The original aquatic facility was a 25 meter pool that served both Edgewood High School and West Covina High School.  In addition, the City of West Covina utilized this pool as a municipal pool, open to the public.  This high-traffic, shared facility posed several challenges – with not only the two high school swim teams, but visiting school swim teams and local community members.

With size, capability, and facility flexibility driving the design development, an Olympic-grade 25 yard x 52.5 meter Myrtha Pool was installed on the original site.  The addition of a movable bulkhead allows the pool to be split into 2 separate pools, thus creating space for multiple activities or events to be hosted simultaneously.  Upgraded and secure locker rooms for both the home and visiting teams were also incorporated into the new facility, allowing multiple groups to have dedicated spaces during the day’s use.

Part of the vision for this facility was the ability to host future athletic events, such as Olympic trials and national swimming competitions.  With this new aquatic complex in place, District athletes can thrive and grow, taking advantage of the professional-grade facility and having exposure to the elite athletes at the Olympic level visit their pool.

Keeping in mind the high costs associated with operating an aquatic facility, many sustainable features were incorporated into this facility to offset operating costs.  Heating a pool of this size takes a lot of energy, so thermal panels were installed on top of the spectator shade structures that surround the pool.  The ability to keep the pool open year-round at an adequate temperature by using thermal heat presents the District with a lot of energy savings.

This facility also hosts key CTE (Career Technical Education) Programs. Kinesiology, the study of the mechanics of body movement, is housed next to the pool – and is able to utilize the facility for water-based therapy and movement studies.  A weightlifting room next to the Kinesiology classroom gives athletes and students easy access to training equipment.  Overall, the available amenities for both athletics and education on this site can easily rival many community colleges – if not universities – within the state and beyond.

In addition to a world-class aquatic facility, the opportunity to create a gateway for the District’s athletic programs was also realized.  The new complex serves as a hub for the track and field complex, baseball and football fields, and the newly renovated basketball courts – as well as concessions and event parking for the District.  The front entrance brings a stunning visual landmark to the District and the community it serves.