Our Vision
Jefferson Parish's West Bank is a community without a year-round pool.
The Hope Haven Natatorium (or Aquatics Center) is a proposed regional-level pool complex located within the redeveloped Hope Haven site on the west bank of Jefferson Parish. The development of the Natatorium is part of the Parish’s larger efforts to redevelop the Hope Haven site, a shuttered facility of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, back into service of the people of Jefferson Parish.
For the 433,000 residents of Jefferson Parish, there is only one public seasonal pool. We can establish a year-round model of excellence for recreation, swim lessons, health and wellness programs for all ages, first responder trainings, swim teams from all around, and host our schools and regional competitions. The flow of possibilities is wide and deep.
The Aquatics Center will be the anchor of the redevelopment of the 100-year-old historic Hope Haven campus on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish. The project’s public, private, non-profit partnership model brings together many sectors of the Parish for the common good. With leadership from Jefferson Parish Councilman Deano Bonano and Louisiana State Senator Pat Connick, the Parish is working hand in hand with the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the Jefferson Community Foundation, the YMCA of Greater New Orleans, and the wider community to develop the west side of the Hope Haven campus along Barataria Boulevard.
As of November 2024, the Parish has completed a master site plan, commissioned and received engineered designs for the facility, and obtained construction estimates for the project. The project’s next major step is securing funding, and that is where this plan begins.
A Lifeline for
Water Safety
Louisiana leads the nation in drowning deaths. In a region where living near water is a fact of life, this is unacceptable.
According to the Michael Phelps Foundation, youth drowning rates in ethnically diverse communities are 2-3 times higher than in the general population.
Our vision is a community where all people have access to quality, affordable swim instruction. The Aquatics Center will serve as a nexus for water safety. In partnership with the YMCA of Greater New Orleans, the Aquatics Center will offer swim lessons to people of all ages and skill levels. The YMCA is known as America’s Swim Instructor.
Swimming Changes Lives
By the Numbers
