Remaining Relevant

Upgrades and enhancements provide incentives for patrons to return

By John Dzarnowski
Photos: John C. Dzarnowski, AIA

To remain relevant and attract visitors, municipal aquatic centers must make upgrades and add interest despite the challenges presented by budget constraints and the fluctuations brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of forced closures of facilities, many aquatic leaders lost revenue, and funding for programs was cut, although some cities have managed to pass referenda during that time to start projects. The majority of these projects are upgrades to refurbish older facilities by adding to or renovating the existing infrastructure to align with current trends. Such projects are a real challenge and offer unique opportunities for leaders to optimize facilities. Here’s how.

Major Challenges

One of the major struggles for stakeholders in aquatics is staffing. Because fewer staff members are available for hire, buildings are being optimized to do as much as possible with the fewest number of lifeguards, pool attendants, and other support staff, while still operating safely. For example, play structures in leisure pools can be positioned to minimize blocked views that normally require extra guards. Providing a line of sight to multiple areas from one location reduces the number of staff members that are needed. The same is true of slides—one guard can monitor the top of multiple slides and another person can be at the base. 

Flexibility is important. Instead of designing a facility where different program areas are connected in one body of water, it is often advantageous to separate the deep water, leisure pool, lanes, and wading pool. If there is an event such as a swimming/diving meet, isolating those activities to one part of the pool and providing separate access for participants means the rest of the facility doesn’t have to close. If attendance is low at the pool on a given day, it is easier to reduce staffing needs by closing off areas that aren’t being used. Separating the various features also allows for special events and rental opportunities, where one part of the facility can be used for an event without compromising the rest.

Improvements Big And Small

For facilities within a certain age range, there are many commonalities: features that were trends 20 to 25 years ago appeared in almost every aquatic center built during that time. Modernizing often manifests itself in similar transformations. While zero-depth pool entries were popular in the past, research has shown that a 2- to 4-foot range provides the most value because it is the ideal depth for learn-to-swim programs and other activities for young children. The zero-depth entry can be confined to a wading pool so there is still an option in the zero- to 2-foot range, but the main leisure pool can start at 2 feet and go deeper, optimizing an available swimming area. Providing a variety of amenities for people of all ages is also worth the investment. Most pools offer a wading pool for small children, which can be enhanced with a play structure. For older teens, a high diving board and a climbing wall in the deepest part of the pool are popular additions.

Another area receiving a lot of attention for upgrades is the entry sequence into an aquatic park. In the past, patrons had to walk through locker rooms, but code requirements are less stringent in that area today. The entry sequence can be updated to provide more non-gender/family changing rooms, which are popular with parents who visit the pool with opposite-gender children and don’t want to send them through the locker room alone or bring them into the other gender’s locker room.

Concession areas are another key target for upgrades. This is partly driven by a changing demand for different types of food, but also by staffing shortages that require optimal efficiency. Switching to pre-packaged offerings allows one person to run a concession stand, which can open the door for multiple concession stands across a facility, rather than having multiple staff members operating at a single location.

Reasons To Return

When budget or space restrictions inhibit sweeping modifications, like a new locker room or additional pool, leaders may consider quick, less-expensive updates that still provide value. Adding a play structure to spray ground areas is a small upgrade that enhances the user experience. A small slide in the spray ground adds even more fun, and if the slide has a built-in water trough extending from the bottom, there is no need for a designated pool to empty into, which saves space. Slides can be expensive, but they increase play value substantially, and can even draw new people into the facility.

The incentive for people to return to an aquatic center is the main reason for refreshing a facility. Ideally, there should be a notable change every five to seven years, even if only to keep the facility vibrant and engaging. Something as simple as replacing or upgrading deck chairs and reconfiguring shade areas can make a facility feel more like a resort and less like a public pool. The look and feel of deck spaces, furniture, private cabana rentals, covered picnic tables, or other gathering places enhance the experience for visitors and keep people coming back. If they are going to spend an entire day at an aquatic facility, they will appreciate having a “home base,” where a group can store belongings and relax in the shade during a break. The space can be reorganized so groups of cabanas are located alongside food-service areas with views to the pool so parents can visit and enjoy refreshments while watching their kids swim.

In one example project, an older aquatic park had a lazy river with an island that was underutilized. The park created a bridge over the river and developed a pavilion for rental cabanas in the middle of the river to increase potential revenue. Most water parks that are interested in adding cabana features can find space for them in empty center islands or on open lawn or turf areas where people sunbathe. Even if expanding the overall footprint is impossible, leaders can usually find ways to optimize the use of the space they do have.

Upgrades—even small ones—can provide an occasional improvement to an aging facility that changes the experience for visitors in a positive way. Space-saving measures allow aquatic parks to use spaces to the fullest advantage and operate with a minimum number of staff members during times when hiring is difficult. Strategic organization of areas like locker rooms and snack bars makes it easier for patrons to travel throughout a facility and conveniently access various amenities. Visitors who have a positive experience will return to a water park and will also spread the word that it is a great facility, which keeps it relevant.

John C. Dzarnowski, AIA, is CEO of FGM ARCHITECTS. Reach him at (630) 574-8300 or johndzarnowski@fgmarchitects.com.