LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith says it was never a question of why, but the question of why not. Those were her words today at the groundbreaking of the Lima Community Aquatic Park. Our Holly Geaman has more on the project and what the community can expect at the state-of-the-art recreational facility.
"Breaking ground on the new Lima Community Aquatic Park is the culmination of over 5-years of work from a lot of people in this community," commented Mayor Sharetta Smith, City of Lima.
It was standing room only as those people came together as the City of Lima makes good on what the residents of Lima asked for. The mayor's "Better Together Plan" surveyed residents on what was important to them. Safe neighborhoods and better housing were at the top of the list along with more recreational opportunities.
"We're just trying to make sure that we have better quality of life not only in our housing stock but also in our facilities and our goods and services here in our community," said Jamie Dixon, president of Lima City Council.
The 11.6 million dollar facility will house nearly 20,000 square feet of aquatic fun. Two pools, a slide, a pool house and a refreshment area. A place for people to gather and enjoy themselves.
"And what we're doing today is going to serve our community, adults, children, teens for decades and generations to come," stated Howard Elstro, former Lima Public Works Director.
What the facility will also provide is space for area swim teams. Giving them more lanes to practice in, the ability to hold additional meets and more.
"We just think it will be a big way to attract new swimmers to our school and to really get the Lima Swim Team to be recognized by other swimmers and overall just a big step for the team," said Christian Ackerman, co-captain of the Lima Swim Team.
And not only a big step for the swim team but also a big step for the Lima City Schools as they plan to use the pool for education classes.
"We see a large benefit in the ability to integrate swim education into our health and wellness curriculum. Many, many of our students are not exposed to water, do not know how to swim. So first and foremost we see the safety piece," stated Jill Ackerman, superintendent of Lima City Schools.
Dirt has already been moved at the site east of Stadium Park, and they expect it to take about a year to complete. Residents could be swimming by late summer of 2025. You can view Friday's livestream of the groundbreaking ceremony at https://www.facebook.com/CityofLimaOH/videos/1044069843339663
