Virgil Elings was first in the water at the Elings Aquatic Center last week, surprising the crowd gathered to celebrate the completion of the project on the Dos Pueblos High School campus.

Elings, a physicist, philanthropist and major donor to the project, unexpectedly took the microphone for a “last remark” after scheduled speakers were finished and said, “Some of you may have thought you’d be first in the water, but I’ve got news for you.”

He then peeled off his shirt and pants and dove into the pool in trunks and a T-shirt, swimming most of the way across before turning back.

Penguinbot, the DP Robotics team’s competitive robot, threw some colorful life rings in the water with the help of its handlers.

A dive by DP graduate Garrett Smith signaled those waiting eagerly on the deck, ready to jump, that the pool was open to all comers.

While the pool is filled, it’s not yet open to the public. All inspections of the project are complete, said Dos Pueblos principal Mark Swanitz, and the facility has been turned over to the school, but a firm date for opening it to the public has not yet been set.

“We’re optimistic that in about six weeks we’ll be able to start having people from the community come enjoy the pool,” said Swanitz, who explained that the school wants to have staff manage and maintain it step-by-step for a while and schedule in the school’s needs first.

“Because of the tremendous community support,” Swanitz said, “we want to make it available as soon as possible.”

Elings’ demonstration reflected the buoyant mood at the gathering of more than 100 children and adults celebrating the culmination of seven years of planning, fund-raising and construction.

The driving force behind the Aquatic Center was the South Coast Community Aquatics Center, a nonprofit group formed by parents and community members to raise funds to enhance the $1.3 million in bond money set aside by the school district and $2.6 million in matching state funds available for replacement of the aging DP swimming pool. The organization raised an additional $2 million in contributions from throughout the community, including major donations from Elings and his former wife Betty Wells, the Santa Barbara Foundation and hundreds of smaller donations from individuals and families.

The goal of a 50-meter by 25-yard Olympic-size pool was in the minds of those working to raise the money; district and state funds were estimated to be enough for a much smaller, 25-meter by 25-yard pool.

Bids much higher than original estimates and the constantly increasing costs of building supplies threatened the project more than once.

“My feeling was we had to throw in enough so that it wouldn’t die,” Elings said of his second $500,000 contribution to the project and the $500,000 Wells contributed. “The real reason was to make sure it happened. I had a gut feeling that if it wasn’t done now it would never have been done.”

Swim lessons for all third-graders in the Goleta Union School District were a fundamental part of the SCCAC’s campaign; in 2006 the group established a program, with the support of the Santa Barbara Foundation, that started last school year in the UCSB pool. Plans to increase the scope of the third-grade swim program at the Elings Aquatic Center are in process.

In addition to the pool, the center includes outdoor showers, a scoreboard and timing system, a new pool building with restrooms, an office with full view of pool activities and storage space.

Members of the SCCAC are still in the fundraising mode, working to raiseenough money for bleachers to seat approximately 800. For more information about the aquatic center, go towww.elingsaquaticcenter.com.

Photo by Martha Lannan