Whether cutting a ribbon or making a splash, people in Bloomer say this ceremony to christen the Aquatic and Recreation Center celebrates a new realization of a more than 50-year-old dream.

“Bloomer's vision, and it's been a dream for many years, is to have a swimming pool,” says board member and tenant Jim Price.

It's a vision shared by local businessman Terry Pecha .

“I and my wife always had to take our kids down to the Chippewa Falls YMCA to go swimming and I see many other people from Bloomer down there, and I just thought how nice would it be to have a pool in Bloomer,” he says.

He and his family stepped up to make the large donations in 2008 to get the ball rolling on this $2 million facility.

“I knew there was a pool fund available that accumulated over the years with people donating aluminum cans and other fundraisers,” he says.

Now open to the public, board members and tenants at the aquatic center say it's one stop shopping for families looking to stay in town and be active.

“The building itself has a swimming pool, the chamber of commerce has its office here, there's a game room here for kids,” says Price.

Price, of Midwest Physical Therapy and Fitness rents part of the building. He and Pecha say the pool and other rooms could be a first phase of even more things to come.

“As long as they can get the funding and keep the ball rolling, we look forward to anything they can add to this facility,” says Pecha.

The Bloomer Area Aquatic and Recreation Center says it offers memberships for both the pool and fitness area, but also has day passes for $5 for each section, or $15 for families.