UF students seeking a typical Gainesville pool party may not have to look further than their own backyard in the near future, though it could come at a cost.
University officials, organizations and architecture firm RDG Planning and Design have conducted a series of workshops over the last few months to construct a master plan for the remodeling of the Broward-area pool.
Plans include an elevated leisure pool with a lazy river, a drop slide, waterfalls and a simulated surfing attraction.
"We think it would be a place where UF students would be able to come together and relax and get involved," said David Bowles, director of UF RecSports.
According to Jonathan Martin, the landscape architect on the project, the pool area would offer experiences similar to those found at apartment complexes around town.
Inter-Residence Hall Association president Severin Walstad, who originally proposed the idea for the new pool, said in a June Student Senate meeting that he hopes to use already-existing funds for the project, rather than increase student fees.
Walstad said most of the pools are used as fitness pools.
A survey sent to students over the summer received more than 2,400 responses, and about 80 percent of those responses favored the idea of such a pool.
In July, Martin and his associates met with officials from RecSports, IRHA, IFC and the Panhellenic Council to review the survey results and discuss the project.
They are still in the logistics phase of the design.There is no estimated cost for the construction, and the university hasn't received any new funding.
"It's all up in the air right now," Bowles said. "There are a number of ways for money to build up for something like this. If it has to involve student fees, students will be involved in the decision."
UF environmental science sophomore Candace Spencer likes the idea of such a pool but has concerns about the expenses.
"I appreciate the effort they are putting into making the pool nicer for residents," Spencer said. "I wonder, though, if the money isn't better used somewhere else."
A sign outside the Broward Pool reads that the pool will reopen on Monday, Aug. 22, for the fall semester. Architects have created designs for the remodel of the Broward-area pool, which include improvements such as a lazy river.
