Aquatic Center Opens with a Splash

Amid the buzz of youth soccer, a huge credit union car sale, weekend classes and myriad other campus activities, Miramar College and the City of San Diego Park and Recreation Department officially celebrated the opening of the Ned Baumer Aquatic Center on Saturday, Nov. 6, 1999.

Highlights of the grand opening included craft booths and entertainment provided by the Mira Mesa Park and Recreation Department, brief comments from VIPs, an “inaugural swim” by athletes Anne Herman and Alison Terry and members of the San Diego Tsunami Swim Club, demonstrations by the SDSU Aztecs and Scripps Ranch High School women’s water polo teams, the Pacific Coast Conference men’s and women’s water polo championships, open swim and free mini beachballs for all in attendance.

As one of her first duties as the new president at Miramar College, Pat Keir officially welcomed guests to the afternoon festivities.

The new swimming pool complex is named after Ned Baumer, a varsity swimmer in his college days and former Mira Mesa Community Planning Group member who was instrumental in planning its design and financing. Baumer, who died of a brain tumor in 1997, was a Navy aviator who completed two tours of duty in Vietnam and then became a real estate developer. He was a competitive swimmer at the University of Southern California and was active in fund raising for the Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation.

The $4.5 million Aquatic Center, which includes a competition pool, recreation/multipurpose pool and tot pool, is the largest such facility in San Diego County. Almost eight years ago, a joint use agreement (shared cost/shared use) between the City of San Diego and the San Diego Community College District outlined three phases for Hourglass Field Community Park, a 32-acre athletic complex to be located on the southwest corner of the college campus (Black Mountain Road and Gold Coast Drive), designed to serve college students and area residents.

Phase one, completed three years ago, includes soccer, softball and baseball athletic fields, sand volleyball, a community park, refreshment center and play areas. The ballfields are lighted for night use.

The aquatic center, phase two, includes a 25-meter x 25-yard competition pool to be used for instruction and competition. Planned activities will include swimming instruction, WSI (Water Safety Instruction) for lifeguards, water polo, swim team competition, diving and scuba. The pool features a portable handicap lift for disabled access. The recreation/multipurpose pool measures 40’ x 70’ and will be primarily used for recreation, lap swimming, instruction, water aerobics and features a large slide. The tot pool, 35’ x 70’ and zero depth to 18” features a kid-sized “clam slide,” buckets on a mechanized system that randomly spill water, and a climbing structure. The new complex also includes shower/locker rooms, first aid room, equipment storage, offices, restrooms, changing areas and a community room.

Phase three, expected to cost $4-6 million, will include a 40,000-square foot fieldhouse/gymnasium, outdoor basketball courts and running tracks.