Crystal Cove Aquatic Center Construction on Target for Reopening in 2025
Work continues on Crystal Cove Aquatic Center, nearly six months after it remained closed for the season for a complete reconstruction.
“We hear that there’s people that peek through the fence every once in a while, which is great. It’s a fun project,” said Crystal Recreation Director John Elholm. ” There’s a lot going on this summer and we really look forward to opening next summer.”
The footprint of the slightly-redesigned main pool is in, while concrete is still being poured–until it gets too cold to set–around the edges and gutters of the pool. Some of the depths were re-tooled after public feedback over the last year or so, Elholm said.
“When you come over from the zero-depth pool and go over to the larger pool, it was too deep for (younger swimmers),” he said. “So we took some of the pool and made it three feet deep, and some of it is four feet deep, so some of those younger kids have somewhere they can go so it’s not as deep as it was in the past.”
Some of the new amenities that will be added include a climbing wall over the deeper end of the pool, snake and alligator features kids can climb on top of in the pool, a rope swing, and two diving platforms (two meters and three meters high) that replace the diving boards.
“We also kept things like the water walk and we are replacing the double slides as well,” said Elholm.
Construction continues this fall on rebuilding Crystal Cove Aquatic Center.
There will be significant changes to the front of the building, too, where guests enter. Currently there are no windows and a drawbridge-style desk that could allow someone to just sneak in to the pool area.
“We’ll be putting a regular countertop there with some security glass on the top, and we’ll also be pushing the counter out so our staff can see down the hallways better and we’ll be adding some windows on the front so our staff can see out the front better,” said Elholm.
All in all, Elholm is pleased with the process so far and excited for next summer.
“This is one of those features that people really know and remember from years gone by. We hear stories about how people come out year after year with their kids. They grew up here, their kids are coming back, and it was very popular,” he said. “It is one of the larger recreational facilities that we’ve done in the city but something that the public is very interested in seeing continue.”
