Frances Meadows center about ready

GAINESVILLE - Gainesville Parks and Recreation Director Melvin Cooper says the public is going to be "blown away" when the doors open at the one-of-a-kind Frances Meadows Aquatic and Community Center.

The facility, located on Jesse Jewell Parkway just east of Northeast Georgia Medical Center, is scheduled to open to the public Aug. 30. It shares a tract of land with the city's new middle school, which is still under construction.

Cooper, appearing on Sunday's Northeast Georgia This Week on WDUN NEWS TALK 550, said it was the public that started asking for the complex in surveys and public meetings as early as 1990.

"There's not a facility of this type in the North Georgia area to provide a year-round swimming program," Cooper said.

Cooper also said it will be ready for its Aug. 30 public debut with a four-lane indoor instructional swimming pool, 10-lane indoor competition pool (with seating for 300 spectators), a Splash Pool complete with three-story water slides, meeting space totaling 4,400 square feet, a giant water slide, an outdoor Splash Park, a Spray Pool/kiddie play structure, and party rooms for year-round swim parties.)For fees, hours of operation and other information, see the link below.)

Cooper said the $16 million center will be important for area economic development. He said it's going to be a big drawing card to entice new industry.

"It will be there for any new work force coming to town and wanting to know what's available in this community for their families," he said, "enhancing life, enhancing the quality of life in our community, enhancing the development in our community and saving lives through the aquatic programs that we (will offer)."

Cooper said what the city has in the Frances Meadows center "is something we are looking forward to sharing with our community."

Twelve million dollars was the price tag for construction; the city paid an additional $4 million for the land.

Cooper defended the cost of the multi-use facility, saying it is within the original parameters set by the City Council.

"I absolutely believe we are getting (our money's worth)," he said. "The overall project cost (including) the purchase of this 53-acre tract of land that we share between the (Gainesville) Board of Education and the City of Gainesville, site development that was shared between the Board of Education and the City of Gainesville, was one, that if we had had to do this individually, the cost would have been much greater for both of us..."

But, Cooper said, "the overall project cost, our project cost...was roughly $16 million and basically we stayed within that parameter. That was always the parameter. That was what the City Council approved."

There was a .23 mill tax increase, which the council okayed to help retire the debt service on the complex.

Noting the number of drownings and near-drownings that occur in the Gainesville area each year, usually in Lake Lanier, Cooper said, in again referring to the swimming lessons that will be offered at the center, "I don't know that you can put a cost on a life, but if we...through (our) instructional swim program (here) in teaching children how to swim (save one life), I think (the center) will have paid for itself."

He said one of the goals is to teach every elementary school student in the county how to swim... at not charge for the lessons.

Cooper said the Gainesville area should be a healthier place, with lower (health) insurance costs because of the exercise and other programs to be offered by the center, which emphasize better physical and mental health.

As for criticism that the city is duplicating what is already available at the new YMCA, which opened just last year, Cooper said "we had discussions with the YMCA before we did this. They scaled back, from what I understand, on the aquatic portion of their (facility). It (their aquatic facility) is not as large as this facility here. We're still working with the YMCA, trying have a (dual membership plan) so that if you are a member of the Y, you can use you YMCA card here and vice versa."

Cooper said the center, named in honor of the late Frances Meadows, the first black elected to the Hall County Commission and a longtime advocate of such a facility in Gainesville, is unlike anything in north Georgia north of Atlanta.

"We absolutely feel that the payback of this facility...is going to be, longterm, a very good investment for our community," Cooper said.

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On the Net. Gainesville Parks and Recreation Department. http://www.gainesville.org/recreation

http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/8/212451