A new design for the Indian Trails Aquatic Center in Lenexa that prominently features a lazy river, slides and diving boards has begun to take shape as the city considers how to increase attendance and cost recovery at its four swimming pools.

What’s going on? City councilmembers recently took a look at a conceptual plan offered by architectural firm Confluence.

• The plan is the product of more than four years of study and public input that also included a survey of 430 school children.
• According to the answers from students at five elementary schools, the top most requested feature was a lazy river, followed by slides and diving boards. And also – good food at the concession stand.

Details: Architects put the lazy river front and center in their initial sketches, replacing much of the open water space that now occupies the middle of the pool. Other ideas in the conceptual plan include:

• deep water, diving boards and one slide, with room for another slide to be added in one corner of the pool,
• a 25-yard competition/lap pool in another corner,
• zero-depth entry and a splash pad, which are already features of the pool that would remain
• and a new entry building and renovated bath house and concession area also were part of the plan.

Potential cost: The city has already budgeted $15 million for the project in its capital improvements budget.

• That includes the design and contingencies but it does not include changes in the parking configuration, which will be done later at additional cost.

Bigger picture: The changes proposed for Indian Trails pool are part of a larger effort encompassing all of the city’s pools.

• A two-year aquatics study concluded the city was recovering only a little over 60% of its costs from operating its pools, in part because they hadn’t been modernized.
• Indian Trails was built in 1976 and upgraded in 1998, but there had been no significant change since then, the study said.
• In the meantime, surrounding cities built more modern pools that became popular.
• In addition, most pools are located in the eastern part of the city, away from the growth, the study noted.

Too much water space? The study also concluded that city pools could be more financially viable with less water surface per capita.

• Lenexa’s 0.78 square feet of water per resident is more than the average of metro area cities surveyed of 0.56 square feet, the study said.
• It recommended Lenexa reduce its square feet of water in its pool system by about a third, to 29,600 square feet.

Timeline: The city has already redone Flat Rock Creek Pool, and the indoor pool at the Lenexa Rec Center is only as old as that building, leaving Indian Trails and Ad Astra next pools in line for major changes.

• The timeline for the Indian Trails Aquatic Center calls for the design process and bidding to continue this year.
• The pool would be closed in 2023 and the spring of 2024, and would reopen again the summer of 2024.
• Meanwhile, the Ad Astra pool will remain open until 2024, when it will be closed for reconstruction.
• Councilmembers did not take action on the Indian Trails presentation and it is not scheduled for further discussion.

Roxie Hammill is a freelance journalist who reports frequently for the Post and other Kansas City area publications. You can reach her at [email protected].