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Nonprofits plan to build 135-acre Inclusive Recreation Center

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Wilmington Aquatic Center and Access of Wilmington held an informational session on building plans for an Aquatic and Recreational space on Saturday.

The facility will offer sports and fitness programs in hopes of increasing the health, safety, and quality of life of residents.

The space will also have a large 50-meter Olympic-sized pool and they’ll offer swimming lessons. The facility will give those with mental or physical disabilities an opportunity to learn water safety. This is especially important due to high statistics like drowning being the leading cause of death for young children and individuals with autism.

During the informational session, Kathleen Baker who is a gold and Silver Olympic medalist, shared a testimony on the importance of having access to resources like the ones offered in this proposed facility.

Baker got her start in competitive swimming in Winston Salem, North Carolina and with her parent’s help she was able to swim for the gold.

“I begged my parents to drive me every day to Charlotte, sometimes twice a day, getting up at four in the morning to get me to morning practice. They both had full-time jobs, it was such an incredible sacrifice. But that was to give me access to swim in an Olympic-sized pool”, says Kathleen Baker.

Baker says without that access to the pool the trajectory of her swimming career would be different.

Now those living in the Wilmington area can have the same opportunity.

Baker also says a large pool is needed when living in a large coastal town.

“We need a bigger aquatic center that can house many people so we can have every kid in Wilmington learn how to swim,” says Baker.

This project is set to open in 2028 around the same time the next Olympics will take place in America.

It’s something Baker believes can spark a movement in the Wilmington Facility and lead to more future Olympians like herself.

“I think that inspiration and seeing this facility and being around the Olympics is going to inspire so many young swimmers to get in the pool, learn how to swim, and join a swim team, and really be a part of the community in that way,” says Baker.

Leaders on the project say the location can also lead to this place being popular among locals and tourists.

“This particular Olsen Farm Recreation village will be an amazing development structure that will bring in people from all over the country,” says Paula Crozier, Executive director of Access of Wilmington.

According to a release from ACCESS of Wilmington, the Olsen Farm Recreation Village is planned to be built on Olsen Farm, which is adjacent to Murrayville Road and I-40.

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