This week, the Mexico city council approved a resolution that will allow city staff to enter into a contract for a new water slide at the city pool.
The estimated cost for the project is just …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, or you are a print subscriber who had access to our previous website, then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you have not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
If you are a current print subscriber and did not have a user account on our previous website, you can set up a free website account by clicking here.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
This week, the Mexico city council approved a resolution that will allow city staff to enter into a contract for a new water slide at the city pool.
The estimated cost for the project is just over $670,000 with the city picking up half the tab. Parks and Recreation Director Chad Shoemaker told the Ledger the other half of the money will come from fundraising efforts that are currently underway and will continue throughout the rest of this year.
Construction on the project would not begin until later this fall at the earliest with the hopes of the slide being ready for next summer. Shoemaker said the slide was part of the original plans when the pool was put together but was put on the back burner because of cost concerns.
“Covid-19 came along and none of us were confident that revenues would be there,” Shoemaker said.
Much of the underlying work needed for the slide was completed when the pool was constructed with the anticipation that the slide would come later. Shoemaker said the price tag would be much larger if they had not thought ahead.
“This is a significant discount on what it would have cost to do it retroactively without those things,” Shoemaker said.
The project will have to be engineered before any construction can take place. Shoemaker said the slide will be about 20 feet in the air at the beginning with many turns and twists before the rider reaches the catch pool. Shoemaker said the engineering is so detailed that simulations will be run several times before a final plan is presented.
“It’s not like these things are in stock sitting on a shelf,” Shoemaker said. “It has to match the site. You’re going to get a lot of speed during that drop.”
Shoemaker believes the slide is an important piece for the pool and the recreation department because of the purpose it serves. Shoemaker said the slide targets a certain age group but can also be used by a whole range of family ages.
“The trick to what we do is to try and give kids enough controlled risk to feel like they’ve accomplished something,” Shoemaker said. “There’s not many ways we can do it that are inherently safe that don’t feel safe.
