A renovation project is currently underway for the natatorium, a competitive area for swimming, in the University of Memphis recreation center.
U of M President M. David Rudd said the renovation will cost $10 million and will take 18 months to complete.
“That will be done entirely with private funds,” Rudd said. “The students will not be paying for that, but [they] will have full access to it.”
Rudd also said the university was “confident” it would be able to raise the money for the natatorium, considering how the administration has raised over $96 million of private funds in the last three years alone.
The renovation will include a new roof and upgraded air conditioning ,as well as other parts of the current recreational center, Rudd said.
“This [project] will also present the opportunity if we ever wanted to add a swimming and diving team,” Rudd said.
The natatorium is used by Memphis Tiger Swimming, a club team for all ages, U of M students and faculty and Splash Mid-South, a program that provides swim lessons to underserved, at-risk youth in Memphis.
In a press release Jan. 19, Rudd said he met with Mike Rose, a local businessman and philanthropist, before he passed away and said he believes he is accomplishing something Rose would have wanted.
Rudd also said he is excited to make Rose’s vision come true, and the upgraded natatorium will be named in his honor.
Rudd said the natatorium was not in the original design for the new recreational center. However, in order to keep tuition where it is, the rec center had to change from its original renderings.
The university will be designating a significant portion of the maintenance money that is received from the state of Tennessee every year to upgrade the facility.
The administration anticipates that it will take nearly a decade to pay off the $8 million they still owe on the current rec center, so the new approach has been to keep the building around and add the natatorium.
With private funds covering the natatorium costs and maintenance funds covering the rec center renovation costs, students will get to reap the benefits of the new facilities without taking a financial hit.
“One of the things I am not going to do is tear down buildings that aren’t paid for, then raise your tuition,” Rudd said. “I think that’s pretty reasonable, but not everyone has agreed with me.”
University of Memphis President M. David Rudd tweeted this graphic on Jan. 22 of the plans for updating the natatorium in the Recreational Center. The space will allow for better swimming instruction at the university.
