HISTORY

TUPELO AQUATIC CENTER’S HISTORY

Moving from the Rob Leake City Pool that required a bubble dome during winter months and major renovations, City Council approved a contract with JBHM Architects in November 2010 to proceed with plans for a new Olympic-size swimming pool. In March 2011, Isaac Sports Group and JBHM presented a report to council members and the public that proposed the $11.3 million and suggested locating the new facility at Ballard Park or Veteran’s Park.

The Tupelo Aquatic Center’s Grand Opening was December 14, 2013 after three years of commitment from city officials and over a year of construction at Veteran’s Park in east Tupelo.

With many community and recreational programs initiated at Rob Leake City Pool, the Tupelo Aquatic Center is able to continue those programs along with offering many, many more year-round programs with a swimmer friendly environment inside the natatorium. Competitive club teams and high schools rent lanes to conduct their practices and host meets at the Tupelo Aquatic Center.

Moving from the smaller facility at Rob Leake City Park to an indoor, larger swimming venue provides much more attractive offers when recruiting swimming events to the city. The events bring in outside money that benefits businesses, hotels and contribute to the local economy. To make the facility more lucrative for hosting regional and state championship meets is the fact that we feature a state-of-the-art Myrtha 50-Meter with movable bulkhead (twenty 25-yard cross course lanes) competition pool as well as a Myrtha 25-yard recreational pool with underwater bench seating, stair entry, disabled ramp entry, and ADA assessable chair lift. The natatorium has the capacity to host 600 swimmers and over 970 spectators within the building’s 43,665 square feet.