Aquatic Facility Showcase
Some like it hot. Aquatics managers like it very hot.
"With the rain and cold in early June it was depressing, but summer's kicked into high gear and prospects look great," says a happy Ron Oestreich, aquatics manager for Bolingbrook Park District, on a 90-degree day in late June.
According to Oestreich, Illinois park districts and recreation departments manage more than 1,000 public swimming pools and waterparks. This ranks the state high nationwide for sheer numbers as well as facility design and safety measures.
In fact, 11 or the 29 Platinum Awards for Aquatic Safety (water safety consultant Jeff Ellis & Associates' top award) were earned by Illinois agencies for the '97 season. And two of the five Aquatic Excellence Awards presented by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) were taken home to the land of Lincoln in '98.
Explains Walter Johnson, executive secretary of NRPA's National Aquatic Sections: "Illinois has fine universities, fine professionals and a very informed citizenry represented by knowledgeable officials. Put that together with the continuity and stability of park districts and you're naturally going to get a better product and better service."
"The trend to convert the traditional pool to an FAC (family aquatic center) has probably been more recognized in Illinois than any other state," adds Johnson. He cites 10 to 15 such conversions (adding slides or multimillion dollar projects) taking place in the last five years.
On the next few pages you'll see a showcase of five FACs, chosen for their recent award-wining status, innovative features or, in Collinsville's case, being the latest splash in Illinois' aquatics scene.
Scheduled to open in July of this year, Splash City's main pool has a 152-foot tube slide and a 177-foot body slide.
Splash City
Collinsville Area Recreation District
Meet the infant of the Illinois aquatic park family! Collinsville's 12-acre Splash City Family Waterpark opens in the southern Illinois swelter this July 1998.
Plans for the waterpark began in 1995 when board members and staff of the Collinsville Area Recreation District held town meetings for its 34,000 residents, in which a resounding need surfaced for a public aquatic facility: something interactive, family-oriented, not a typical square pool nor funded by tax dollars.
So the district set out to create a facility like no other with lots of shallow water for all ages and swimming abilities. The deepest it gets at Splash City is four feet for its 836 bather load capacity. Features include zero-depth entry, two waterslides, a 320-linear-foot lazy river, a separate zero-depth tot pool, and a generous splash area equipped with sky shooters, squirt bikes, and a variety of valves, knobs and wheels to manipulate for water effects.
Landlubbers enjoy sand volleyball, a wet sand play area, two acres of grass tanning areas and pavilions for private rental. Also, the Mini Marina boat lagoon features radio-controlled, 31-inch boats to maneuver.
The adjoining activity building doubles as district headquarters and aquatic center, complete with restrooms, lockers, concession area, gift shop and information kiosk.
The l00,000-gallon main pool (center) is flanked by a 14,543-square-foot activity building (which houses the district's administrative offices, concessions area and lockers) and a 320-linear foot counter rotational river with an adjustable current.
Architect of Record/Landscape Architect: AAIC Incorporated, Collinsville, ILL
Aquatic Design Engineer: Counsilman/Hunsaker & Associates, St.Louis, Mo
Cost: $4.7 million Acres:12 Occupancy: July 1998