Swimming Pool Renovations    

The Galveston swimming pool was originally built in 1977 and, along with Oceans and Hullabaloo Halls (formerly A and B Dorm), started the development of the northern part of the campus.  In its original construction, the 25 meter swimming pool had 6 lanes, 1 meter and 3 meter diving boards, was 4 feet deep at its shallowest and 12 feet deep at its deepest.  The gravity sand filtration system required a sub-ground level room that accommodated the pool pump, motor, electrical panels and sump.  The floor of this room was 12 feet below ground level, not including the sump area. 

The original facility was renovated in 1995, largely as a result of several failures of the sub-ground level sump allowing the lower room to fill with water after heavy rains.  These floods required significant down time and costly repairs to the pool motor and electrical panels.  The 1995 renovation converted the gravity sand filtration system to a high rate sand, bringing most of the mechanical and electrical components above ground, leaving only the sump to clear water from the lower room.  In addition to the filtration system upgrades, the campus installed a wood deck on the western edge of the facility grounds, removed the 3 meter diving board and constructed a shade structure – a structure that had a uniquely creative take on the ATM logo used by the University.  For the first time and to support newly required Kinesiology classes, this renovation installed a heater that would now allow the facility to operate year round. 

As the years would pass, the infrastructure of the pool began to deteriorate with significant leaks beginning to appear in plumbing located in the lower room.  In 2022, with funding support from a variety of sources, the campus leadership approved this project to completely replace the underground plumbing, remove and replace the high rate sand filtration system, resurface the entire swimming pool, add a wet teaching area as well as an on-deck shade structure to support dive classes, and construct a tanning ledge.  The project also replaces the existing deck with a raised concrete area.  Initial design also included a water slide on the west side, but that element was not included in construction.