Garden Rapids at the Big Pool is a water park and community pool located in Garden City, Kansas, USA.
History
In 1921, the mayor of Garden City, Kanas, noted the need for a swimming pool in the city, so the residents began to dig a large 2 million gallon swimming pool. Named The Big Dipper, it would open to the public in 1922.[1][2]
A bathouse and childrens pool were added in the 1930s.[1][2]
By the late 1990s, the pool had started to show its age, and renovations would beguin, the largest of which would be in 2006, with part of the pool being made deeper, and a 3 slide tower from Natural Structures being installed.[1][3]
In 2019, it was revealed that the pool had been losing 200,000 gallons of water a day due to cracks in the concrete, causing a daily maintenance bill of around $1000.[2] The city decided to replace the pool rather than repairing it, and annouced that it's last season would be 2020, however, COVID-19 caused the pool to not open in 2020, effectively making the 2019 season the pool's last.[1][2][4]
The pool's replacement would be a water park named Garden Rapids at the Big Pool, with a lazy river, and a slide tower from SplashTacular.[5]
The park opened on May 29, 2021.[6]
Water slides
Operating
| Name | Manufacturer | Class | Type | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body Slide | SplashTacular | Body | N/A | May 29, 2021 |
| Fly Tyme | SplashTacular | Body | Drop | May 29, 2021 |
| Slip Stream | SplashTacular | Body | Standing | May 29, 2021 |
| Tube Slide | SplashTacular | Tube | N/A | May 29, 2021 |
Defunct
| Name | Manufacturer | Class | Type | Opened | Closed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water Slides | Natural Structures | Body | N/A | May 28, 2006 | September 2, 2019 | Unknown |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Aquatics". Garden City Parks and Recreation. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Boyer, Corinne (June 10, 2019). "Might be Last Summer for Garden City's Enormous Public Swimming Pool". Kansas Public Radio. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ↑ "Fiberglass Water Slide Model 1884" (PDF). Natural Structures. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ↑ "THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS". City of Garden City. July 16, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ↑ "Municipalities - Splashtacular". SplashTacular. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ↑ "Garden Rapids at the Big Pool was live". Facebook. May 29, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2024.