6 to 12, and part of a larger group based in San Jose and at Harker Academy in Saratoga.
The club has suffered in recent months with the closing of the Britton Middle School pool. Thompson said the club was forced to cut back on new members, which hurt recruiting.
With the new center opening, Thompson hopes that more swimmers will be attracted to the club.
He said the center is perfectly located and will bring in revenue to the community.
“The facility will bring in revenues to hotels, restaurants and RV parks,” Thompson said.
Geno Acevedo, founder of El Toro Brewing Co. Masters Water Polo Club (men, ages 20-50) and owner and brewmaster of El Toro Brewing Co., says he is very excited to finally see the center open.
While at a recent water polo tournament in San Diego, Acevedo said he bragged about the new center opening in Morgan Hill.
“I am very excited, especially after this weekend, seeing all the nice pools and knowing that ours will be better,” Acevedo said. “I was telling everyone how great our pool is going to be.”
City officials, including Mayor Dennis Kennedy, former Mayor John Varela and local citizens Myra Costello, Judy Henry, Lynn Gautschi and Martine Kapetanic, among many others, have worked for more than nine years to bring an aquatics center to the area.
John Rick shared a similar sentiment of the Morgan Hill Aquatics Inc.
“This is a very exciting time for the Morgan Hill Community,” Rick said. “It could be nicer than the (community and) cultural center.”
While Rick says he wants to have the center available to the public as much as possible, he says there will be several competitions during the summer held at the center.
One of the largest meets on the calendar will take place Aug. 6-8 when 800 to 900 swimmers aged 6-18 will take part in the Coast Valley Aquatics League championships. Swimmers will come from Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Santa Cruz, Hollister, Monterey and Carmel to compete.
Thompson says that El Toro Aquatics won’t be hosting any special events this summer.
A third swim club, the Morgan Hill Makos (after a species of shark), and in Morgan Hill since 1961, total 100 swimmers – 55 percent girls and 45 percent boys – ages to 18, making them the second oldest swim team in Santa Clara County.
Makos have programs for swimmers of all abilities, novice to Junior National Qualifiers; coaching and instruction for all four accepted USS and FINA swim strokes. Youngsters who want to participate in swim meets may do so though the meets are not required.
Makos also has a masters group of 20 adults.
Other events include water polo and other swim meets.
Money will play a big part in keeping the center open.
The pools are slated to be kept open by the city only during the summer months, from June into September.
Rick says that the city will pay for the costs of the new center so long as they are still making money. Once revenues start falling short, the Morgan Hill aquatics community has promised to pick up the tab to keep the pools open longer.
The Morgan Hill Aquatics Inc. was formed to support the city’s effort in building and maintaining the center. To do so, MHA, Inc. runs two major fundraisers to help bring in money.
The first is the on-going donor brick program. The idea is for families and businesses to purchase bricks, engraved with their child’s name, date of swim victory, company name or whatever. Laser-engraved bricks will be installed near the center’s entrance for everyone to admire. Prices range from $125 for a 4×8-inch brick to $250 for an 8×8-inch brick.
A second fundraiser, scheduled for Saturday, July 24, at the community center amphitheater, will be the third annual Cool Brews for Cool Pools. The event will feature 20 microbrews as well as live entertainment.
“In the past,” Rick said, “this event has been very successful.”
“The Cool Brews should bring in $30,000 to $40,000,” said Acevedo. “We hope to have $100,000 in the bank before the end of the season.”
Thompson says that El Toro Aquatics will pay the operating costs to insure that the facility will stay open for year-round training.
Details: • El Toro Brewing Co. Masters Water Polo Club: ge*****@*ol.com or call 778-2739; • El Toro Aquatics 227-5884 or Rick (and engraved bricks) at 779-3313; www.siliconvalleyaquaticassociation.org/ • Morgan Hill Makos website is http://www.morganhillmakos.com/ or call 782-0088.
