For more than five years, Cuthbert’s community swimming pool has been closed. The pool located on Andrew Street is decades old and needing costly repairs, but the main problem is trying to find and hire certified lifeguards. Over a year ago, Cuthbert City Councilman Vincent Gadson, suggested the city look into a splash park.
Splash parks are not a new ideal, fifteen years ago Little Ocmulgee State Park built a small kid splash pad with five flower sprayers for the kids to play in. A rubber base topper on the concrete pad so there is no standing water and no need for lifeguards. Chehaw Park in Albany built a splash park across from their playground last year. They built open shade shelters on concrete pads with picnic tables under them around the splash pad so the adults could watch their children play and eat a picnic lunch.
Ben Roberts, who inherited the Chehaw splash park project while it was being built by Great Southern Recreation, when asked if he would have done anything different now that the splash pad is open, “Yes, I would have built it twice the size, it has been a success since we opened,” said Mr. Roberts.
Great Southern Recreation is out of Tennessee, will consult on new built splash pads or city pool conversions. Like most municipalities facing maintenance challenges with pools built decades ago, a splash pad remodel can be a great alternative. One of the main advantages for splash pads is the zero-depth nature that doesn’t require constant oversight, no lifeguard required.
There are two types of splash pads, recirculating and flow through. Flow through is synonymous to a shower at your house, water comes from the treatment plant and goes right back out to the treatment plant. Recirculating systems employ water treatment equipment similar to a pool.
In Northeast Georgia, the City of Trion hired Great Southern Recreation to convert a community pool into a splash pad. Trion Mayor Larry Stansell commented, “Our one-million-dollar Project was a complete remake of our ballfields, concession area, fences and recreation area. We spent $200,000.00 on a splash pad and we had $100,000.00 grant. Our county helped us by filling in the pool with dirt and the splash pad was built over it. We use the flow through system for our splash pad, our water is spring fed, the kids and teenagers love the splash pad.”
The Cuthbert Cemetery, Parks and Recreation committee is in the process of having the community pool cleaned out to see what types of repairs are needed to reopen it. There are reasons to keep a community pool; so the kids can learn how to swim; youth need a place to socialize with friends; families need a place for family activities. In order to get families to stay in Cuthbert or new families to move to Cuthbert, we must provide for the kids. This could be a good start. Your voice, your opinion matters, so come to the next city council meeting on Monday, June 8, at 6 p.m. or to the Cemetery, Parks, and Recreation committee meeting on Thursday, June 11, at 10 a.m.