July 9, 2010
By LISA LAVIA RYAN
The grand opening of Cascade Falls is a hit with all ages as patrons explore the delights of the aquatic center.
Ankeny’s new aquatic center, Cascade Falls, was worth the wait and lived up to every bit of hype surrounding it, patrons said on opening day.
The $8.9 million water park opened to the public Saturday, about 14 months after officials broke ground for it in Prairie Trail, a new 1,000-acre planned community on the city’s southwest side.
Todd Redenius, Ankeny parks and recreation director, said more than 1,000 patrons – a figure that pleased him – had been through the gates by 2 p.m., with six hours of operation left before the facility closed for the day.
“I think people are finding that there’s something for everyone here, from the littlest kids to teenagers to adults,” Redenius said, taking a break poolside from making sure all the attractions were working properly. “I’ve even seen some grandmas and grandpas. The mix of patrons is just what we were hoping for.”
The facility features numerous attractions ranging from a traditional pool with a springboard and a diving platform to a 540-foot lazy river, tube slides, a swirl slide, floor geysers and water cannons, and the only FlowRider surf machine in Iowa.
“The FlowRider is a thrill ride that makes you feel like you’re in the ocean on a body board going 25 to 30 miles per hour,” Redenius said. “It’s something that people have been very excited about. The next-closest ones are at the Mall of America and Lake of the Ozarks.”
The facility also features a zero-depth-entry pool for children and families, full concessions, a sunbathing area and family changing rooms. The 10-acre aquatic center includes 23,000 square feet of water surface area and requires 600,000 gallons of water, Redenius said.
“We couldn’t be prouder of it, especially since we stayed within our budget to build it and because we really had the entire community in mind when we built it,” he said. “We love the fact that anyone can come here and find something that appeals to what they like to do. And we also employ about 50 Ankeny youth, so that’s a benefit as well.”
Even with more than 1,000 people roaming around the facility on Saturday, the grounds didn’t seem overly crowded. Patrons divided themselves equally between the thrill rides, slides and conventional swimming areas.
Middle-schoolers and teenagers seemed drawn to the FlowRider and the various slides, while smaller children and families congregated around the zero-depth-entry pool.
Madison Banyas and Madison Carson, both 12 and from Ankeny, were spending most of their time Saturday afternoon around the diving area.
“It’s really cool here – you see a lot of friends and there’s a lot to do so you won’t get bored,” Madison Banyas said.
Madison Carson added that she and her friends had been looking forward to the aquatic center’s opening for months and weren’t disappointed.
“This is the coolest water park I’ve ever been to,” she said.
Bryce Emehiser and Alex Barrett, both 11 and from Ankeny, were going from slide to slide, hitting the diving board and platform in between.
“I like the toilet bowl – that’s what we call the swirl bowl – the best,” Bryce said.
“I like it all so far – I didn’t think it would be this big or this cool,” Alex added. “The diving board is awesome. We’re coming back here all the time.”
Mandy Beason of Ankeny brought her young children to the aquatic center Saturday and said the facility lives up to everything she had heard about it prior to its opening.
“It’s really a water park, not just a pool, and I love that there’s such a variety of things to do,” Beason said. “We’re spending most of our time around the (zero-depth) pool, but the lazy river and the slides are awesome.”
Nick Lowe, John Squires and Josh Stewart, all 18 and from Ankeny, said they were surprised that the facility included so many amenities for swimmers of all ages.
“I wish we had had something like this when we were younger – all we had was Slater Pool,” Lowe said. “These little kids don’t know how good they have it.”
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