The newest attraction to Drumheller is open.
The waterslide, installed at the Drumheller Aquaplex, opened to the public on Friday morning after delays from Alberta Health Services.
In a press release sent out by the Town of Drumheller on Friday, Deputy Mayor Jay Garbutt said, “we know many have been excited about the opening and we thank everybody for their patience. Now it’s time for everybody to enjoy this great new addition to the indoor pool.”
Many residents have expressed concern on social media about the restrictions that the waterslide has in place for younger children.
During Monday night’s committee meeting, Director of Community Services, Paul Savatore spoke to council about the waterslide and explained the reasons for the restrictions.
Salvatore said, because the slide is fully enclosed, it is a manufacturers recommendation that the slide be for one rider at a time. A light has been installed that turns red when a riders is on the slide and becomes green when it is the next persons turn. He also said, because of the impact of the water at the bottom of the slide it would be unsafe for a parent to have a child on their lap because they could lose grip of their child.
“Safety is paramount,” Salvatore said when speaking to council. “We know there will be kids turned away, but safety is our main priority.”
Salvatore said he has contacted the pools with waterslides in Red Deer, Airdrie and Stettler noting they have the same policy and restrictions that are in place as the slide at the Aquaplex.
The reason, he explained, the slide is enclosed is to help save space in the pool area.
The manufacturer states that a rider must be 48 inches or taller to ride. After completing tests, Salvatore said the height restriction was reduced to 42 inches for the new slide.
The requirements are from the manufacturer and could be a liability issue if they are not met, Savatore explained.
Council is going to look into the concerns and complaints from residents in a few weeks to determine if changes should be made to the restrictions.
Council also discussed the future improvements to the pool which will include a zero entry beach entrance suitable for toddlers.
The waterslide was designed to allow for this to happen in the future.
The Drumheller Aquaplex has changed some requirements for young swimmers as well.
As of June 1 the Aquaplex has added an additional requirement for those children wanting to be further away than within an arms reach from their parent or guardian.
Not only do children need to be six years of age or older, but they are also now required to be 48” (122 cm) tall or taller in order to be left alone in the pool.
Andrea Leavitt, manager at the Aquaplex said the reason for the change was because of some incidents that have recently occurred.
“We have had an increase in life guard intervention because either parents have not been paying close enough attention to their children who were over six but were still too short to touch the pool bottom or were a little bit weaker swimmer, or they would drop their children off and they were shorter or weaker swimmers that needed more close attention,” she said.
Leavitt explained that the height restriction is, “basically so (the kids) can touch the bottom of the pool.”
