CITY OF RIVERSIDE PROJECT PLANNED
City officials say they are pleased that the City of Riverside received notification of the success of their federal grant request that will help fund major improvements to the city’s outdoor swimming facility.
The awarded grant affirms success in their planning and efforts to enhance the 3,750-square-foot swimming pool and its more prosaic amenities: bathhouses.
On Monday, Oct. 30. the Missouri Department of Natural Resources awarded $664,997 in grand funding to renovate the pool and add aquatic features under the Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).
LWCF grants are administered by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and can be used for a wide variety of public projects.
The federal reimbursement grant– coupled with the $1 million in grant funding it received from Platte County under a partnership grant–secures the project’s future.
Noel Bennion, capital project and parks manager for the City of Riverside, expressed her gratitude to her Platte County partners.
“We wouldn’t be able to do this project without the Platte County Partnership Grant. We are grateful for this support,” said Bennion.
Over the past couple of years, the City of Riverside completed an analysis of the existing pool’s condition, gathered data, and evaluated all feasible improvement options to effectively begin improving its popular aquatic amenities. Today, the project has evolved past the preliminary planning stages of hosting public meetings, soliciting community feedback, and conducting online citizen surveys, and is now on the cusp of execution. Resources have been procured and city officials say they are actively pinning down a timetable for construction.
Thanks to community input, the proposed $2.6-million aquatics center at 4498 NW High Drive will feature an expanded shallow-end pool expansion, a colorful splash play area, bathhouses, and expanded lounge areas.
“The shallow area is the busiest section of the pool so expanding this area will provide more swim and play opportunities,” said Bennion.
Renderings from Waters Edge Aquatic Design showcase a mix of modern splash pad amenities with a traditional 260-occupant swimming pool. Due to a greater understanding of the importance of sun protection, new shade structures dot the patio and shallow end of the pool, giving users protection from the sun. Canopy clusters positioned along the splash pad encourage users to congregate in the shade while still keeping a watchful eye on children playing with boulder sprays, ground sprays, and flowing streams.
“The splash play area will provide even more water play options for all ages,” said Bennion.
Splash grounds, also known as zero-depth pools, have many added benefits, including a substantially lower risk of drowning, as surface water drains through non-slip surfaces.
“The splash pad will be fenced off from the pool,” said Bennion. “It is designed not to have standing water and should not require lifeguard supervision.”
The splash pad was also intentionally designed to be accessible for a longer period of the day and user-friendly for a longer seasonal cycle.
“We designed the area so that the splash pad could have expanded daytime and seasonal hours as compared to the pool,” added Bennion. “However, we’ve not yet determined what those hours might be. When the pool is open, the gates between the splash pad and the pool will be open, and it will be operated as a combined area with entry admission.”
When engineers evaluated the existing swimming pool and facilities, they recognized the pool had fallen victim to the elements and recommended possible improvements.
The two-decades-old swimming pool with its zero-depth entry, a one-meter diving board, lap lanes, and deck seating needed upgrades. While these features provide a great balance for sport and respite, an analysis of the pool’s condition found that additional improvements could be made to ensure aquatic accessibility to people with disabilities, as well as upgrades to its piping and gutter system.
Based on the selected concept plan, it is clear city officials have paid attention to improving the accessibility of this well-being hub.
Along with the outdoor upgrades, bathhouse renovations with private, gender-neutral restrooms have also been planned to enhance the quality and efficiency of these spaces. Officials say gender-neutral bathrooms provide access to private, non-gendered stalls that are more welcoming, especially for families with children.
From the perspective of some visitors, another perk is that female users won’t have to wait in line outside an occupied bathroom while their counterpart’s bathroom is vacant.
The pool will continue to be a big part of the community, from teaching children how to swim to providing people with a means to support good physical and mental health.
“Through our partnership with the YMCA, we provide free swim lessons for Riverside residents,” said Bennion. “It is within walking distance for many residents and relied upon as a fun, affordable summer activity.”
With admission tickets for adults and adolescents running $3 and tickets for children ages 3 to 11 running $1, city officials say it’s affordable and accessible to everyone in the community.
If all goes as planned, city officials anticipate sending the project out to bid this winter or spring with construction starting after Labor Day 2024. City officials want to set a timeline to carry out the renovations in a manner that minimizes the impact on the pool season, said Bennion.
The new aquatic facility should be completed by Memorial Day 2025.