Layton dives into park improvements
The city has already installed ultraviolet filters to quell cryptosporidium outbreaks. Layton recreation director Dave Price said the filters mean the city wave pool still uses chlorine but at much lower levels.
"This is a godsend," he said. "It reduces athletic asthma and increases enjoyment of the pool."
He said patrons who haven't been to the Surf 'N Swim for a long time will notice a big difference in the smell there, where chlorine no longer dominates.
Since the Surf 'N Swim is only booked for special evening events about 70 percent of the time, some new improvements may help the city fill the other 30 percent.
Price said most of the improvements can be done within the recreation department's existing budget.
"We want to create a little sizzle, excitement around the pool."
The main complaint about the Surf 'N Swim facility, which opened in 1986, is that it is a sterile environment, with little to do outside the pool. A way to add more space and more opportunities for mixed-use activities is the main goal.
• Adding more chairs, tables and umbrellas along the sides of the wave pool.
• Sponsoring one big special event a month, including a mini-triathlon, pre-summer bash and movie night.
• Pool employees will switch to new red and white uniforms. This will look better and speed identification during emergencies.
• Adding a new entryway to the facility, that boasts a sea wall, instead of just a 30-foot-wide entrance.
• Construction of a cinderblock storage room for the wave bubble, at the north end of the pool area.
• Creating improved graphics on the wave wall at the deep end of the wave pool.
• Possibly enlarging the area around the pool. This includes moving the chain-link fence about 50 feet to the northwest. This will swallow up one of the upper trail segments by the river but keep the more popular lower trail intact. It will also mean a service road will remain but will require gates at each end. Surf 'N Swim groups will be able to use the blacktop of the road there now to set up grills. Trees in this area will provide more shade. Eventually, mini-pavilions could be constructed in this area. The cost of moving the fence would be about $8,000. Only occasional chlorine delivery trucks use the service road.
"The idea is not to tear the road out," Layton city manager Alex Jensen said.
• In the future, the east side of the small swimming pool could be enhanced with a splash area.
Councilman Renny Knowlton said, "I think the idea is right," regarding improvements to the Surf 'N Swim. He favors prospects of the facility becoming more self-sustaining.
In the upcoming 2008-09 city budget, $468,072 will be used from general city funds to supplement the cost of operating the Surf 'N Swim. Its income from admissions, concessions and other sources is projected to be $437,960, or just less than half of its total $906,032 operating budget.
The Surf 'N Swim is located at 465 N. Wasatch Drive. Call 336-3939, or go to www.laytoncity.org for more information.
E-mail: lynn@desnews.com
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