Justin Cook | The Roanoke Times

The $14.5 million, 52,000-square-foot Christiansburg Aquatic Center, which has been in planning phases since 2004, is on pace to open this spring.

File 2008

Louis Moles works on the Christiansburg Aquatic Center in January 2008.

The Roanoke Times | File 2008

In August, the aquatic center's opening was moved from January to the spring.

The Roanoke Times | File 2008

Les Green (right) directs Donnie Keith to put cement bricks onto the construction platform in June.

Christiansburg leaders took their first look this week at the business plan for the new aquatics center, which includes the projected admissions prices, business hours and operational costs.

The business plan, prepared by Director of Aquatics Terry Caldwell, was given to Christiansburg officials Tuesday. The plan is preliminary and summarizes the purpose and uses of the center, how it will be marketed, the projected budget, expenses and pricing. Christiansburg Town Council members and other relevant parties must now work together to finalize the business plan.

The $14.5 million aquatics center, which has been in planning phases since 2004, is on pace to open this spring. The two-story, 52,000-square-foot facility will house three pools and space for such things as recreational swimming, children's birthday parties and Atlantic Coast Conference and other swimming meets.

Caldwell's plan estimates it will need a $1.3 million operating budget for the first year -- 71 percent of the budget will go toward personnel and benefits, 20 percent toward utilities and chemicals and 9 percent for supplies.

Caldwell said the need for lifeguards and other employees makes it important to reserve such a large portion of the budget for staff. There must be enough lifeguards to be able to focus on each section of the pool while allowing other staff members to regulate what is going on away from the water, because lives are potentially at stake every day, Caldwell said.

"I really don't want to short change that in any way," she said.

According to the plans staffing needs, the new center will create at least 56 part-time and full-time jobs for the town.

Per the agreement between Christiansburg and Virginia Tech, the university will pay the town $250,000 annually during the next 20 years, with the first payment due April 1. In return, the facility will host Tech swim meets and give their teams exclusive access for practice.

The town received financing for the center through the VML/VACo Finance Program, which must also be paid over the next 20 years. This obligation, including interest, will cost the town an annual $158,000. After using Tech's contribution to pay the debt, an annual $92,000 will be left for operational costs.

The first-year projected revenue includes $700,000 from membership fees, daily admission and other forms of compensation, the remaining $92,000 from Tech, and about $546,000 in revenue from the town's general fund.

According to the plan, the facility would be open from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. This may not include after-hours programming or special events.

Daily passes for town residents will be $5 for adults, $3 for teenagers, $2 for children and $3 for seniors. The town will also offer 12-visit, monthly, six-month and annual memberships.

Caldwell's plan calls for a marketing strategy centered on customer satisfaction. It analyzed numerous attractions in the area, weighing the pros and cons of each to see how the facility would compete. The aquatics center will be promoted in various local publications and Web sites and a video will be shot and marketed to prospective groups and customers.

Tech's success in the pool this season also makes Caldwell optimistic about promoting the facility, she said. The men's team finished second in the ACC, while the women's team finished third.

Caldwell said she remains excited as she looks forward to running the facility and beginning the job she was hired to do.

"That's what I want to be doing, that's what I'm waiting for," she said.