It’s been a long process, but the first toes are about to dip into the water.

Just in time for the hottest weather in 7 years, the community is welcoming the new Elkhart Health and Aquatics Center on E Jackson Boulevard.

Phase One opened to the public Thursday morning and includes a larger-than-Olympic-size swimming pool and a spectator area. It has taken four years of planning and construction to create the facility, which is expected to attract 40 thousand people per year.

The ribbon cutting at the 59 million-dollar facility was held Monday.

You can hear Levon Johnson, president of the Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce, discuss the center and more with 953MNC by clicking here.