MPAC committee to reveal new aquatic center design

It might be difficult to think about swimming right now, but spring and summer are just around the corner. And one group of Crestonians has been actively working on plans to renovate the existing McKinley Pool.

The MPAC (McKinley Park Aquatic Center) committee will reveal the design plans it and Waters Edge Aquatic Design have come up with, during the committee’s kick-off fundraiser set for Friday, May 4, at Supertel Inn & Conference Center in Creston.

After receiving community feedback from public meetings and throughout 2017 on social media, the MPAC committee went into the design process looking for something “more family friendly,” explained Samantha Baird, head of the committee.

“Pretty much everybody that has young children, like myself,” Baird said, “was looking for something more family friendly (than what currently exists). Our current pool isn’t heated, so it’s really cold for the little kids until June, and the other thing is that the baby pool is fenced off from the larger pool, making it difficult for families with different age children.”

Design plans

Waters Edge Aquatic Design, who the MPAC committee contracted to come up with pool designs, is a firm based out of Lenexa, Kansas. It has previously completed projects for new pools and aquatic centers in Corning and Winterset.

“We thought it would be the easiest sell to the community,” said Baird, “because people are familiar with their work. ... I mean most people are even already taking their kids to Winterset and Corning. I think if we had a better facility, people from the community would use it, and people from other communities would come here and use it too.”

Baird then explained the positive economic impact a popular aquatic center can bring to its local community, saying families that might come to Creston for the pool would almost certainly spend money in other ways, like on gas, restaurants and groceries.

In September 2017, Waters Edge and the MPAC committee met with the public to discuss possible design plans.

Water’s Edge pitched ideas such as connecting the existing two pools via current channels or via progressively deeper play areas. Initial pitches also included adding a third shallow pool — with the pool eventually deepening to six feet — to the aquatic center allowing water slides to have a specific plunge area unattached to the lap pool.

All ideas included adding grass and rock aesthetic features to liven up the pool area and give patrons somewhere to sit that isn’t just concrete.

In addition, almost every idea included a zero-depth entry to the wading pool for children. Zero-depth entry means children can walk directly into a pool that progressively deepens rather than walking down stairs or stepping over a wall.

Other ideas for children included play areas, water sculptures and dump buckets.

For those interested in finding out what elements of these proposals and what new ideas will be incorporated into the design, the MPAC committee has invited the public to attend a fundraising event May 4 during which it will unveil the new plans.

“We are trying to keep it really a secret until then,” Baird said. “We’re trying to kind of build momentum for the event. But then on May 5, we’ll put everything on Facebook, and our website will go live then, too.”

Baird said more information about the costs for the construction, maintenance and operation of the pool will also be made available to the public at the fundraiser.

Fundraiser details

The MPAC committee’s kick-off fundraising event set for Friday, May 4, is called “Dive Right In To Some Fun!” It will be an evening of food and entertainment. Baird said interest has been overwhelming, and there are already only about 20 tickets left for purchase.

The evening will begin at 5 p.m. with a happy hour, and a taco bar will open at 5:30 p.m., catered by El Ranchito out of Afton.

The new design plans for the aquatic center will be unveiled at 6:30 p.m., and at 7 p.m. guests will be treated to entertainment by Pianopalooza Dueling Pianos out of Des Moines.

The MPAC committee encourages attendees to come dressed in their favorite pool attire.

Tickets to the Supertel Inn & Conference Center event, priced at $50 each, are available for purchase online at eventbrite.com, and in Creston at Tyler Insurance Services, First National Bank (the 101 W. Adams St. location), Ted Willets CPA and the Creston News Advertiser offices.

Tickets to the fundraiser may also be purchased during Update Uptown Saturday morning, and the MPAC committee will also be selling raffle tickets for a chance to win a kayak at the event.

If unable to attend, Baird said donations may be mailed to McKinley Park Aquatic Center, PO Box 1, Creston, IA, 50801. Checks are to be made payable to “City of Creston – MPAC Fund.”

“So this will be our first fundraising event,” Baird summarized. “And we’ve set up an endowment fund with the South Central Iowa Community Foundation, so we hope to raise funds not only for the capital campaign, but also to help operate and maintain the pool after it’s built. That’s the goal.”

Baird said once the pool design plans have been revealed, the MPAC committee intends to move forward with discussions with individual donors, and to begin applying for grants to help fund the project.

“We’re hoping that by selling out an event like this right off the bat,” Baird said, “and having some seed-money, basically, we’ll be able to prove that we have community buy-in and support. ... People are interested in making changes and improving things here in our community. I’m excited that some younger people are interested in keeping our community viable going forward.”

Look for more information about the MPAC committee’s impending capital campaign and details about the pool design plans in a future edition of the Creston News Advertiser.