BY STEPHEN LYNCH
It’s been a long time coming, but it was well worth the wait. For the first time in more than a century, the Kern High School District is soon going to have a new swimming pool to call its own.
The Kern High Aquatic Center, located directly adjacent to Independence High School, is scheduled to be completed at the end of October.
The state-of-the-art facility, built with 2016 Measure K general obligation bond funding, will be available for all KHSD schools to utilize for competitive events.
It will serve as a practice pool for as many schools as it can accommodate. That number during swim season will likely be between four and six according to KHSD Coordinator of Aquatics Catherine Lugo.
Currently, in order to be able to practice, all the schools in the KHSD must rent time in various pools around town.
“There was a real need for water on the west side of town and the district already owned the land,” KHSD Director of School Support Services Stan Greene said.
The main feature of the Kern High Aquatic Center will be its (25 yards by 50 meters) long course and short course competition pool. The pool’s shallow end is seven feet deep and meets all minimum depth requirements for CIF and USA Swimming competitions.
Because of that, it will be a single-use facility, used only by people with a swim background and for hosting CIF sanctioned meets and other regulated competitions. It will not be a learn-to-swim or recreational pool.
“This is going to be a marquee facility,” Greene said. “That thing takes your breath away when you see how big it is and how nicely it’s coming together. This pool is going to be a great thing for the district, and the kids, and the community.”
Lugo agrees. She foresees the pool presenting the opportunity for KHSD schools to develop competitive water polo programs. She also thinks it will be a great resource for local high school divers.
“Bakersfield is a hot spot for swimming and this is another resource for students,” Lugo said. “It’s going to be a huge asset to making sure we have a lot of water programs for the high school students.”
Lugo believes the new facility can serve as a resource to support the needs of the local swim community and grow our local swim programs.
“We have the resource now,” Lugo said. “So, it’s just going to be a matter of filling that vacuum of what needs we can meet…Eventually I think Bakersfield could be a very big swim name.”
For Greene, the new pool exemplifies the Kern High School District’s continuing commitment to the betterment of its students.
It’s been a long time coming, but it was well worth the wait. For the first time in more than a century, the Kern High School District is soon going to have a new swimming pool to call its own.
The Kern High Aquatic Center, located directly adjacent to Independence High School, is scheduled to be completed at the end of October.
The state-of-the-art facility, built with 2016 Measure K general obligation bond funding, will be available for all KHSD schools to utilize for competitive events.
It will serve as a practice pool for as many schools as it can accommodate. That number during swim season will likely be between four and six according to KHSD Coordinator of Aquatics Catherine Lugo.
Currently, in order to be able to practice, all the schools in the KHSD must rent time in various pools around town.
“There was a real need for water on the west side of town and the district already owned the land,” KHSD Director of School Support Services Stan Greene said.
The main feature of the Kern High Aquatic Center will be its (25 yards by 50 meters) long course and short course competition pool. The pool’s shallow end is seven feet deep and meets all minimum depth requirements for CIF and USA Swimming competitions.
Because of that, it will be a single-use facility, used only by people with a swim background and for hosting CIF sanctioned meets and other regulated competitions. It will not be a learn-to-swim or recreational pool.
“This is going to be a marquee facility,” Greene said. “That thing takes your breath away when you see how big it is and how nicely it’s coming together. This pool is going to be a great thing for the district, and the kids, and the community.”
Lugo agrees. She foresees the pool presenting the opportunity for KHSD schools to develop competitive water polo programs. She also thinks it will be a great resource for local high school divers.
“Bakersfield is a hot spot for swimming and this is another resource for students,” Lugo said. “It’s going to be a huge asset to making sure we have a lot of water programs for the high school students.”
Lugo believes the new facility can serve as a resource to support the needs of the local swim community and grow our local swim programs.
“We have the resource now,” Lugo said. “So, it’s just going to be a matter of filling that vacuum of what needs we can meet…Eventually I think Bakersfield could be a very big swim name.”
For Greene, the new pool exemplifies the Kern High School District’s continuing commitment to the betterment of its students.