After more than a year of construction, a grand opening for Cullman’s Wellness & Aquatic Center has been set.

The general public will have a chance to tour the new 110,000-square-foot campus starting at 2 p.m. on April 5, though that date could possibly change depending on outside factors.

The center — an estimated $14 million project paid for by the city of Cullman — has been in progress since ground was broken in late 2007 at Chester Freeman Park, across from the Field of Miracles.

Cullman City Parks and Recreation Director John Hunt said construction is currently on schedule to hit the April 5 mark, though he added that further rainfall could be an issue.

“We’re still pretty much on schedule,” he said. “The rain hasn’t helped with the outside work, but the inside work is going well. Everything is looking good, and we’re pretty much on schedule for the April 5 date.”

Once completed, the center will consist of three central parts.

“We will have aquatics, fitness and the water park,” Cullman City Parks and Recreation Special Programs Coordinator Nicole Ells said.

Ells said the outdoor water park will include water slides, a play area and a lazy river.

The fitness area, a new 15,000-square-foot center managed by SportsFirst, will be inside the main facility.

“It’s larger than the old location,” Ells added, referring to the current SportsFirst fitness center located on Elizabeth Street.

The facility also includes a large gymnasium with basketball courts, large enough to host two recreational league basketball games simultaneously.

“Last year we had about 57 teams for one gym,” Hunt said of the department’s recreational basketball program. “This will give us a lot more space to host basketball games.”

For aquatic competitions and swim meets, the center features an eight-lane outdoor competition pool, as well as a six-lane indoor competition pool.

The center also has conference rooms available for rent, which Ells said should be well-received.

“Conference rooms at the civic center are booked almost three years in advance,” she said. “There is definitely a need for this here.”

Membership and admission prices for the center have also recently been set.

A daily pass for non-members to visit the center will cost $7 per person.

Full individual membership for a year — which allows access to both the fitness and aquatic areas — will cost $45 per month.

For access to either the aquatic aspects or fitness aspects alone, the cost is $35 per month for 12 months.

Ells said the parks department has already opened membership sign-ups, which can be done at the Cullman City Parks and Recreation main office, located at the Cullman Civic Center.

Though the Cullman City Parks and Recreation Board hopes the center will support itself financially with membership dues from the start, Hunt said that may not be possible for the first year.

“We have been challenged to run this facility at no cost to the city, and we will work toward that goal,” Hunt wrote in a memo to the mayor and city council. “However, we do not feel that is possible the first year.”

To cover a potential shortfall in the first 12 months of operation, the city has agreed to set aside $200,000, in case it is required for operating expenses.

Hunt said he hopes the center will not need the added financial assistance.

“Hopefully we won’t have to use it, but just in case,” he said. “We would only use the money as a last resort.”

In addition to hopefully creating some tourism buzz for the area, Ells said the center will also create some new job opportunities for Cullman residents.

“As far as seasonal, part-time jobs in the summer, this will probably create about 50 new jobs,” she said. “That will mostly be lifeguards, but also concessions workers, gate workers and maintenance workers.”

Ells said jobs at the aquatic center should start posting as early as February. For more information, the parks department can be reached by phone at (256) 734-9157.

Detailed plans for the grand opening have yet to be set in stone, though Hunt said he hopes it will be quite an event.

“We will have grand opening tours, speeches, possibly live entertainment and we’re hoping to set up a diving exposition,” he said. “We want to give everyone from the city and county the opportunity to come out, be a part of things, and let everyone see this first-class facility.”

Though the project may turn out to be a boon for the city, at least one local gym owner has concerns about the center as a new competitor.

“I don’t feel like using my tax dollars to possibly put myself out of business is the best move,” Healthfit owner Kevin Jones said.

Jones added that he does believe his gym will be able to survive the competition.

“But, I don’t think we will go out of business,” he said. “It may hurt us initially, but I think we’ll be all right in the long run.”

The general contractor for the Wellness & Aquatics Center is McCrory Construction. The center was designed by architectural firm Lose and Associates, out of Nashville, TN.

‰ Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 225.