Splashing success: St. Vrain Valley Schools officially opens new pool

Just days after her grand finale at the Class 4A state swim and dive championships, Niwot standout Mary Codevilla found herself in the spotlight once again. On Feb. 16, the seven-time individual champion was a featured speaker at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly completed Aquatics Center of St. Vrain Valley Schools, a facility she called "absolutely amazing."

"I know all of the swimmers in the district are extremely thankful to be able to swim in this pool, especially with the limited amount of pool space in the Boulder County area in recent years," she said. "This new pool is an amazing opportunity for the district to continue to excel, as well as come together and show the rest of the state what the St. Vrain Valley athletes are capable of in the sport of swimming and diving."

Construction crews broke ground on the 13,200 square-foot facility a little over 12 months ago, and finished up in December 2021, with total costs coming in at around $8.75 million. Located next to Silver Creek High (4901 Nelson Road., Longmont), the center features an eight-lane competition pool, a diving well, and seating for up to 120 spectators. It will serve as home practice and competition pool for eight high school swim and dive programs in the district, and will also serve athletes undergoing physical therapy.

But the new facility is for much more than athletics, SVVSD board president Joie Siegrist said during her remarks to the crowd. Now, the district can also offer students "a rigorous and robust portfolio of academic co-curricular and extracurricular opportunities."

"It will be an instructional site for new courses, a place of innovation for underwater robotics teams, and a place of partnership with our community to increase opportunities for all," she said.

For SVVSD superintendent Dr. Don Haddad, athletic achievement often goes hand-in-hand with academic achievement, making the new "state-of-the-art" aquatics center a worthwhile investment in the future, well beyond the boundaries of the district.

"One of the things that I know about athletics, is that our students develop leadership, teamwork, the ability to set lofty goals and overcome obstacles, and persevere with something throughout an entire year," he said during the ceremony. "They are developing lifelong skills that will make them future leaders of the country."

Also on hand at the ceremony were SVVSD Director of Athletics, Activities & Fine Arts Chase McBride,, representatives from the SVVSD school board, executives from contractor FCI Constructors, Inc., and Niwot swim coaches Kyle Bachrodt and Aimee Keronen. Silver Creek swim and dive coach Debbie Stewart, who led the Raptors to a state championship in 2021, did the honors with the big scissors, and then swimmers from the district's eight programs dove to swim the first "official" laps.