Heading Toward Completion

The Sandra Stetson Aquatic Center is taking shape on the shoreline of Lake Beresford, seven miles from Stetson.

Matt Adair wore his hardhat comfortably and carried a confident look as he toured the rising Sandra Stetson Aquatic Center in late July. There was good reason: Steadily, the center is moving toward completion.

Its ceremonial groundbreaking occurred in April 2017, and construction commenced that November. Now, building occupancy is slated for Oct. 31, with the remainder of the site scheduled to reach full aesthetic effect next April.

“It’s a very beautiful site,” said Adair, Stetson’s director of project and construction management.

The two-story, $6.2 million center on 10 acres along Lake Beresford, seven miles from Stetson’s historic campus in DeLand, will provide a permanent home for Stetson’s intercollegiate rowing teams, along with areas for water study/research and non-motorized public recreation access to the lake.

The two-story center will house activities for both athletics and academics.

For men’s and women’s rowing, there will be storage for dozens of boats on the first floor, as well as training equipment. In addition to rowing competitions, the center will serve as a winter training site for high school and college rowing teams. Notably, Lake Beresford connects with the St. Johns River and provides an ideal training area for crew teams both nationally and internationally. The center is directly across the water from the Lake Beresford Yacht Club, founded in 1944.

The second floor will support academic use, mostly activities of Stetson’s Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience, including classrooms, a conference room and wet laboratory, with glass walls on three sides and a balcony.

Outside, nature trails and elevated walkways will lead to the water’s edge. On the shores of Lake Beresford, there will be docks to launch crew boats with public access and a viewing platform that will overlook the lake.

Named after the great-granddaughter of the university’s namesake, John B. Stetson, the center comes by virtue of Sandra Stetson’s $6 million donation plus a $400,000 Volusia County ECHO grant (for environmental, cultural, historical and outdoor recreation projects).

With a roof designed to resemble a boat, the center will use approximately 600 yards of poured concrete.

On this morning in late July, just days before its roof — designed to resemble a boat — was installed, the center was decidedly taking shape.

“This is a small footprint – but very difficult to build, very time consuming,” said Adair, explaining that approximately 600 yards of poured concrete will be used by completion of construction. “If we had designed this in [concrete] block [construction], we’d be done already with the building.”

Adair added the building is especially heavy, citing that one yard of concrete equals roughly 4,300 pounds, and “there are 600 yards.” By comparison, about 800 yards of concrete was poured for the expansion/renovation of the Carlton Union Building on campus, he noted.

Concrete, of course, doesn’t easily weather, enhancing the building’s economy, Adair said.

Other notes about materials: There will be extensive use of noncombustible “pyroguard” plywood, paired with an interior sprinkler system. The building will utilize reclaimed cypress wood, pulled out of rivers then milled and finished before being shipped to Stetson. Also, the roof is metal — durable, cost-effective and a continuation of Stetson’s budget-conscious shift to metal roofs across campus. While related upfront costs of greater, the “roofs last ‘forever,’” Adair said, meaning at least 50 years.

Among the highlights of the first floor is a housing bay for the crew boats, which can measure up to 58 feet, plus eight large racks to hold the sculls (oars). The doors of the bay are designed to fold like an accordion. Both sides of the bay feature louvers, able to open and close for ventilation. The bay, Adair also pointed out, sits at least 8 feet above the 100-year flood level, providing ample hurricane protection.

The second floor, with a bird’s-eye view of the lake, also has space to host special events. The use of stamped concrete, made to look like wood, will be prevalent, enhancing aesthetics while saving dollars. An open layout, the airy balcony and ample sightlines maximize the picturesque setting.

Outside, a boardwalk, some 30 feet from the water’s edge, will be made of highly durable Brazilian wood to resist weathering. Parking will be limited, and the public areas will be governed by Volusia County park hours. Because of the natural location, permitting was particularly challenging, with approvals required from Volusia County, the State of Florida, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

In front of the building, on the end opposite the lakefront, a fountain will serve as a welcome, while a Stetson seal similar to the one adorning the CUB, will provide appropriate icing, according to Adair.

A late-fall move-in is planned for the crew teams, just as the rowing season embarks. Clay Henderson, executive director of the Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience, seeks an immediate presence and hopes to set up shop over the ensuing months while maintaining his base on campus at Sage Hall. Henderson is aiming to host a water workshop at the new center early in the spring semester.

The Sandra Stetson Aquatic Center, indeed, is pushing forward.

Toward the end of the tour, Adair, wiping his brow, concluded, “We’re excited. This will all be worth it.”

-Michael Candelaria