Luther is considering building a new indoor aquatic center to replace the current pool in Regents Center. This would be a joint project with the City of Decorah and the Decorah School District. The center would be used for the Luther swim teams and Decorah swim teams, with an expanded pool for competitive meets and recreation for the community.

Luther is also looking at leasing land to the City of Decorah to build soccer and softball fields for the community. The land would be located near U.S. Highway 52 and Pole Line Road, on the northwest corner of Luther’s property.

President Richard Torgerson believes this land use will be a way for Luther to help the Decorah community grow.

“This will provide an opportunity for the college to give something back to the community,” said Torgerson.

This joint effort to work with the community on developing more options for recreation has been in the works for several years, and now all three parties are ready to commit. Torgerson mentioned that Luther was previously focused on the Valders addition and having the Union redone, and the city was in a debate over the East Side School. Now that these projects are done, the parties believe it is time to move forward.

“Now it is a most appropriate time for the college and the community,” said Torgerson. “There were many conversations in spring of 2007 that determined [the college and community] need an indoor swimming pool.”

Luther’s current indoor pool is not big enough to meet all the demands of a Luther swim team and the Decorah School District’s swim teams’ practices. It has also had several maintenance problems, and these factors led the college to believe a new pool is necessary.

The proposed location for the new pool is across the street from the current outdoor pool, on the corner of Ridge Road and College Drive. This would be convenient because it is college land that is accessible to the community as well.

“The aquatic center would be on Luther’s land,” said Torgerson. “The proposed place would take out a corner of Anderson Prairie.”

While there are no definitive plans for the center yet, the college has hired Performa, an architecture firm from the Twin Cities. Performa was in charge of the renovation of Dahl Centennial Union, Brandt Hall, Ylvisaker Hall and Olson Hall. The company will be on campus the week of March 17 to survey land and draw plans.

“They will hold community and campus focus groups to get input into this planning,” said Torgerson. “Then they will present the best location for the site.”

Mona Nelson, professor of accounting and management, is the Decorah school board president. She has a unique perspective as a mother of current Luther and former Decorah High School swimmers.

“The high school is not allowed to use the pools until Luther is done, which usually means practice around 8:30 p.m.,” said Nelson. “The school district needs to think of ways to continue to support swimming and how to provide facilities.”

This is when the idea of a joint new indoor pool for the community became feasible.

“Now we can talk about how all parties will have a role in the project,” said Nelson. “I think if we can design a positive joint effort, the community will be well-served.”

This will not only benefit the schools, but the larger community as well. The current options for water workouts for athletes and senior citizens are very limited due to the large demand on the Luther pool.

“Water aerobics and recreational workouts for health are good for the community,” said Nelson. “Decorah is a community that recruits active seniors that now have limited access to the pool.”

The land for soccer and softball fields is also important for the community. Because most of the parks have been preserved in their natural state, there is no flat area for fields.

“Soccer is a sport that has grown,” said Nelson. “There are no fields in town for soccer.”

Torgerson believes that developing that land is important, especially since so many people drive by on U.S. 52 and see Luther.

“I believe if we develop that land and do it well, it makes a strong statement that this is a progressive community,” said Torgerson. “I would hope that the city would do something with Pole Line Road, and that whole area could develop into something spectacular.”