Winter l Spring 61
A New Year, a New Look to Clearwater’s
Long Center Aquatic Center
Out with the old, and in with the new! The
Doyle Aquatic Center at Clearwater’s Long
Center is more bright and beautiful than
ever after undergoing a $1 million makeover
last year. The pools closed in June 2017 and reopened six
months later in November. Upgrades were made below and
above the pools, which included new hydrazzo decking, new
tiling, pool resurfacing, new LED lighting and pump room/
mechanical upgrades. Visitors will also find newly added
family changing rooms, separate from the existing locker
rooms.
“We feel this renovation has taken us at the Long Center
from good to great,” recreation supervisor Richard Auskalnis
said. “This allows us to offer the best facility possible to the
citizens of Clearwater.”
The renovations are not only important to members and
athletes who use the pools to train and for competition, but
they also are used to teach young people of all ages lifesaving
swim lessons. All beginning swim lessons are only $10
per session; the city believes that cost should not be a barrier
when it comes to preventing drowning, the leading cause of
death among children ages 1-4 in Florida.
Since opening in 1990, the Long Center has provided more
My Clearwater
than 29,000 swim lessons. “We want to save lives,” Auskalnis
said. “Living in a water state makes it incredibly important
that we educate all our youth on water safety. Being
affordable is essential to our mission, as we do not want to
exclude anyone from the opportunity to learn how to swim.”
The 150,000-square-foot Long Center has defined “unique”
in the many different services, programs and activities
offered at the facility. The center was created by private
citizens with a mission to provide a centrally located
recreational and educational facility in Clearwater. For more
than 25 years, the Long Center has gone above and beyond
in fulfilling its mission. In 2012, the facility was gifted to the
city of Clearwater by the Long Center Foundation.
The campus is also home to Clearwater for Youth, the
Clearwater Aquatics Team, the Aging Well Center and
ARC Tampa Bay. Each of these organizations plays an
important role in Clearwater and surrounding communities.
“Participants and residents should expect to see a clean stateof
the-art facility with a warm, welcoming staff ready to
accommodate all of their recreation needs,” Auskalnis said.
For information about the Long Center, go to
myclearwaterparks.com.