Date announced for Frances Meadows opening

GAINESVILLE - Gainesville City Council Tuesday morning heard a projected opening date for the Frances Meadows Center.

Parks and Recreation Director Melvin Cooper told the council Saturday, Aug. 30 is the planned opening date for Gainesville's biggest public recreation project ever.

Cooper said the $12 million aquatic and community center could open in advance for targeted groups to prepare for the grand public opening.

"Those would be small groups that would come into the facility, the Boys and Girls Club, those kind of groups," Cooper said. "This would give the staff an opportunity to look at operational issues without being overwhelmed with a large number of crowds."

Frances Meadows includes a state of the art swimming facility with four pools and a community center next to the new Gainesville Middle School still under construction.

Cooper said previously the center will have regional impact with its two indoor and two outdoor pools and would accommodate nearly 1,000 people a day.