- March 5, 2025
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Paul Messal said it is not hyperbole to say a 50-meter pool in East County will be life changing for his family.
He and his wife, Jennifer, were front and center for Manatee County’s groundbreaking ceremony for the Athletics and Aquatics Center at Premier Sports Campus North Jan. 30.
The project was first discussed in 2017 by Schroeder-Manatee Ranch when it sold the property to Manatee County. Part of the agreement was that an aquatics center would be built within five years.
The Messals’ daughter Reese was 9 years old then. Now, she’s 17. Before buying her a car at 16, her parents had to carefully consider gas mileages and safety features.
Reese Messal is a competitive swimmer for the Tsunami Swim Team. She drives back and forth on Interstate 75 from Greyhawk Landing to Sarasota’s Arlington Park six days a week, sometimes twice a day, to practice in the 50-meter pool.
She won’t benefit from the new pool at Premier, but her little brother Cooper is still a freshman.
The center is slated to open by late summer or fall 2026.
“It’s a game changer for us and many (Tsunami Swim Team families),” Paul Messal said. “It will absolutely affect our week-to-week life.”
In addition to a 50-meter pool, the 44,000-square-foot athletics center will feature a therapy pool, 24 pickleball courts, restrooms, locker rooms and walking trails.
Pickleball courts are another amenity East County residents have been asking for since the property was purchased. The only other public courts are at Lakewood Ranch Park, but there are only six, which is not enough to hold a tournament.
The Lakewood Ranch Pickleball Club has to host its Sandhill Classic tournament at G.T. Bray Park, where there are 20 courts.
But the center is not only catering to competitive athletes. Commissioner Bob McCann said it will feature programs that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, so the entire community can enjoy the amenities.
Jennifer Messal was a swim instructor. From a safety standpoint, she’s glad all East County kids will have access to a place where they can learn to swim.
The county planned to have this center built by 2022, according to its agreement with SMR.
County staff said the focus shifted north to the Lincoln Aquatic Center in Palmetto, then the pandemic hit.
Commissioner George Kruse said it’s also a simple case of too many opinions. From the first design in 2021, the project has spanned three different boards.
Kruse defended the county, too, as he pointed his finger to the Lakewood Ranch Library on the other side of the parking lot.
“That didn’t exist when I got on the board (in 2020),” he said. “Things did happen.”
Plans for the athletic center underwent several revisions, and it wasn’t just commissioners who offered input. Local swim teams also helped to shape the county’s plans.
When staff originally proposed a 25-meter pool in 2021, the teams banned together and started a petition that asked commissioners for a 50-meter pool.
Plans to include the original 25-meter pool, plus a 50-meter pool with diving boards and a therapy pool were presented to commissioners and the public in April 2023. The racket side of the center included an additional 14 hard-surface tennis courts, and the parking lot accommodated 500 cars.
The price had ballooned from $18.4 million to $39 million. Just four months later, the plans were 30% complete and the estimated cost was up to $42 million.
Staff told commissioners in December 2023 that cuts were necessary.
The 25-meter pool and tennis courts were nixed. The locker rooms and pool deck were scaled back, and the parking lot shrank from 500 spaces to 166.
The 50-meter pool and 24 pickleball courts, 14 of which will be covered, remained.
In December, the county executed a contract with Tandem Construction to complete the project within 567 calendar days at a maximum price of $44,228,316.60.
McCann said the day’s groundbreaking was just the start for the recreation complex.
“(Commissioners) had a briefing this morning, and (staff) is already talking about expanding this park,” he said.
The most recent plans for the overall park include a substation for the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.
