Timeline and details rolled out for $20M Natatorium renovation

Indiana University officials on Tuesday are rolling out the timeline and details for improvements of the IUPUI Natatorium.

Tom Morrison, IU’s vice president of capital planning and facilities, will be in Indianapolis to lead a media tour and answer questions about the $20 million project. The renovation will be done in five phases, with the first phase beginning March 30 and the fifth phase ending Dec. 30, 2016.

Critical renovations, according to IU officials will include an enhanced interior design and widening of the diving tower. Also the roof, heating and cooling system, pool deck, filtration system, lighting and skylights will be replaced. New bulkheads and starting blocks will be installed as well as doors, windows and drywall in the east and west concourses. Also as part of the project, the pro shop will be expanded and the locker rooms will be modernized. Other mechanical repairs will be made as well, school officials added.

The dates of the phases are as follows:

Phase I: March 30 to July 17, 2015
Phase II: Aug. 10 to Oct. 30, 2015
Phase III: November 2015 to March 17, 2016
Phase IV: March 22 to May 20, 2016
Phase V: Aug. 8 to Dec. 30, 2016

Parts of the Natatorium will be closed during parts of the renovations.

During the renovation, the Indiana Sports Corp. is scheduled to host several major events at the facility, which has a long history of hosting major national and international swim competitions.

Among the events set to take place at the Natatorium during the renovation are the Duel in the Pool December 11-12, 2015; the 2015 USA Diving Winter National Championships Dec. 15-20; NCAA Div. II swimming and diving championships March 8-12, 2016; and the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Diving taking place over the course of eight days during June, 2016.

The competition pool and diving well renovation will begin during the first phase. The Natatorium, according to IUPUI officials, will reopen in November for normal business until March of 2016 when the third phase of the project will begin. The main competition pool and diving well will not reopen for regular usage until after the USA Diving Team Trials in 2016.

For more information on Natatorium schedules and closings click here.

Opened in 1982 and still considered one of the fastest pools in the country, the Natatorium is a 220,000-square-foot facility with an eight-lane, 50-meter competition pool; a six-lane, 50-meter teaching and training pool and a world-class diving well. The venue holds 4,700 spectators with another 1,500 people on the deck, which makes the IU Natatorium the largest permanent swimming competition facility in the country.