MINNEAPOLIS - A long-awaited project is making a splash in Minneapolis.
On Tuesday, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) broke ground on the Phillips Aquatics Center in south Minneapolis. The aquatics center will be added to the existing Phillips Community Center.
When it opens in 2018, the center will be the MPRB's only indoor, year-round swimming facility.
The project, set to be completed in winter of 2017-2018, includes the restoration of a six-lane pool that's been closed since 2008. There will also be a new four-lane teaching pool.
"There were no public indoor facilities that people without means could learn how to swim," said Denny Bennett, board president of Minneapolis Swims. "I couldn't believe it."
At the groundbreaking, several speakers brought up how minority children drown at higher rates than white children. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that black children ages 5 to 19 drown in swimming pools at a rate more than five times that of white children.
"It's unfortunate that our Native American children, that our Latino children, and black children are unable to swim in the City of Lakes," said Minneapolis City Council Member Abdi Warsame.
The aquatics center is located in a diverse community. Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin added, "This is a celebration of this community. All of you who said we need to make sure that our kids can swim."
More information about the project is available online.