RAPID CITY, SD—Swimmers at the Jimmy Hilton Pool at Sioux Park will notice a new feature in the pool this season.
Gone is the familiar blue dinosaur slide that entertained young swimmers for nearly 30 years. Over the years, kids of various ages would take countless turns on the slide with parents keeping a watchful eye nearby. Even four-legged canine swimmers took to the slide during the annual Wags and Waves event at the end of each pool season.
However, Mother Nature and the constant use during the many summer seasons have finally taken a toll on the iconic dinosaur feature. City recreation maintenance workers removed the blue dinosaur slide earlier this month. In its place, crews this week installed a new, shiny green dinosaur slide that will welcome pool visitors when the Sioux Park pool opens May 30.
The new dinosaur slide is similar in style to its long-time predecessor. The same company that made the blue slide has built the new feature as well. The Rapid City Common Council approved the purchase last fall.
“We started the ordering and fabrication process last fall as the pool closed,” said Parks Project Manager Darin Sabers. “The old slide was the original from when the pool opened 25 years ago.”
Sabers said the recreation maintenance team cleans and waxes the pool slides annually to extend the life of the equipment but eventually an item needs to be replaced.
“The blue dinosaur served a long life, but due to the elements and use, the fiberglass was starting to break down,” Sabers said. “The new dinosaur slide will really be a great addition to the pool and we expect it to get a lot of use.”
The recreation maintenance team unloaded the new slide this week, made final connections to the pool surface and are scheduled to fill the pool Wednesday. As for the old blue dinosaur, Sabers said it was traded in towards the purchase of the new dinosaur slide. The company plans to use the blue dinosaur to make a new mold for future dinosaur slides.
City outdoor pools at Parkview, Horace Mann and Sioux Park are scheduled to open May 30 for the season. The 50-meter outdoor pool at the Roosevelt Park Swim Center will open May 24.
