The remaining money will go into renovations for the pool deck, locker rooms and lobby along with new building code requirements, Senior Vice President for Administration Mark Collins and Associate Vice President for Facilities Services Peter Shields said during a walk through at the pool.
Nearly all of the equipment in the basement, with many of the deteriorating pipes covered with rust, will be replaced, except for two filtration tanks that were recently installed will remain, Shields said.
The outer gutter along the perimeter of the pool will be replaced and locker rooms will be renovated with a small reduction in the number of lockers and removal of benches helping to create more space, Shields said.
Before the pool closed, swimming teams competed in three-meter diving but the curve of the pool made it unsafe. There was a switch to one-meter diving in order to make the competition safer. The depth of the pool, at 12 feet in the deep end, has always fulfilled safety regulations, Shields said.
The costs of the renovations, estimated at between $3 and $3.5 million will also create a need to fulfill new building codes, including an upgraded fire alarm system and handicap accessibility, Collins said.
Other updates will include new lighting and a softer texture on some of the walls in an attempt to reduce the echo sound effects, Shields said.
The pool has been closed since 2008, at which point the university suspended its swimming and diving teams. With the renovations, the teams will reopen for the 2012-2013 academic year and coaches will begin recruiting this summer.
Work on the pool will be finished by early 2012, Collins said.
In addition to the pool allocation, the board of trustees last week also approved a $6 million upgrade to the campus technology network.
