Rejuvenating your aquatic facility: is your pool in need of some TLC? Follow these tips to increase attendance at your facility.

Many communities have found that adding extra amenities and services to broaden the appeal of an aquatic facility is a great way to keep attendance high.

Today's pool-goers demand the type of multi-purpose facility that can cater to all aquatic tastes. Multi-purpose amenities can range from shallow water and lazy rivers to aquatic play features, wave pools, movable floors and bulkheads, water slides, concessions, lounge and/or sandy beach areas and a lap area for serious swimmers. Another plus of multi-purpose pools is that different amenities can have vastly different uses, depending on the audience.

Mark Hatchel from Kimley-Horn and Associates, who designed the water-park at Bedford Splash agrees. "Families with small children like the way the park is laid out--separating the tots from the teens. Having a large zero-entry beach area and lots of shade are key design features to making the facilities family friendly," he says. "Teens like the more extreme bowl slide. Bedford Splash is a great example of how much variety, excitement and shade can be packed into a compact facility."

Entertainment Value

If people are losing interest in their local pools, one reason might be because there is not enough to entertain them. In the past, facilities were used mainly for exercise, but today's guests mostly want to have fun.

Many in the industry agree that there are key features to keep bathers flocking to your waters. If there's a large budget and renovating or rebuilding are options, these features might include: zero-depth or beach entry, which offers a very graduated entry for splashing the feet or easy entry into the water for the youngest children; interactive splash play areas, also for younger children; and a variety of water-based play elements that can offer amusement or relaxation. These elements can range from different types of slides to vortexes and therapy couches. Other popular design features include lazy rivers for inner tubes and floating, as well as dry areas like shaded pavilions or grass for observing the action, hosting events or just socializing.

"The concept of Bedford Splash at Boys Ranch Family Aquatic Center was to create a compact highly themed, municipal family aquatic center with aquatic recreation and play features for tots, families and teens," Hatchel says. "Bright colors and tropical theming and signage were used to create a fun and attractive environment."

Many facilities also are moving to a shallow-water emphasis to highlight play features for all ages. Others minimize the lap lanes for competition swimming or just provide fewer of them. But it's important to preserve the competitive aspect of the pool because there is still a segment of the population that wants that feature. It should not, however, be the only feature.

"Zero depth and tube slides are synonymous with today's aquatic centers, but they aren't new trends," says Melinda Kempfer of Water Technology, Inc. "People want to be entertained. Commercial waterparks are a big influence in the municipal family aquatic centers. We are seeing amenities like surf generators, speed slides, wave pools, water coasters and multi-level play structures in public aquatic centers," she says.

Zero-depth water recreation is gaining widespread acceptance by providing aquatic recreation that is ADA-compliant, age-appropriate and reducing the risk of drowning. Whether applied as a complement to aquatic facilities or as a stand-alone attraction, zero-depth interactive play features are a big hit with parents and pre-teens alike.

What's Hot In Aquatic Play

Zero-depth water playgrounds are widely nominated as the first option when upgrading aquatic facilities. It can be developed as a stand-alone park in areas that formerly had no aquatic facilities or used to upgrade an existing pool or waterpark. These spraygrounds are relatively inexpensive to build and operate.

Running a close second with slides for that "wow" factor are splash play features, shade features and landscaping. Splash play features can provide recreation to the littlest users, making any aquatic space more family friendly. Some splash play features can be derived from fountain designs serving double duty as eye candy and play feature all in one.

When considering what features to add to your facility first, here's a list of some of the most popular must-haves and people-pleasers:

1. Slide

2. Splash play area

3. Leisure pools

4. Sun shades

5. Beach entry

6. Lazy river

7. Floatables

8. Spray features

9. Landscaping

10. Concessions

11. Wave pools

12. Surfing component

Considerations: Design, Cost and Expansion, Safety

Design

Children have incredible imaginations and will spend hours creating their own play environments. Water play areas should be designed so that they are open and not structured to allow children to move freely and safely. It is important to encourage cooperative, whimsical play and provide a space that enhances lively social interaction.

Children that play in sprayparks typically range in age from 2 to 12 years. Separate play areas should be created where the robust play of older children will not interfere with the passive play of younger children. Older children tend to enjoy cannons and squirt faces, while younger children prefer the pass-through elements and ground sprays.

Waterfalls have always been natural wonders of the world, and children love the idea of walking and looking through sheets of water. Being able to magically disappear behind a wall of water excites children of all ages. Mazes made from ground sprays offer magical fun as they allow children to disappear when they shoot up, and then magically appear when the sprays stop.

While they tend to not look as attractive as the uprights when the water is turned off, ground sprays offer marvelous play value at an inexpensive cost. Kids love altering the display of ground sprays by either sitting or standing on them. When planning a spraypark, be extra generous with the number of ground sprays and select a variety of spray effects.

While the shape of one component may look different from another, the spray display could in fact be exactly the same. Be sure to check the spray effects of every water toy you select. Most manufacturers offer a variety of spray effects including dumping water, misty sprays, showers, geysers, jets, foam sprays, gushers, sprinklers, streams of water or bubbles. When planning your park it's best to mix it up and select an assortment of toys that include differing spray effects.

"One final trend that shouldn't be overlooked is theming," adds Kempfer. "Themed environments within a park have become increasingly popular in municipal and commercial waterparks. The ability to package some sort of experience and create an instant atmosphere transforms guests into another world as they navigate the park."

Cost and Expansion

Spraygrounds are a cost-effective alternative to replacing old, outdated pools. Compared to pools, spraygrounds cost much less to install and run because personnel costs tend to be lower. Lifeguards are not required at most facilities, so personnel costs drop substantially from that of a standard flat-water pool. Another benefit is that, because recirculating filtration systems are available, and in many cases required, less water is used.

Once a venue installs a sprayground, and the demand increases, agencies may want to add extra features, so leave room for expansion. Above-ground components are easier to be rearranged while features that are mounted in concrete will be there permanently.

Kempfer points out that all is not coming up roses though. "There are some misconceptions about water playgrounds. People think they are less work--when in reality they are not always less work," she says. "If the system has a recirculation system (not a potable water system) someone still has to keep an eye on sanitation levels and mechanical operations at least twice a day. There are also more moving parts and systems can be more complex with the controller that opens and closes valves in a sequence."

Safety

The most important aspects of spraygrounds are their safety features. Because the attractions do not include standing water, the chance of drowning is virtually non-existent. Parents and children alike can have a great experience as parents can relax because their children are in a safe play environment.

Another misconception about spraygrounds is that they are maintenance-free. Their care is much easier than that of the leisure pool, but sites requiring water to be chemically treated and recirculated have their own specific maintenance needs.

Be sure to make your sprayground interactive and include features for all age groups. Kids can have fun while learning about sharing, teamwork, and action and reaction. With interactivity comes higher entertainment value.

Another safety aspect to pay close attention to is sun safety. When it is sunny outside, no one wants to stay indoors, especially children. But heading outdoors without adequate sun protection can lead to a sunburn that lingers long after the fun has ended.

Basil Haymann, CEO and chairman of Sun Ports adds that including a shade structure to a facility can be cost-effective and aesthetically pleasing.

With a few of these ideas in hand, your agency will have the community flocking back to the aquatic facility in no time.

Web extra: Dive into the must-have trends in aquatic facility design. www.nrpa.org/p&r

RELATED ARTICLE: Regulatory update: aquatic play equipment and splash play areas.

With the explosive growth of splash play areas and water play equipment in the past decade, these water wonderlands have spawned much fun for the kiddies--as well as much misinformation regarding their design, use and regulation. Currently, local and state agencies provide little or no guidance for these facilities or equipment, in either design or operation.

New regulations are in the works for these areas, both at the individual state and national levels. Nationwide, ASTM International currently has a committee working on a comprehensive set of baseline safety standards for aquatic play equipment, whether that equipment is for a splash play area or a pool.

About ASTM International

ASTM International (American Society for Testing and Materials) is one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world--a trusted source for technical standards for materials, products, systems and services. Known for their high technical quality and market relevancy, ASTM International standards have an important role in the information infrastructure that guides design, manufacturing and trade in the global economy. Visit http://www.astm.org for specific guidelines and regulations on aquatic play elements.