The Taylor Street Sprayground is not a pool – it is a watery playground for tots to teens with adults encouraged to join the fun too. It is under construction now so all you sidewalk supervisors should take a folding chair to watch the watery magic emerge. It is expected to be complete in mid-July.
Ruben Wall, director of the town’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department, said this week that the project is a joint venture with the town and Wake County, which provided 80 percent of the funds for the sprayground with the town paying 20 percent. The total cost is $345,272.
“The County is responsible for administering the contracts and construction,” Wall said in an email. “Hollins Construction, located on Rogers Road in Wake Forest, is responsible for all concrete and utility work, and they have partnered with Vortex, the supplier and manufacturer of the sprayground equipment to install all fixtures and controls association with the project. The Town also received $2,500 from the Kiwanis Club of Wake Forest. These funds will be used to purchase a memorial bench for Mr. Tom Dimmock.”
Holding Park Pool is just construction drawings and artists’ renderings of the features, but once the consulting architectural firm, Kimley-Horn, completes all the required paperwork the advertising for construction bids is expected to occur in mid- to late-July. A new pump house has been included. The pool with all the new features – a six-lane lap pool with diving board, a plunge pool with two slides and a second children’s pool as well as lounge chairs and shaded tables and chairs – is expected to be complete in the winter with opening in late May. The existing bathhouse and eoncession building will remain.
Swimming lessons and recreational swimming will not be provided by the town this summer. Wall wrote, “You may recall that last summer we learned right before the start of the pool season that we could not open. Since we had already advertised we felt obligated to honor the advertised services. This year, since we knew we were not going to open we did not advertise and will not be providing any services this summer.”
However, the editor believes swimming lessons are vitally important for children before they are allowed into pools and she urges all parents to contact the Kerr Family YMCA, any other YMCA and local private pools where swimming is taught to make sure their children will be taught swimming and be safe in the water.
She also strongly cautions against swimming in local ponds because, without lifeguards and other safety equipment, there have been too often cases of children, teens and adults drowning in area ponds.
