Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Repaired water slides may last four to five years.
The process of replacing the aging SplashDown at the Columbia Swim Center inched closer on Tuesday night as architects presented three new options to take the place of the waterslides. The plans ranged in cost from $2 million to $9.5 million. Williams Architects/Aquatics presented the options on Tuesday night at the Hawthorn Center along with plans for a new indoor pool. The first option, priced between $2 million and $3.1 million, would keep the swim center intact as is, but replace the SplashDown feature with one or two family-friendly features. The second option involves remodeling the Swim Center's main pool area and building enclosure to make it more thermally efficient as well as adding a children's wading pool. The cost is …
Monday, November 26, 2012
Two major aquatics projects will be discussed Tuesday night.
Columbia Association will move closer to decisions on two major aquatics projects on Tuesday night when it hosts a public meeting to discuss options for an indoor pool for the eastern part of the city and replacement options for SplashDown. The meeting will take place on Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Hawthorn Center (6175 Sunny Spring in Hickory Ridge). So far, architects working for CA have narrowed down the possibilities for a new indoor pool to three locations in eastern Columbia—Dasher Green in Owen Brown; Talbott Springs in Oakland Mills; and Locust Park in Long Reach. If any of the three sites is chosen, the indoor pool would replace the existing outdoor pool, except at Dasher Green, where the indoor pool would be placed next to …
Friday, October 26, 2012
CA has narrowed its field of outdoor pools to be turned into an indoor pool from six to four.
An architecture firm hired by Columbia Association to research turning an outdoor pool into an indoor pool found that Locust Park, Dasher Green, Talbott Springs and Jeffers Hill are the possibilities, according to reporting from Explore Howard. CA is interested in enclosing an outdoor pool in order to meet a large demand from numerous constituencies including, lap swimmers, master swimmers, athletes and the Columbia Clippers swim team, according to CA spokesperson David Greisman. Previously they had considered six pools, but narrowed the field to four. In addition, the firm recommended a number of possible replacements for SplashDown. The recommendations included a lazy river, community Jacuzzi, water spray playground and a wave …
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
What should replace SplashDown? Tell us in comments.
Columbia Association has scheduled two public meetings to discuss replacing SplashDown and turning one of CA’s outdoor pools into a year-round indoor pool. SplashDown has been a source of problems for CA since at least 2007 when the interior of the tubes had to be re-caulked. In 2011 CA spent $84,000 making repairs to the water slides after structural issues were found in the stairs tower. Also, a recent engineering study noted that slides’ tubes need to be replaced, an expense that would cost the CA at least $250,000, according to CA’s Aquatics Master plan. In addition, the Master Plan notes that in 2011, general attendance of SplashDown amounted to 2,150 people and 419 birthday parties, a decline from 2007 when 5,000 people attended …
Thursday, March 8, 2012
After repairs to the aging stairs tower, the Columbia Association is set to host a free SplashDown Bash to celebrate the reopening of the water slides.
Time for Columbia’s kids to get excited—SplashDown is reopening this month. The two 40-foot high, 360-foot long swirling slides will re-open on March 24, according to Columbia Association spokesperson Kelly Cooper. Cooper said the reopening is being celebrated with a free SplashDown Bash event from 1 to 6 p.m. on March 24. The slides, which last operated in May of 2011, were shut down indefinitely after an August safety inspection found structural issues in the stairs tower, according to an article in Explore Howard. In September, the Columbia Association board approved plans to make repairs on the tower by a vote of 8-0. At the time several residents urged the board to make repairs to save SplashDown, which opened in 1986. The current …
39.21904
-76.8749
10400 Cross Fox Ln, Columbia, MD
/articles/splashdown-reopening-march-24
/locations/6550712
Thursday, September 29, 2011
The Columbia Association has approved the initial repairs to the stair tower so the slides can re-open, but long-term plans for the aging facility are yet to be decided.
Columbia Association officials have decided to make repairs to Splashdown, the waterslide attraction that opens in the fall, but it is still unclear whether the facility will be open long-term. The Columbia Association (CA) board of directors recently voted 8-0 in favor of funding repairs to the stair tower, which will cost about $120,000, according to the The Howard County Times. Bob Bellemy, CA's director of sports and fitness, said the slides would re-open in January or February, and that stair tower repairs could keep Splashdown open until late spring 2013. Beyond that, the future of the attraction is less clear. Columbia Association officials are in the process of reviewing the options for an aquatics program master plan that would …
39.21634
-76.856517
10221 Wincopin Cir, Columbia, MD
/articles/splashdown-saved-for-now
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39.21904
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Slayton House
10400 Cross Fox Ln, Columbia, MD
/articles/splashdown-saved-for-now
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39.194203
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Owen Brown Community Center
6800 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, MD
/articles/splashdown-saved-for-now
1787712
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Friday, September 16, 2011
Damage discovered in the stair tower has lead the Columbia Association to postpone the opening of the slides until further notice.
The future of Splashdown is uncertain as Columbia Association engineers and officials are grappling with how to fix safety problems related to the waterslides. The Columbia Association announced last week that the annual Splashdown Bash scheduled for Sat. Sept. 17 at the Columbia Swim Center, which is located at the Wilde Lake Village Center, will be postponed. The annual event traditionally marks the end of summer with a party and of course, the opening of the waterslides. Damage to the stair tower providing access to the slides at the swim center was found during a recent structural engineering inspection, and repairs are estimated to cost $120,000, said Columbia Association Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Rob Goldman. And the…
39.21904
-76.8749
10400 Cross Fox Ln, Columbia, MD
/articles/splashdown-water-slide-bash-postponed-future-uncertain
/locations/5379409
andrew gutenson
6:57 pm on Saturday, February 9, 2013
I absolutely vote for the last option. I love big water slides, especially the pitch black ones. more ›