Situated directly adjacent to the site of Rhodes Intermediate School and Jackson Middle School, which is currently under construction, Forney ISD’s new Aquatic Center will house an apparel shop and waiting area, 11 swim lanes in a 7-12- foot pool, 2 diving boards, 4 swim lanes in a 4-foot pool that can offer learn-to-swim programs for students, and the capacity to eventually offer water aerobics to the community. Through a valuable partnership, Metroplex Aquatics will manage and run the new facility at no cost to the district.
The good news about the associated cost doesn’t stop there, though. “This is something [the school board] has been trying to do for a long time. They found a way to be really conservative and put some resources together,” Superintendent Dr. Terry said at the April 13th groundbreaking. “What we’re about to break ground on today, we’re going to pay cash for as a district. There will be no bill at the end.”
The FISD Aquatic Center was made possible by the approval of voters during the November 2019 bond election. Amazingly, FISD’s website states that, “To repay the bond, the district tax rate will not go up. In fact, the Forney ISD tax rate was actually lowered to $1.47 in September 2019 and remained at $1.47 even with the passage of the bond.”
This long-awaited facility will provide practice space for the award-winning swim and dive athletes from Forney High School and North Forney High School, allowing the student-athletes to hone their skills at home rather than travel to nearby cities for practices. Between both schools, these accomplished athletes have won 9 district championships, 12 second-place finishes, multiple academic all-state awards, and many other accomplishments since 2008 when the program was established.
“We are so proud of the support of our community and the vision of our school board,” Dr. Terry said. The facility, being built by Gallagher Construction, is scheduled to be completed by 2022.
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