For about a year and a half, Molly White has been climbing to the roof of the Lakewood Ranch Library. White is Manatee County's director of Sports and Leisure, and Your Observer reported in September that the rooftop gives her the best view of the Athletics & Aquatics Center going up next door on Rangeland Parkway.
By then there wasn't much left to check. The structures were built, both pools were full, the pickleball courts were painted and the concrete walking trail was poured. The remaining work was furniture, shade sails and turf for the pickleball waiting area.
The library roof also looks out over three other county projects due by year-end. The campus took six years to open its first building. If this year's targets hold, four more projects will finish there within a few weeks of each other.
Six Years for One Building, Then Four by New Year's
The Lakewood Ranch Library at 16410 Rangeland Parkway was the first amenity Manatee County opened on the Premier Sports Campus North land, and it took six years to get there. The aquatics center has been slow for even longer. Under the county's 2017 agreement with Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, the county had five years to build it. Ground was broken eight years later.
Since then the opening dates have kept moving:
| Project | Earlier target | Current target |
|---|---|---|
| Athletics & Aquatics Center | "Late summer or fall of 2026" in the county's February 2025 groundbreaking release, then September 2 in a January 2026 report | Late December 2026, no date announced |
| Library second floor | April 2026, then late spring | End of 2026 |
| Sheriff's Office substation | October 2026 | End of 2026 |
| Two synthetic soccer fields | Not previously dated | End of 2026 |
The Lakewood Ranch Beacon reported on October 12 that White told the Bradenton Herald the county was "aiming for the end of December." No ribbon-cutting date has been set. In September, White told Your Observer that by year's end "we'll be celebrating a lot of things." On this schedule, the 111-acre campus goes from one public building to a full civic complex in about a month.
The Pool Exists Because Swim Families Asked for a Bigger One
The aquatics center was first planned with a 25-meter pool. In 2021, swimmers, coaches and parents packed the commission chambers and asked for a 50-meter competition pool, and the county agreed. Here's what that request turned into:
- The competition pool. It has eight lanes lengthwise, or about 18 across its width, and is built with Myrtha technology. According to county aquatic safety Capt. John Linxwiler, USA Swimming uses the same system for its Olympic Trials.
- A second pool. A 25-yard pool will host swim lessons, therapy and recreational programs.
- The heating system. Both pools are heated and cooled by a $1 million, 40-by-40-foot geothermal yard. It cost more to install than a conventional system, but Your Observer cites the U.S. Department of Energy as saying the energy savings cover that cost in five to 10 years, and the yard should last more than 50 years.
- The scoreboard. It measures 25 by 15 feet and can show race information and stream meets live.
- Pool lifts. Both pools have lifts for swimmers who need help getting in and out of the water.
The swim clubs are planning to christen it. Lakewood Ranch Swim Association Lightning coach Steve Lubrino told Your Observer that the Lightning, the Parrish Bull Sharks and the Sarasota Tsunami are planning a meet for the grand opening. The Lightning and Tsunami already share lanes at the John Marble Aquatics Center and will do the same at Premier. The Bull Sharks will keep practicing at the Lincoln Aquatic Center in Palmetto. FOX 13 reported that college programs are expected to train here during winter and spring breaks. Chet Brown, the county's public safety division chief, has also heard from water polo and underwater hockey teams.
If you swim on your own, a lot of teams sharing the water might sound like a problem. Brown told Your Observer it won't be: "We'll always have plenty of space between the two pools for the public and the swim teams."
The Water Is Free. The Courts Are Not.
Swimming will cost most nearby residents nothing. Teams pay for pool time, but Manatee County doesn't charge its residents to use county pools, so individual swimmers swim free. Lakewood Ranch spans two counties, and that policy is written for Manatee County residents. The county's facility page says membership and daily-use fees are available, and that memberships at G.T. Bray and John H. Marble also work at Premier. If you live on the Sarasota County side, confirm how this applies to you before you pack a towel.
The 24 pickleball courts are the paid side. Fourteen are covered, and there's a shaded hitting wall. A monthly membership is $35, and drop-in play is $5 for two consecutive hours. Courts are booked through CourtReserve, and White said the county will watch which times are most in demand so drop-in players can always get on. "There will always be open play pickleball courts available," Your Observer reported, though how many will depend on the time of day. The plans don't include tennis courts, but there's room behind the pickleball courts for them if funding comes through.
The Beacon published the county's proposed hours, and the county says to confirm them at opening:
- Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
With those weekend hours, a Sunday swim fits before lunch, not after. Lockers are first-come, first-served, and outside of lifeguards, no more than six full-time employees will staff the building seven days a week. About 241 parking spaces are planned.
Two features are for people who never get in the water. A paved walking path behind the pickleball courts loops around a pond. A community room looks over the pools through floor-to-ceiling windows. It can be rented for parties as one large space or split in two, with a TV in each half and access to a catering kitchen.
Upstairs at the Library, a Floor Still Taking Shape
The library's second floor is the other big piece of this winter. It's a $6.9 million buildout with restrooms, a small service station for staff and a workspace for the Friends of the Lakewood Ranch Library, the library's nonprofit arm. The rest of the floor is flex space the public will be able to reserve. In February, Your Observer reported that the whole floor will be for library use, with room to read, work and hold meetings and events, though the layout and furniture weren't settled yet.
Today, the library has more than 25,000 square feet on its first floor plus a rooftop event space. Anyone can rent that roof, the same spot White has been using to check on the pool.
What You Can Use on Rangeland Parkway Before December
You don't have to wait for the ribbon-cutting to use the campus. The Manatee County Public Library calendar lists these programs at the Lakewood Ranch branch:
- Thursday, October 22, 6 to 7 p.m. Sound Healing Bath on the rooftop. Registration is in person.
- Thursday, November 5, 5 to 6:30 p.m. Custom Fall Coffee Mugs, a sublimation workshop. Another Sound Healing Bath runs from 6 to 7 p.m. that evening, overlapping the workshop's last half hour.
- Tuesday, December 1. Write a Letter to Santa all day, and Polo 101 with the Sarasota Polo Club from 6 to 7 p.m.
Library calendars change, so check registration before you go. From the rooftop you can look straight down at the pools, which have been filled since September and are still waiting on an opening date.
Premier Sports Campus North is set to add more public space this winter than in any year since the library opened. If you'd like to talk about what the Rangeland Parkway corridor means for your home or your next move, Pamela Hagan is glad to sit down with you. Request a Private Consultation.
