(Atlantic) On Tuesday evening, the Nishna Valley Family YMCA Staff and the Parks and Recreation Staff hosted a second input session on the topic of a future splash pad and enhanced aquatics facility.
YMCA Director Dan Haynes presented potential community projects at a public meeting in April, and the attendees ranked the projects. He said the Splash Pad and enhanced outdoor pool space rose to the top of the list. Haynes says from the feedback they’re hearing; people want a year-round aquatics facility.
Haynes told the attendees to dream big. He presented options such as; enhancing the zero-depth entry, a splash pad, climbing wall, log rolling, ninja, cross course, and a lazy river.
The location of the project is another question. Haynes says the back parking lot at the Y is 100×127. He says a new six-lane indoor-outdoor pool could be built in that area. The YMCA currently staffs the Sunnyside Pool, and Haynes mentioned that it would take less staff to manage a facility located at the Y. Others at the meeting liked setting the existing outdoor pool at Sunnyside and the potential for more room to expand.
A Dynadome facility is another option. This would be a year-round facility with a retractable roof that would allow use year-round.
Haynes says they don’t want to be just another outdoor aquatics pool/splash pad. Instead, they want to be a hub for year-round family aquatics activities not just for the Atlantic or even Cass County but also for the expanded region. Families, who come to play here, will also shop, eat, sleep, and visit other amenities.
