The city of Round Rock looked at options for an aquatics center that could be built in partnership with Round Rock ISD and the YMCA of Greater Williamson County on July 28. Counsilman Hunsaker, a design firm specializing in aquatic facilities, presented its findings from a year-long study showing two options—one priced at about $24 million and another priced at about $31 million—it says meet the city and school districts needs. The facility would be built on land in north Round Rock that would be donated by the Avery family, which owns large tracts of land in the area. According to the presentation, the cost of building the aquatic center would be shared by the school district and city, and the YMCA would build a new location around the facility. The city is looking to attract sports tourism as well as provide space for local swim groups. The district is looking for a facility to house their school swim teams. The first possibility, estimated to cost about $31 million, would feature a 50-meter-by-25-yard competition pool, a 25-yard-by-25-meter dive pool, 5-meter, 7.5-meter and 10-meter diving platforms and seating for up to 1,500 spectators. The study found the annual operating subsidy needed to run such a facility is $750,000 and the annual economic impact was $2.8 million-$5.1 million. George Deines, project manager for Counsilman Hunsaker, said such a facility would be comparable to collegiate facilities at Texas A&M University and University of Texas at Austin, which hosts state meets. “This facility would compete with any facility across the state, and it could garner national attention,” Deines said. The second option the study outlined would cost about $21 million and also feature a 50-meter-by-25-yard competition pool. In contrast to the more expensive option, it would feature 1-meter and 3-meter diving platforms and seating for about 600-800 spectators. The presentation showed the operational subsidy would be $500,000 a year and the economic impact would be about $207,000-$259,000 per year. Deines said the $21 million option would be comparable to facilities built by Lewisville and Conroe ISDs. He said such a facility would fulfill many of the school district's needs, but attract fewer competitions to enhance the city's 'Sports Capital of Texas' brand. Several residents spoke in favor of building an aquatic center. David Hansen, president of local swimming group Round Rock Dolphins, said Round Rock has needed such a facility for a long time. "You’ve got an incredible opportunity to meet the needs of the city, and you’ve got an offer of precious land," Hansen said. "It’s never going to get cheaper." The next steps, according to the presentation, are for the city, YMCA and school district to decide how they want to proceed.