Following a comprehensive evaluation of Legion Pool and Legion Field and a public review process under the Georgia Environmental Policy Act (GEPA), the University of Georgia has decided to proceed with a redevelopment plan that removes Legion Pool and expands Legion Field into a larger, more versatile green space designed to better serve students.

The notice of decision regarding the project was formally published Dec. 26 in The Athens Banner Herald and will now move forward to appropriate state agencies.

“After carefully reviewing the facility’s long-term sustainability, the costs required to address significant maintenance needs and the feedback we received through the GEPA process, we believe this plan is the best path forward for our students and our campus,” said Michelle Cook, vice president for student affairs. “Our goal is to create a space that is active, welcoming and flexible and one that reflects how students use campus today, while also being a responsible steward of student resources.”

UGA most recently began evaluating the future of Legion Pool and Legion Field in early 2025, following a recommendation from the Division of Student Affairs to consider the facility’s long-term student use, financial sustainability, environmental impact and alignment with broader campus priorities. A campus working group chaired by Dean of Students Eric Atkinson and including student leaders, staff, and administrators reviewed usage trends, operating and maintenance costs, professional assessments, environmental considerations and student feedback before recommending the site be reimagined.

Under the plan first announced in September, the university will expand and enhance the Legion Field green space, transforming the site into an improved outdoor gathering and recreation area that roughly doubles the usable space while embracing the site’s natural slope. Initial design studies include terraced and hillside seating for up to 1,100 people, plus standing capacity for an additional 3,500, along with Wi-Fi capability to support flexible student use for events, student organizations and everyday campus life. The redevelopment will also add approximately 70 student parking spaces—about 20% of the project footprint—to address longstanding demand in a dense residential area and support access to nearby residence halls and key campus facilities in the heart of campus.

Why the university is removing Legion Pool

Independent assessments of Legion Pool confirmed that repair options would not address the full scope of structural, accessibility and operational challenges of the nearly century-old pool. Basic repairs (excluding underground leaks) were estimated between $926,000–$2.175 million, with pool replacement at $5.7 million and a full facility reconstruction at $11.4 million. The latter two options (replacement and full facility reconstruction) would have constituted a major capital project and required usage and authorization of state funds to complete.

The pool has also operated at a financial loss for decades. With the exception of two seasons in 2000 and 2011, Legion Pool has recorded annual operating deficits since 1997, with total losses exceeding $850,000. Since 2013, those deficits were funded through Student Activity Fee reserves.

UGA has continued to invest in the facility’s upkeep. Over the last 15 years, the Division of Student Affairs has spent $309,197 on annual repairs and maintenance, and the Facilities Management Division has absorbed an additional $465,504, bringing total repair and maintenance investments to $774,701. This figure excludes over $409,000 in utility expenses over the same period. Despite these significant investments in maintenance and upkeep efforts, the pool continued to experience declining usage and persistent operating deficits.

Currently, 10 SEC institutions have an outdoor pool—including UGA—and six do not. Where outdoor pools exist across the conference, all but one of those are incorporated into student recreation centers and closely aligned with the student recreation mission, with many constructed alongside modern recreation facilities within roughly the last 20 years. There are no standalone pools outside student recreation centers or aquatic complexes in the conference.

Student participation remained low despite outreach

Although the pool was heavily subsidized through student fees, student participation has consistently been low. Since 1999, students have represented the smallest share of total attendance with 5,505 student visits that year and 1,071 visits in 2025. In the same time frame, members of the community represented the largest share of users. Within recent years alone, fewer than 2.5% of students used Legion Pool, yet student fees have continued to cover costs.

Beginning in 2013, UGA implemented outreach efforts to increase student use, including campus advertising, social media promotion, targeted engagement with student organizations, residence hall communications and special programming. Unlike other programs offered at locations across campus by the same staff with the same marketing efforts that yielded more than 1,000 student attendees, participation at Legion Pool remained low.

Student focus groups conducted about a decade ago indicated many students preferred the convenience of apartment complex pools and were deterred by certain policies, such as those prohibiting alcohol on site, and the mix of attendees being children and older adults. Even with special programming and outreach, attendance remained limited.

Extending Legion Pool’s operating season would only increase operating deficits and environmental impacts. During summer operations, the pool and bathhouses use an average of 39,175 gallons of water per day, and utility usage rises to 713 kWh per day.

Additionally, the university determined that transferring Legion Pool to another unit would not resolve underlying issues. Any department assuming responsibility would still face significant repair and capital renewal needs, ongoing deficits, safety and compliance requirements and limited student usage.

UGA continues to invest in facilities that are widely used by students, faculty, and staff. In response to high demand and feedback regarding overcrowding and space constraints, UGA’s department of Recreational Sports will add around 10,000 square feet of strength and conditioning space to the Ramsey Student Center. Recorded visits to Ramsey’s strength and conditioning areas regularly exceed 70,000 per semester and reached more than 110,000 visits in Spring 2024 alone. By contrast, Legion Pool has experienced long-term declines in use and continued financial losses.

Alternate aquatics options remain available

Athens-Clarke County offers five public pools and two splash pads, including the newly

renovated Bishop Park pool following a $7.5 million SPLOST investment. These facilities include Bishop Park Pool at 705 Sunset Drive; Heard Park Pool at 400 McKinley Drive; Howard Park Pool (formerly Rocksprings Park) at 291 Henderson Extension; Howard Park Splash Pad (formerly Rocksprings Park) at 291 Henderson Extension; Lay Park Pool at 297 Hoyt Street; Memorial Park Pool at 293 Gran Ellen Drive; and Walker Park Splash Pad at 200 Trail Creek Street. These pools and splash pads are typically open from late May to late July, with a limited extended season for some going through the first week of August. Dates and times of operation are determined by ACC Leisure Services, which operates and manages these facilities. These pools and splash pads ensure that individuals and youth programs still have convenient access to swimming and water-based recreation across our local community.

UGA students, faculty, staff, and their families will continue to have access to aquatics facilities through the Ramsey Student Center, which includes multiple indoor pools. UGA Recreational Sports will also work with affiliated camps seeking pool access as needed.

Public engagement and GEPA review

UGA followed GEPA requirements regarding the project, including publishing an Environmental Effects Report and making it available for a 30-day public review period that concluded Dec. 5. The university also hosted a public hearing on Dec. 8 to provide an additional opportunity for public input, with 34 speakers participating, half of whom had also written letters in opposition. UGA scheduled the public hearing from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. after reviewing exam schedules to maximize opportunities for student participation before the holiday break.

In total, UGA received 127 comments: 84 opposed, 34 in favor, and 9 categorized as other. Many submissions in favor of the project highlighted the benefits the proposed redevelopment offers students and the broader campus community. Student leaders representing thousands of UGA students in the Student Government Association, Residence Hall Association, Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council and University Union, among other organizations, expressed strong support for the redevelopment project. Letters written in opposition of the project largely followed a template with many similar points being restated regarding the pool’s history, as well as the writers’ sentimental connection to the pool.

UGA also commissioned a historic resource study and followed applicable procedures required by the State Historic Preservation Office, GEPA and the University System of Georgia. UGA has a long record of preserving historic facilities when they support the university’s mission and student needs. In 2020, the university completed a comprehensive, multi-year renovation of Russell and Brumby halls. The $98 million restoration of those 1960s facilities redesigned rooms and furnishings, expanded lounges and study spaces, enhanced privacy in bathrooms and showers, and updated building systems for the 1,900 students who live there. The renovations earned statewide awards from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.

In 2022, UGA dedicated Black-Diallo-Miller Hall, a $50-million residence hall serving 525 students and its first new residence hall since 2013. In the summer of 2024, the university completed a two-year, $20 million initiative upgrading the five residence halls comprising the Hill Community — Boggs, Church, Hill, Mell and Lipscomb halls.

Earlier this year, the restoration of the Holmes-Hunter Academic Building received the Excellence in Rehabilitation Award from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation; a Merit Award for Excellence in Architecture for Rehabilitation, Restoration or Preservation from the Society for College and University Planning; and an Outstanding Restoration Award from Historic Athens.

In this case, the university concluded that Legion Pool has outlived its functional lifespan and that preservation considerations must be balanced with safety, environmental responsibility and responsible stewardship of student resources. Additional information about the project, including a frequently asked questions document and all documents submitted to state agencies, can be found here: https://esd.uga.edu/legiondecision