Cathedral Prep, Villa Maria Academy Open "Hallman Aquatic Center"

It's a day many at Cathedral Prep and Villa Maria Academy have been waiting for.

The brand new "David M. Hallman III Aquatics Center" officially opens Thursday night, years ahead of schedule.

The "Hallman Aquatic Center," located at 501 W. 12 St., Erie, is the final portion of a $12.9 million "phase two" project at the Prep and Villa Events Center. It's complete with an eight-lane competitive swimming pool, along with a smaller practice pool. Upstairs, athletes will soon use a new weight training room; and the stands will seat more than 400 fans.

Construction on "phase two" moved rather quickly, according to Tom Schumacher, operations manager of the Prep and Villa Events Center. Work began in May 2014. Developers had expected all of "phase two" to take up to 10 years to complete. But a flood of donations from alumni and the community helped finish the complex in just under two years.

All of that leads up to tonight's first swimming and diving meet, when Prep and Villa host Central Tech and Strong Vincent.

"We're so appreciative of all the alumni and sponsors and everything else," said Mike Doyle, director of the Hallman Aquatic Center. "We really look forward to the future and seeing what we can do, how it's going to build our program and provide for the community alike."

The Hallman Aquatic Center will also allow Prep and Villa to practice together for the first time.

The first part of phase two was the new Mullen Gymnasium, which opened October.