The Junction City High School swimming teams practice at the Family YMCA because the school does not have its own pool.

A JCHS Steering Committee studying the issue of whether or not to build a new high school or renovate the existing facility, heard Thursday evening that the swim teams can’t host their own meets.

During discussion a member of the steering committee, Vic Davis, surfaced the idea of building a pool. He felt it would be a mistake to build a new high school without a competitive facility for swimming. “I think it’s an important piece of the project.” Davis noted his daughters were competitive swimmers at JCHS and there was no facility there. ” It was a challenge to find places to have meets and to get our kids to meets and to practice. And I think it would just be a big plus for our community to have a wonderful, competitive swimming center where our kids could learn to swim, and those who wanted to swim competitively could do that at home.” Davis added JCHS could host meets, have people visit the community, and show off the facility.

During discussion JCHS Athletic Director Matt Westerhaus noted it could be a community facility.

Committee Mark Edwards observed that JCHS loses 10 to 15 students per year to Manhattan High School because of the swimming program at that school.

The JCHS Steering Committee has received multiple concepts on a possible new and renovated high school facility. They will continue their work through the fall, and could possibly make a recommendation to the Board of Education in January.