Ready to open

Six-year-old Makenna Avery’s eyes lit up as she walked through the gates for the first time.
Averie Daniels, also 6, got an up-close look at one of the lily pads.
Tessa Miller, 10, and a rotating group of other children stood on the pool deck near the dump bucket, letting the spray from its 60 gallons wash over them every couple of minutes.
After local officials said thank you and the ribbon was cut Friday, members of the public got their first glimpse of the new $3.21-million Portland Water Park that is slated to open at noon May 28.
“I think it’s awesome,” said Ava Daniels, 10, “because I like how it’s not too deep for the little ones and the slides are a lot better than they were … They have a lot more stuff.”
She had only been to the old Portland Pool a couple of times, she said, but plans to be a regular visitor to the new facility.
The 7,750-square-foot Portland Water Park replaces Portland Pool, which was 55 years old when demolition began in April 2015. It has a zero-entry with a water depth of 42 inches in most areas and deeper sections on the north (6 feet) and south (4 feet) ends of the 25-meter competition pool.
In addition to the dump bucket, other features include a 117-foot-long lazy river at the southeast corner, a lily pad walk and two 20-foot-tall water slides. There are also new restroom facilities — men’s, women’s and family — and a concession stand with tables nearby.
The project was nearly four years in the making, as discussions began following a July 2012 article in The Commercial Review that detailed the deteriorating state of Portland Pool, which at that time was leaking at least a million gallons of water each summer. A committee formed in early 2013 studied facilities for 10 months before recommending the construction of a new pool, and in May 2014 Portland City Council committed up to $2.25 million toward the project.
The rest of the money was to be raised through private donations, which ended up totaling $1.21 million from 282 donors. The process was kick-started by a $250,000 initial gift from The Portland Foundation.
“It has been exciting to watch the growing enthusiasm and pride of ownership as the new pool has emerged,” said John Young, who chaired the fundraising committee, while noting that 100 percent of those donations have been paid. “Thanks to all of you for making a dream come true.”
Crews led by general contractor RLTurner of Zionsville broke ground on the project on April 22, 2015, and most of the construction was complete by the end of the year. They put on the finishing touches over the last couple of months, and an expansion of the parking lot to about 200 spots from the previous 67 was added.
Friday’s event served as a celebration concluding what at times was a contentious process, but one that all those who took the microphone agreed was well worth the effort. Speaking to about 150 attendees at the ribbon-cutting ceremony were Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman, park board president Rod Ashman, representatives from RLTurner and water park architect HWC Engineering, water park manager Missy Bader and Young.
“These kind of projects that are special,” said Cory Whitesell of HWC in contrasting the water park with road and sewer projects. “This is the type of project where everybody gets out and gets excited about it. When we walked up here a few minutes ago, we were looking around and a couple of young girls peered through the gates to see what was behind this and their jaws were wide open in the anticipation of the fun that is going to be happening here soon …”
The event also included drawings for who will be the first children to go down the slides (Eathan Dennis and Raven Eley), stand under the dump bucket (Adria Roessner) and traverse the lily pad walk (Connor Carr).
Portland Water Park will open for regular hours beginning at noon May 28. It will be open from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday through Friday.
Single-day admission will be $4, with the price reduced to $3 after 5 p.m.
Ten-day passes are $30, and season passes are $60. Passes for families of up to three are $110, with a charge of $25 for each additional member and a cap of $210. They can be purchased at city hall, 321 N. Meridian St., prior the facility opening next weekend.
“I’m beyond excited,” said Levi Hummel, who will be one of a group of about 25 lifeguards on staff. “It’s so cool.
“The pool is great, and I’m excited about working here.
“I think what’s been really special is how much the community has taken notice of it and how much the community has been involved. Toward the end of our years with the old Portland Pool … we weren’t getting very many people showing up. And I think that’s going to make this real special with having the whole community around here.”