Columbus solicits student ideas for Northeast Indoor Aquatic Center at Cassidy and AgriLife

Columbus City Council staff and school district representatives solicited design ideas from local students as the city begins planning the Northeast Indoor Aquatic Center at the intersection of Cassidy and AgriLife.

City staff described the project as being in its very early design stages and said the city is aiming to provide expanded swim access and wellness programming for children and seniors. "We are here today to get some initial ideas from our kids about what it is they would like their indoor aquatics complex to look like," a Staff member said. "We are in the very beginning phases of designing and building the Northeast Indoor Aquatic Center, which is gonna be located right here at the intersection of Cassidy and AgriLife."

The school district partner emphasized the collaborative nature of the effort and praised students' creativity. "A wonderful collaboration that is taking place between the city of Columbus and the school district," a School representative said. "They were making their pool center and making slides and, you know, sprinklers and all kinds of really amazing things. They have such incredible imagination, and I love the fact that the city has included them in this process."

Staff framed the center as more than a single pool. "Not just 1 pool, not just 2 pools, but possibly 3 pools within 1 facility," a Staff member said, adding that the facility should support swim lessons, competitive or lap swimming, and other water-based activities. The same speaker asked families and students to imagine specific features: "How do we provide it? What does the dive board look like?"

Project proponents said the facility is intended to address a local lack of indoor aquatic options. "This area here was determined to be an aquatic desert, for the city," a Staff member said, noting the city's goal of increasing residents' access to swimming and water-safety instruction. Officials also signaled a desire for the center to draw users beyond the immediate neighborhood. "We're reaching out regionally," the Staff member said, and added that the center should support "a wellness program for our seniors, our young people."

No formal design decisions, funding amounts or construction timelines were announced in the discussion recorded in the meeting transcript. The remarks in the record reflect an early community-engagement phase in which city staff and the school district sought ideas and input from students about facility features and programming.