Photo Credit: Craig Younger, City of Chandler
After several years of planning, the city of Chandler, Ariz., unveiled its new state-of-the-art Mesquite Groves Aquatic Center in July 2008. Operated jointly with the Chandler Unified School District (CUSD), the facility made a big impact in its first full year of operation by providing year-round classes, programs and events to more than 190,000 visitors.
Located adjacent to Basha High School, the city’s sixth aquatic center is the first phase of a 100-acre community park that will be developed in coming years. When the site was selected and the facility was designed, the main objective was to extend the hours of public swimming while maximizing taxpayer dollars.
“Mesquite Groves Aquatic Center is a unique joint-use facility that operates under an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the Chandler Unified School District,” says Sheri Passey, Chandler Aquatics Superintendent. “The IGA determines priority use, reimbursable expenses, liability and other details. The facility’s layout provides the district access to the competition pool for conducting physical-education classes during school hours, while also allowing the city to operate it year-round and remain open to the public during school hours to offer residents a range of classes and programs, regardless of the season.”