City breaks ground on Walton Park Pool improvement project

Nevada Mayor Bill Edmonds and a host of dignitaries, including the parks board, the chamber of commerce, and city council gathered early Friday afternoon to break ground for the new Family Aquatics Center at Walton Park Pool. The improvements were approved on second reading at the council meeting Tuesday night during the regular council meeting, with only Brian Leonard voting against the measure. The first reading was approved at the September 16 council meeting. The pool will be divided into sections with one half being used for competitive and lap swimming and the remaining half for other purposes. The bathhouse will be remodeled with a new roof and updated amenities to make it accessible according to the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act. A zero-depth entrance to the pool will make getting into the pool easier. Other new features to be incorporated into the pool complex include a floatable walk, a sprayground, a new water slide, new overhead lights and a new filter system. The work is scheduled to begin this fall and be completed by opening day of the 2004. The project is one the city is obligated to complete with the money from the one-half cent parks and recreation sales tax voters passed in 1999.