Vortex, industry leader in aquatic playground and urban landscape solutions, has supplied a a Splashpad® at the Norview Community Center, Norfolk, VA.
The project brief was to provide something for the community that would be low maintenance. A Splashpad® was chosen because the initial capital cost was much lower than building a swimming pool, and also with no drowning risk there is no need to hire lifeguards, saving on maintenance.
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The $640,000 project involved the young people of the community, inviting them to share their ideas in choosing the play features for the Splashpad®. The result is a Splashpad® that includes separate zones for each age group; a slip-proof, colored rubberized surface a
nd a Vortex Water Quality Management System. Funding for the project came from the balance of other completed projects.
Director of the Dept. of Recreation, Parks & Open Space, Darrell Crittendon said, “A year ago a promise was made that a Splashpad® would be constructed at the Norview Community Center. The Vice Mayor was very instrumental and lead us through a series of meetings and had actually had meetings during our summer camp last summer and there were close to 90 youths that provided drawings and input on what type of structures they’d wanted to see on the actual Splashpad®.”
Anthony Burfoot, Norfolk Vice Mayor commented, “Unlike most projects, where we would normally would bring in parents and adults and would let them vet out what type of project we would like to see, this was special. We invited 75 young people to come in and articulate the vision they wanted to see as relates to this Splashpad®. Today what you see here is the culmination of staff and the young people of Norview coming together and having a major input in what you see today.
“We take pride in this community and this Splashpad®, and we want it to be here for generations to come.”