Round Rock ISD aquatic center completion expected in March or April

One of Round Rock ISD’s 2018 bond projects, a $16.4 million aquatic practice center on the Cedar Ridge High School campus, is expected to be completed by March or early April.

RRISD Chief Operating Officer Terry Worcester said the project has faced some delays due to materials availability issues driven by the supply chain, but construction is on track for a spring opening and summer use. The district also recently announced the addition of water polo as an extracurricular activity for students beginning in the fall at the aquatic center.

Worcester said the deep water pool, with a depth of 14 feet at its lowest point, will allow students to have more competitive practice options.

“The deeper the pool, the faster it is,” Worcester said. “Our athletics department wanted our students to have access to similar fast water that they may be competing in if they were able to make it to regionals or state.”

The facility will also have turbines located beneath the pool, using water from the facility to generate its own electricity, negating any impact on local utilities.

“We will be reducing our power consumption and operation costs fairly significantly here by using that facility for that system,” Worcester said.

An added benefit of the facility, Worcester said, would be its impact to the high school’s car line.

“The parking is designed so that we can create a longer car line for drop-off and pickup in an attempt to get more cars off the road, because they'll queue up,” Worcester said.

The facility will also feature roll-up walls to take advantage of breezes and allow for bleachers to be rolled in and out of the building.