Celebration Marks Opening Of S.C. Johnson Aquatic Center

RACINE, WI — A celebration held Wednesday commemorates the grand opening of the S.C. Johnson Community Aquatic Center, the first aquatic center to be developed in Racine County, located in Racine's Pritchard Park. The Aquatic Center is funded by a $6.5 million donation from S.C. Johnson, and will open to the public June 2.

"When the weather is warm, outdoor swimming pools offer families a safe and enjoyable way to cool down and have fun," said Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO of S.C. Johnson in a prepared statement. "S.C. Johnson has always been committed to helping improve lives where we live and work, and today's celebration is another milestone in that effort."

The pool will officially open to the public June 2, with select times for group programming in the morning and open swim beginning at 1 p.m. Information about membership, daily fees, hours of operation and aquatic programs can be found online at www.ymcaracine.org.

Fisk Johnson is joined by Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave, CEO of the Racine Family YMCA Jeff Collen and U.S. Olympic swimmer and gold medalist Cullen Jones at Wednesday's celebration, where safety around water will be emphasized.

Jones will speak at the event, sharing his personal story of nearly drowning when he was 5 years old. He soon thereafter enrolled in swimming lessons, forever changing the course of his life and eventually becoming a four-time Olympic medalist in swimming.

"Competence around water doesn't always comes naturally," said Jones. "But with swim lessons and a safe pool to practice in, anyone can become a more confident swimmer. The new SC Johnson Community Aquatic Center will provide Racine-area youth a place where they can hone their swimming skills and embrace safety around water."

The S.C. Johnson Community Aquatic Center will be managed by the Racine Family YMCA and offers families affordable access to a wide variety of swim lessons and water safety education programs.

In addition to group programming, extensive swim lessons and lap swim times, the facility offers many additional amenities that people of all ages can enjoy.

The aquatic center has two separate swimming pools, a lap pool with eight lanes and an activity pool, and has nearly 14,000 total square feet of water surface.

Additional special pool features include water slides, a water play structure, a water spray feature and a zero-depth pool for young children.

The facility also has shaded lounge areas, a concession stand which is run and managed by the Racine Young Leaders Academy, a multipurpose room, and dedicated parking facilities.

Submitted Photo, Published With Permission