APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna says he wants to replace one of the city’s two outdoor swimming facilities with a splash pad.
During an announcement Tuesday, Hanna says the main pool and two smaller pools at Erb Park would shut down at the end of the swimming season in 2016. City officials say the main pool there started losing 20 percent of its water per day late this summer.
The city says that rebuilding the pools, pavilion, bath houses and parking lot at Erb Park would cost between $8.5 million and $11.5 million. However, if they replace the facilities with a splash pad, a new pavilion with changing areas and a new parking lot would only cost about $3 million.
City officials say most splash pads don’t have areas of standing water and are less expensive to building and maintain than traditional swimming pools. Statistics cited by the city show people have been gravitating toward facilities like Mead Pool, which offers zero-depth entry, slides and diving boards.
In a recent survey conducted by city parks officials, two-thirds of residents say they want splash pads at the renovated Erb Park. A plan is in the works to install splash pads at Erb, Pierce, Telulah and Memorial parks.
In the meantime, short-term repairs are planned for the Erb Park pool with a re-opening date sometime in June. Swimming lessons are also expected to be held there in 2016.
