Published: April 20, 2008 10:54 pm      

TONAWANDA: Pool improvements add to summer fun

TOWN OF TONAWANDA — With warm weather rolling in, the town is looking to improve the swimming and splashing experience for residents.

After a remodeling of the Aquatic and Fitness Center and liner replacement for the Lincoln Park Wading Pool this year and the installation of a spray park at Sheridan Parkside next year, locals will have plenty of water-filled activities to choose from.

The $1.5 million in improvements to the Aquatic and Fitness Center will start with a complete evaluation of its facilities. Siemens, the town’s energy consulting firm, is starting its audits of town buildings with the AFC to see what savings can be found just before the active season ramps up. In the end, Siemens said the town should save enough on energy costs to offset the spending on the evaluations.

The bottom of the 18-year-old facility’s pool is going to be replaced, new concrete will be put down in the front entryway and doors will be better fitted to their frames to keep heat and air conditioning losses down, said Youth, Parks and Recreation Department Director Dan Wiles.

“It’s kind of like regular maintenance you have to do to a house,” Wiles said. “You have to put in the improvements to serve upcoming generations.”

The town has had to compete with other health clubs and workout facilities opening nearby, but enrollment at the AFC has stayed steady. Councilman Dan Crangle said the goal is to keep the facility a place people of all ages can enjoy.

“After the last three years, it looks like a brand new facility,” Crangle said.

The Lincoln Park wading pool is also getting a facelift, replacing parts that were getting too expensive to maintain, Wiles said.

“We’ve patched the liner for the last two or three years,” Wiles said. “We don’t need to patch it any more. We need to replace it.”

Lincoln is one of the busiest town water facilities, and that made the liner improvement both an aesthetic and safety concern, Crangle said.

“That pool draws a lot of kids,” Crangle said. “It’s important we maintain the upkeep of that pool especially because of the usage.”

Grant funding made the more than $30,000 improvement possible and the town has been replanting trees and grass since the October Storm. A new roadway and increased parking capacity should bring in plenty of people to enjoy the restorations this year, Crangle said.

Another grant-funded water project will be one more year in the making. The proposed Sheridan Parkside spray park brought out several concerned residents looking for specifics last year. After looking at the time required to complete the project, the department decided the existing pool should stay open one more summer season to give residents the most time out of the site during the summer.

Demolition of the pool will start in August. If all goes according to plan, the facility should be up and running by next spring.

While people were skeptical at first, those who have come in to see plans and drawings of what will be built on the site went away reassured, Wiles said.

“People were skeptical at first, but once they see what we’re talking about the excitement just builds,” Wiles said.

Contact reporter Daniel Pyeat 693-1000, ext. 158.