City Council Touts Refurbished Water Park

Along with honoring fallen veterans, Memorial Day weekend has grown to represent the start of summer, barbecue and pool season.

Just before the holiday, on Thursday, May, 24, the city of Gaithersburg re-opened its newly refurbished at Summit Hall Farm—featuring upgrades to the the main pool, splash pool, water slides and play areas.

Council member Henry Marraffa joined Mayor Sidney Katz, City Council Vice President Ryan Spiegel, and council member Mike Semsa, among others, at the grand opening and gushed about the finished product at Monday evening's city council meeting.

"If you haven't yet, you must go see the new pool," Marraffa said. "They did a superb job on the design of it. The kids will love it, adults will love it. It puts us No. 1 in the pool business."

Renovations to the pools include the installation of new tile and pool plaster and the replacement of the ceramic gutter systems with ones made of stainless steel, according to a release by the city. Additionally, the main pool was converted from a five lane, 25-yard swim area to a six lane, 25-meter competition pool.

Sesma said it will eventually host competitions for youth and master swim leagues.

The splash pool was fixed up with new open and closed flume slides and an in-water play structure that pays homage to the state of Maryland with Black-Eyed Susan and Blue Heron play features, according to the city's release.

Spiegel said he had an opportunity to try the new slides at the re-opening ceremony.

"It's not only great entertainment for kids, but kids of all ages," Spiegel said. "I went to try the new slides and was taken aback by how serious the fun is."

The park will undergo the second phase of the two-part renovation process during Fiscal Year 2013, including other recommended improvements to increase customer service and safety and implement energy efficiency upgrades through mechanical, electrical, and plumbing measures in the Water Park Entrance, Bath House, Snack Bar, Slide Tower, and other features, according to the city's press release.

“With the help of funding through Maryland’s Program Open Space, our goal in renovating the Water Park was to ensure its viability for at least the next 20 years,” Katz said in the city's press release. “It’s a much loved and heavily used facility, enjoying more than 80,000 visits annually, including 1,000 youngsters splashing away during our popular summer camp programs.”

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From the city: The Water Park operates on a pre-season schedule starting Saturday, May 26 at noon. The full summer season begins June 9, with the pool opening daily at 11 a.m. and closing at 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.  Daily admission for residents of the City of Gaithersburg is $5.75.  Nonresident admission is $6.75 on weekdays and $7.25 on weekends and holidays.