Construction on a new indoor Aquatics Center in Foley is expected to begin once final construction plans are completed, marking a major expansion of year-round recreational opportunities for swimmers and local swim programs.

The facility will be built at Max Griffin Park on West Roosevelt Avenue near the city's outdoor swimming pool, which has served Foley residents since 1953. The existing pool will remain open during construction.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the new center will allow residents, children and swim teams to use the facility throughout the year instead of being limited by seasonal operations and weather conditions. He noted that some local swim teams have had to train elsewhere when conditions prevented use of the city's outdoor pool.

"We're going from a Memorial Day to the start of school facility to a year-round center that more meets the needs of our citizens," Hellmich said. "It's time we had this in Foley."

City officials hope to seek construction bids later this year. Once work begins, the project is expected to take about 18 months to complete.

Swimming continues to grow in popularity in Foley, according to David Thompson, the city's executive director of leisure services. He said participation in city swim teams has increased in recent years.

"We've had over 100 kids for the last couple of years," Thompson said. "We have a great swim coach, so we have a lot of momentum around aquatics right now."

Plans for the Aquatics Center have been under development for several years. During a series of public meetings, residents shared ideas and priorities for the facility.

One of the most frequently requested features was the inclusion of two indoor pools. Thompson said those requests were incorporated into the final design.

"They wanted a therapy pool and they wanted a competition pool, and that's what we have," Thompson said. "That's a great idea because if one of those two pools gets shut down, we can still continue business. Today, if that happens, we're done for the day."

The center will include both a therapy pool and a competition pool, providing flexibility for programming and reducing disruptions if one pool is temporarily unavailable.

The project also includes new outdoor restrooms that will replace the facilities currently serving the outdoor pool.

After the indoor Aquatics Center opens, the existing pool will be removed and replaced with a different amenity. Hellmich said proposals for the site include a splash pad or a pavilion.