Rotary Club raises money for wading pool in Saco

This time next year, area children could be escaping the heat at a wading pool in Saco.

The Rotary Club of Biddeford-Saco is working with the City of Saco on plans for a wading pool on the northeast side of the Saco Community Center property on Franklin Street.

Splash pads are water playgrounds with various elements that release, spray, shoot, rain or spray water. The planned splash pad in Saco is expected to be operational next summer, said Ryan Summers, director of Saco Parks and Recreation. The project still needs to be reviewed by the city’s Planning Board.

According to plans unveiled at an informational meeting at Saco City Hall on Wednesday, the wading pool will be 30 feet by 50 feet. Brenda Pollock, past president of the Biddeford and Saco Rotary Club, said some of the elements can be moved if the recreation department ever wants to change them, and there will be room for more elements in the future. She said she also hopes to have LED lighting installed.

Pollock said the wading pool is a fun way for local youngsters to cool off in the summer and encourages children to put down their phones and tablets and play outside.

“This will have a positive impact on the community,” she said.

The Rotary Club has committed to raising the $72,000 needed to purchase the wading pool elements and related equipment to operate them from Arizona-based Rain Deck, Pollock said. The club has partnered with Moulison Heavy Electrical of Biddeford, Jim Godbout Plumbing & Heating, Inc. of Biddeford and PM Construction of Saco to help with the installation.

Sommer worked for many years in the recreation department of North Conway, New Hampshire, and said the water play field there was a popular local attraction.

“If you want to talk about bringing the community together, this is one way to do it,” he said.

He expects the wading pool to be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Memorial Day through the end of September. It will have an activation button and run on a timer so it turns off after 15 minutes and stays off until the activation button is pressed again.