A small group of people are taking the first baby steps toward what they hope will be a new aquatics center for Bristol, and perhaps beyond.

The “Bristol Aquatics Center Exploration Committee” has a name, a mission statement, land, a plethora of ideas, and a lot to figure out. Quickly.

The group of 11 people have begun meeting and held early discussions about how to build, pay for, and manage an aquatics center at the Bristol Community Center, home of the Bristol Recreation Dept., on land formerly owned by the U.S. Department of Defense. When the U.S. government handed Bristol the keys to the former Quinta-Gamelin Army Reserve Center, located near the entrance to Colt State Park, four years ago, recreation leaders always dreamed of adding a pool, or pools, to the town’s new community center.

Back then, a team of students and faculty from Roger Williams University volunteered a comprehensive study of the 18,000-square-foot facility and more than five acres of land, and generated an array of community center/pool scenarios. Different teams envisioned unique ways to renovate the building and construct the aquatics center. Estimated costs ranged from $3 million to $8 million.

The new committee formed at the end of last year is launching its own exploration of what this could be. According to committee chairman Patrick McCarthy, there are key questions to answer, such as:

n How big will this be? One pool or two? Competitive lap pool, therapeutic pool, or both? Indoor and outdoor, or just indoor?

n How big will this be? Designed to service just Bristol? Bristol County? Or all of the East Bay?

n Who will pay for it? Will it be 100 percent public? Will there be a 2018 bond referendum? Will there be some private financing, or generous donors?

n How will the aquatics center sustain itself? Will it be privately managed? Publicly managed?

Personally, Mr. McCarthy wants to devise a plan where the aquatics center is self-sustaining, with programs, fees and memberships supporting all operations, so this does not become a new ongoing expense for Bristol taxpayers. At the same time, he could envision Bristol taxpayers being asked to help build it.

“If we want to get on the ballot for a bond this November, we really need to get moving,” Mr. McCarthy said.

At this point, he said the committee needs to make high-level decisions about which direction to move in, mostly regarding scale and financing. Ideas, and opinions, are plentiful.

Committee members envision an aquatics center that serves multiple populations. They’ve talked about a facility that is home to high school swim practices and meets, welcomes seniors or others who are rehabilitating, offers swimming lessons for all ages, caters to birthday parties, and hosts aerobics, fitness or snorkeling classes. The pool could be used by campers in the recreation department’s summer program, and it could be used by first-responders for water safety training.

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The committee will be meeting again this month and continuing the discussion.