Rain or shine, Woodland pool opens Friday

The weekend forecast may not be exactly hospitable to swimmers, but the Woodland Water Park opens rain, shine or chills on Friday.

The weather forecast calls for rain showers and temperatures in the 60s.

But short of lightning, the pool staff will welcome swimmers from 12:30-4:30 p.m. Friday for the start of the center's second season.

The pool's grand opening last year also was short on hot weather, but the swimmers came (and splashed) anyway, Kalispell Parks and Recreation Administration Specialist Lisa Simmer said.

Last summer the center drew more than 37,000 people. The old Bruckhauser Pool drew 17,360 during its last year.

Part of the draw of the new pool is the amenities it offers, Parks and Recreation Director Mike Baker said.

Woodland Water Park has a lazy river, water toys, slides, a lap pool and a host of other swimmer-friendly features.

Last year's inaugural season helped center staff work out a few wrinkles in the new facility, such as learning how to handle the crowds. The pool has three cash registers, so the staff worked out a system that funnels season pass holders into one line and other customers to the other two registers to move crowds faster, Baker said.

This year the pool's capacity has been boosted from 512 to 550 people.

Another change the city has made is to replace boilers that were a problem last summer. The boilers came from the manufacturer with incorrect temperature settings, so they periodically would overheat and turn themselves off at night.

"We'd get here in the morning and the water temperature had dropped overnight," Baker said, "and it was pretty chilly."

Swimmers, especially children there for swim lessons, had a bit of a cold-water surprise, but they still swam and the pool heated back up once the boilers were restarted, he said.

The manufacturer replaced the boilers this winter, so the pool should maintain a steady temperature this season.

Operating costs for the first season were about $225,000 and the pool generated $176,749. Community pools' operating costs typically exceed their revenue stream, so municipalities tend to view aquatic facilities more as community services, Baker said.

"And it's a tough business because you're dealing with Mother Nature in Montana," he said.

The pool season here is about 80 days, and some of those are lost to stormy weather or early closings when rain or cold keep people at home.

Reporter Camden Easterling can be reached at 758-4429 or by e-mail at ceasterling@dailyinterlake.com