Proposal for new Decorah/Luther Aquatics Center is dead

Current Luther swimming pool

Overlooked in the interest in the proposal for a $1.4 million Decorah softball diamond and soccer field recreational facility on land owned by Luther College has been the news that another proposed cooperative effort between the college and the community has been shelved.

At one point, a study committee had proposed an $8 million aquatics center on the Luther campus--a facility that could serve the needs of the the college, Decorah schools and the Decorah community.  But REPSI officials and Luther College representatives confirm the proposal has been shelved and is not expected to be resurrected.

That leaves the issue of a new Luther College swimming pool--a facility many college officials agree is sorely needed--squarely in the hands of the Luther Board of Regents. 

Luther College has NOT made any decision yet on allocating funds to a pool project, however Luther IS raising money toward this project.  The current swimming pool is a 25-yard, six-lane indoor pool.  The cost of a new swimming pool would be determined by how many lanes it had and just how many amenities it included.  Those specifics have not been determined yet, although school officials agree something needs to be done to create a new competitive style aquatic center.  Luther officials had discussed building a new swimming pool on property on the north side of the Regents Center, but with the collapse of the joint city-school-college proposal, even the location of a new swimming pool has not yet been determined.