Lehi pool makes a splash

LEHI -- A new pool in Lehi is making, well, a splash.

After several delays, the Lehi Aquatic Center at Lehi's Legacy Center opened May 6 and, during its 13 hours of operation on opening day, admitted more than 1,100 people.

The following day -- a Saturday -- pool employees admitted some 1,500 people.

"It was insane," said Stephanie Macula, assistant to the director of the Legacy Center, 123 N. Center Street. "It's tapered off a bit since the first two days, but it's still attracting a lot of people."

Last Monday, for instance, even though it was a school night, the center admitted more than 500 poolgoers after opening at 2 p.m., she said.

The new facility has several attractions that are already becoming crowd favorites. The most popular has been the center's centerpiece -- a giant, 1,000-gallon bamboo bucket that fills with water and empties itself onto the swimmers standing below it.

Though a bell is supposed to sound before the bucket empties, it has occasionally emptied without warning, said Macula, who fell victim to an unannounced dousing during a recent employee-only night at the new center.

Another crowd favorite has been the Anaconda Water Slide, a 115- foot, enclosed, green tubular slide that empties into the leisure pool.

Other attractions of the aquatic center include a sun deck, a hot tub, a lazy river and a splash pool for small children.

While the more energetic patrons of the aquatic center have been children, others in the more mature demographics have been enjoying the new facility as well.

"Senior citizens like to use the lazy river a lot, and I've even seen adults playing on the water toys," said Shari Stone, assistant manager of the aquatic center. "And, of course, there have been kids all over the place since we opened."

Anticipation of the center ran high as the city sold more than 400 membership passes in the month leading up to opening day -- a figure that more than doubled previous membership passes to the Legacy Center.

Membership passes to the Legacy Center, which includes admission to the aquatic center, sell for $40 a month for families, $22 a month for individuals, and $5 per person for day passes. Not a Lehi resident? No problem. Passes cost the same and are offered to non- residents, too.

Another feature of the center is an eight-lane lap pool which will host swim meets, swim practices and water-related classes like water aerobics. A new timing system was installed in the lap pool and will keep swimmers' times based on touching the wall at the conclusion of the event -- just like swim events at the Olympic Games.

There is also an eight-lane computerized scoreboard that will be used.

Beginning May 31, the center will offer swim lessons in six sessions that will run throughout the summer with the last session beginning on Aug. 8. Swim lessons include nine days of instruction for 30 minutes per day and are priced at $27 per person for membership pass holders and $30 per person for non-membership pass holders.

E-mail: kmartinez@desnews.com

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