With the passage of a multimillion dollar bond issue, a new aquatic center is planned to be built in Lenexa. The construction of the new center will be near where the new Lenexa Recreation Center will be built, as part of the new Civic Center at 87th Street Parkway and Penrose Lane, west of Renner Boulevard.

Earlier this year, SMSD officials had indicated that they wanted to place the new state-of-the-art aquatics center, approved by voters as part of a $223 million bond issue, near Shawnee Mission South. The new center would consist of a 50-meter competition pool and diving wells for use by each of the district’s five high schools.

“I’m looking forward to the bigger pools,” senior Elena Kernen, an SMS swimmer, said. “The one’s at South are kind of small.”

The original plan was to build the center inside Shawnee Mission South’s SMESL (Shawnee Mission Environmental Science Laboratory)–a 22-acre fenced site adjacent to the school at 107th St. and Nall Avenue featuring prairie, woodlands, a pond and stream– however, some people did not agree with this plan.

“I’m not anti-Aquatic Center,” South’s Environmental ED teacher PJ Born said. “I’m just pro-SMESL.”

After a bit of discussion between the officials, Hinson announced that the center was planned to be built in the empty lot behind the football field.  But this also did not bode well with some people, and eventually it was proposed to be built with the new Lenexa Recreation Center, much to the delight of people at Shawnee Mission South. However, there has been no official decision. A contract still needs to be signed to finalize everything.
The majority of the community has responded well to the possibility of the new center. This is to be expected, however. Shawnee Mission South principal Todd Dain said that whenever something new is built, it often receives positive feedback from people.