3:45 p.m.: Athletic Pool closed; water park considered

May 21, 2008 03:49 pm

— ANDERSON — The traditional swimming pool is out of style.
According to the World Waterpark Association, municipally-owned waterparks are becoming more and more popular.
Anderson might be adding itself to the list of cities to create a waterpark, Parks Superintendent Fred Reese said at the Parks Board meeting Tuesday evening.
The Parks Board sat through a 20-minute presentation about splashpads, which are aquatic recreation systems with interactive features, from Vortex Splashpads President Bill Smith.
Smith said splashpads have great advantages over pools in that they are easy to manage, cost-effective, safe and wheelchair accessible.
The accessibility for people with disabilities also enables communities to get grants to build splashpads, Smith said.
Cities have also sought corporate sponsorship, Smith said.
That was one route Reese said Anderson was considering.
Depending on the size, infrastructure and features of the splashpad, the price could range from $40,000 to $250,000.
“It enhances the quality of life in a community,” Smith said.
The splashpad also provides interactive entertainment for families and people of all ages and the maintenance costs less than the maintenance of a swimming pool.
Pam Clendenen, who knew Smith from a trade conference, said insurance on splashpads cost less than that on a pool because insurance companies consider them to be playgrounds.
Reese said water park features will be included in the budget for 2009.
The discussion about the water park comes at the same time as the city is announcing that Athletic Park Pool will not open this summer.
Reese said the cost of renovations and repairs plus ongoing maintenance made Athletic Pool too expensive to reopen for the summer. Southside Pool will open, he said.
“We’re working with (the City of Anderson Transit System) to try to work on transportation to Southside,” Reese said. “Given our present state, the consensus among the staff is that it’s probably best to see what we can do with (Athletic Pool) in the future.”
Tamera Doty-Davis, landscape architect for the Parks and Recreation Department, will be working on options for Athletic Pool, Reese said.