New YMCA Aquatics Center drawings out

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Citizens are getting a look at what a Downtown Austin Aquatics Center might look like.

Last week, the YMCA revealed it is shopping a proposal to build the complex, projected to cost as much as $45 million. It would sit near the intersection of Cesar Chavez Street and Lamar Boulevard.

• View the artist renderings of the proposed center.

The outdoor facility is proposed to have two large pools: one for competitive swimming and driving, the other more family-friendly.

However, city officials are skeptical that the city of Austin could be a sponsor in the project. Council member Laura Morrison said in an interview with "In Fact Daily" that the current budget situation is a big concern. "Investing this amount of taxpayer money on an extravagant facility raises serious concerns especially in the current budget climate where we're having trouble finding the funds just to keep our neighborhood pools open," Morrison said.

The YMCA hopes to get the project on the 2012 bond election, although it may be too late for that.