Florida: Barracuda Bay Aquatic Center opens - NRPA in Action

Parks & Recreation, Nov, 2003

It was seven years in the making, but the city of Riviera Beach's Barracuda Bay Aquatic Center finally opened Aug. 30 to a capacity crowd on Florida's East Coast.

The $4 million project replaced the aging four-lane lap pool that the city had previously maintained. While the old pool could hold only 60 people, the Aquatics Center holds 600 people. For its opening weekend, the recreational facility brought in 1,300 people who feasted on its concessions, pools and activities.

Assistant Director Janet Levin's department didn't have a hard time getting the project approved by the city, nor did she experience problems in fundraising. The setbacks occurred when the contractor the city had originally hired declared bankruptcy halfway through the project.

The half-finished center yielded little foundation except for the appearance of two colorful slides. Levin said that not only were the community and the neighboring media hounding the department about the center's opening date, but city officials were also curious. "The city was so behind us that we were bombarded by city officials as to when it was going to be done," Levin said. '"We see the slides, when will it be open?,' they said."

Now that it's finished, the Aquatics Center boasts lush, tropical landscaping, exercise programs, swimming lessons and competitions in its 25-yard competition pool, complete with eight starting blocks. For youths under 7 years of age, there's an interactive aquatics play pool. The third pool has two water flumes that spiral down into a plunge pool. Barracuda Bay is complete with locker rooms, storage rooms and a well-sleeked concession stand.

With these amenities, the city of Riviera Beach will soon reap the awards of its commitment. The $3 admission fee averages the department $900-$1,200 a weekend, plus an extra $900 a weekend from the concession stand. Levin said when the summer season returns, the Aquatics Center will begin to pay for itself in addition to paying into an endowment fired for a future expansion effort. The department's five-year goal is to build another six-foot-deep competitive pool with an extra long slide.

For more information on the Aquatics Center, contact Levin at JLEVIN@ Rivierabch.com.