ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Summer is drawing closer, which means many people will be making their way to their favorite pools to cool down, and that includes Liberal’s own Adventure Bay Water Park.
The park will be opening Saturday, and Recreation Director Matt Quint said a lot of work has gone in to making the pools properly ready.
“Travis Martinez, who's the assistant director at the Recreation Center, actually got some work started about two weeks ago, and that included getting the offices ready and cleaned out and some other cleaning,” Quint said. “He's also been up here quite a bit lately washing out the pools, fixing some little things here and there, getting the pool chairs out, and getting some of the people in here. We've really been cooking the past few days, and that's really the fun part because it's great seeing everything officially come together and let the community know we're getting ready for them.”
Quint added some of the work even started as early as last year.
“As soon as last year was done, the big thing for us was taking care of some maintenance. For example, our Hydrostorm broke, so we had to get that fixed, and the Water Department is a great group of guys, and the Hydrostorm is officially up and working now,” Quint said. “We also had a company come from Colorado and put some fresh gel coating on the water slides to keep everything nice and smooth and prevent anyone getting hurt while on them, and they look and feel great now. And right now, it's all about the finishing touches, like fixing stuff in the pumphouse and fixing broken pipes and cleaning leaves and other debris out of the pool baskets and everywhere else. We also had some kittens who'd made a home in our back area for a little while – there was a day we were filling up the lap pool and saw them come out and play around, so we called Animal Control to pick them up, and I hope they end up finding good homes. Right now, we're doing a lot of that maintenance and making sure everything's truly ready to go when we start getting patrons here in the pool. Staff will be training, and we've officially got water either in the pool or about to get pumped in, so we're really happy with that.”
With opening weekend just around the corner, Quint said there is a lot to be excited about.
“I really look forward, every year, to getting to know the new staff. I'm not involved in the hiring of the Adventure Bay Water Park staff, that's all Ismael Carrillo and his people, and they always do a great job getting good people working here, and I do know a few returning staff members,” Quint said. “For a lot of the staff, they're young and this is their first major job, so they're really excited to get to work, so it's fun getting to know them and see them grow in their lifeguard skills and be a mentor for them. We've gotten a lot of great feedback with our community night swims – there are a lot of people who get off work, eat dinner and then come here either alone or with their families to enjoy some fun. That's something we're really looking forward to continuing and expanding on in the future. We also offer swimming lessons and other programs that should be great for everyone.”
Quint also emphasized the importance of swimming lesson participation.
“I would absolutely encourage parents to get their children in swimming lessons. We're a Red Cross-certified facility, so we follow all of those procedures, and we recommend, at a young age, getting children in swimming lessons, because it's such a vital life skill,” Quint said. “At the very least, have them go through the first couple levels so they have that foundation and can get themselves out of a situation if the need ever arises, and then it's about Level 3 when there's more emphasis on techniques and different strokes and all of that stuff. We've also got the Piranha Swim Team for those looking for something more competitive, and they do five or six tournaments in the summer, and we would love to see sign-ups there too. Anyone wanting to be part of the Piranhas team can get in touch with the Recreation Center at (620) 417-8150 or send us a message through our Facebook page, which is called Liberal Recreation Department, and we'll be happy to give you all the necessary information and answer any questions. And I will warn parents, if they want to get their little ones into the earlier levels, go ahead and do so because those are always pretty full, so get signed up sooner rather than later.”
With the way Kansas summers can be in terms of temperature, Quint said Adventure Bay Water Park will be a great spot to be this summer.
“If you live in Kansas, you know it's going to be a hot summer, so Adventure Bay Water Park is a great place to come and cool off and/or burn off some excess energy,” Quint said. “We're a fun and safe environment and would love to see a lot of people come out and enjoy the pool this summer. It's just always great seeing families enjoying themselves at the park in the summer, and that's what we're all about. We'd love to see everyone at the park, and we have season passes and similar offers, so if you don't want you and your family to be couch potatoes this summer, Adventure Bay Water Park is well worth the visit. We've done some maintenance in the offseason to make sure everything's operating like it's supposed to, so hopefully we won't run into any issues on that front, but we do have some measures in place if something does end up happening. I'm also really excited because in either June or July, Adventure Bay Water Park is going to be analyzed by a company, and they'll give us a good rundown on what's going on at the park in terms of what's working well and what could maybe be improved on, things like that. We're just excited about what the future can bring, I know the splash pads are already drawing a lot of people, and there's some talk about more potentially being installed, so we'll see if those turn out. I'm excited to see Liberal growing and going forward.”
Overall, Quint said, it should be a great summer at Adventure Bay.
“I have to again give a big shoutout to Travis because without his help, none of this would be up and running as quickly as it is,” Quint said. “Right now, there's some final cleaning we need to do and some painting touch-ups to do. It's truly just the finishing touches that need done until opening weekend. Opening weekend is going to be here before we know it, and there are some nerves and excitement at the same time, but we're ready to see all our patrons and see everyone have fun, and that includes the children and their parents. I also have to give a big thank you to the Water Department and all the help they've given with the Hydrostorm and stuff in the pumphouse and everything else, they're a great group of guys to work with. Ismael Carrillo is also great to work with as our pool manager, and he never hesitates to help even though there's a lot he already has on his plate, and I can't thank him enough for everything he does. Everyone involved with helping get the pool ready every year is just amazing to work with, and I think we'll have another great season this year!”
