By Kylie Balk-Yaatenen - June 4th 2024
EVANSVILLE
The city of Evansville is marking the grand opening of its new Evansville Aquatic Center and upgrades at Larson Acres Park on Friday.
Larson Acres Park, formerly Westside Park, is located 700 Porter Road.
The event includes a ribbon cutting and remarks at 10 a.m. and an open house and tours from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by the aquatic center officially opening to the public from 3-8 p.m.
The new aquatic center includes a six-lane pool, aqua climbing wall, diving board, slides, zero-depth entry area, and accommodations for individuals of all ages and abilities. It is also equipped with locker rooms, showers, a concession area, admissions desk, staff and lifeguard support spaces.
The upgrades at Larson Acres Park were made in honor of Don and Virginia Larson whose family farmed the land for decades and made a generous donation in support of the project — including renovated soccer fields, a new baseball field, a new softball field, a new central open green space, multi-use trails, parking and a new stormwater system.
Evansville City Administrator Jason Sergent said the park improvements and the new aquatic center were determined to be needed through studies and extensive community input.
He said the city is planning another grand opening later this summer of the splash pad now under construction on the site of the former Veteran’s Memorial Aquatic Center in Leonard-Leota Park.
A 2017 assessment deemed the pool at the Veteran’s Memorial Aquatic Center in poor condition and beyond its life. Surveys considered as the city’s prepared its 2020-25 park and outdoor recreation plan identified a new and expanded aquatic center as the highest priority for recreational activities in Evansville.
The pool at Veteran’s Memorial Aquatic Center in Leonard-Leota Park was built in 1958. It had developed leaks requiring costly repairs and there were soil issues underneath it, city documents show.
Evansville officials said the city had done all it could to extend its life. In 2017, inspections found the pool and bathhouse did not meet code and the pool’s filtration system, and other components, needed to be replaced.
Sergeant said it was ultimately decided that building a new facility on the city’s west side was more cost-effective than trying to replace the existing pool.
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