Dive in, residents of Mitchell.
A new indoor swimming pool for the city is really gaining momentum, and now it has a probable location determined.
The Mitchell City Council on Monday voted 6-2 in favor taking steps toward building the pool at the city's existing city-owned Recreation Center. The Council chose the Rec Center over the site of the future Dakota Wesleyan University wellness center, which was the only other location seriously considered.
The pool's future location is not finalized because the Council needs to ask the Mitchell Board of Education to transfer the ownership of enough land near the Rec Center to build the pool, as well as give the city permission to move ahead with planning the pool before the ownership of the land is transferred. All of that sounds probable, and we're happy to hear that.
Since it was a one-or-the-other approach, we feel the Council made the right decision with the location of the pool.
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Once the Council chose to pull funding from the second phase of the Corn Palace renovation project and put those funds toward building a pool, we had concerns about its location.
We heard some good reasons it should be attached to the future DWU wellness center, such as its visibility along Interstate 90, where Mitchell is absolutely booming with construction.
Imagine how easily accessible it would be for parents coming from out of town to a swim meet in Mitchell for the first time, and all they would need to do is find the college.
We were concerned about how much control of the pool DWU would have. How often would its athletes use it for training and health purposes, and how much would that deter the city's residents from using it? Surely those athletes would take some availability.
We know if the pool is built next to the city-run Mitchell Rec Center, it will be operated with the interests of the city's residents in mind. Swimming lessons, open swim and swimming meets will surely be considered first, rather than checking schedules with the college to see if its athletes would be using the facility.
We also know its location in north Mitchell will essentially force visitors coming to town for a swim meet to drive past Main Street businesses and the Corn Palace. A new building in the downtown corridor will also help spruce up an area that otherwise looks outdated compared to the booming part of Mitchell near the interstate.
Ultimately, we feel this city-owned pool needs to make a major splash in the community, especially since it took priority over the second phase of the Corn Palace project.
Its biggest splash will come at the Rec Center, where it will benefit more of the city's residents and strengthen our downtown.
