Indoor pool opens just in time

$21 million complex to serve upcounty

Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2005

Click here to enlarge this photo Rachael Golden⁄The Gazette Mark Kuhn of Poolesville was one of the first in the new Germantown indoor pool Tuesday.

The 62,000-square-foot center welcomed swimmers to its purple and green interior, highlighted by blue. Lots of blue.

Nine lifeguards will watch over three pools totaling 890,000 gallons of water.

‘‘I think we are going to be inundated with people,” said recreation supervisor Pam Ambrose. ‘‘There is no other facility like this close by.”

It is the only indoor swim center in the upcounty

This will be a plus for a young, sports-oriented community like Germantown, she said.

Mark Kuhn of Poolesville was one of the first to use the new pools Tuesday. He is a letter carrier with the U.S. Postal Service who makes his deliveries driving a truck.

The walking he saves for the pool. Until Tuesday, his daily exercise routine involved a commute to the pool at his sister’s house in Leesburg, Va., for a 90-minute water walk.

He said the new facility in Germantown is going to be ‘‘a lot more convienent.”

Another plus for area swimmers will be the all-day availability of lap swimming. At any time there will be three to 17 lanes open, Ambrose said.

Swimming lessons for adults and children begin Jan. 2 and range from $43 to $54. Water fitness classes also begin Jan. 2 and cost $48 for nine sessions.

The center won’t offer a full range of classes at first so staff can gauge interest and make sure there are enough instructors, Ambrose said.

The diving opportunities at the Germantown swim center are unique, she added.

‘‘There is a lot more programming and a lot more opportunities as far as diving,” she said.

This summer, it will be one of two swim centers offering the Aqua Sports Camp for children ages six to 12. Registration for that program begins in January.

The center is expected to serve 600 to 800 people daily from Germantown, Boyds, Clarksburg, Damascus, Darnestown, North Potomac and Poolesville. High school swim teams will practice at the facility.

This winter, there will be several swimming and diving meets at the facility, and spectators are welcome.