Leading the Way: Innovative Approaches to Re-Imagining Aquatic Play Spaces and Expanding your Community Splashpad®
Evolving Community Pools for Today’s Families
Community pools have long served as gathering places that bring people together. Today, however, changing demographics, evolving accessibility expectations, and rising energy conservation concerns are driving communities to rethink how these spaces serve residents. Modern families seek dynamic, inclusive aquatic experiences that older pools often struggle to provide. Common challenges include high maintenance and energy costs, limited engagement across age groups, and compliance or accessibility concerns. Rather than signaling the end of these spaces, these challenges represent an opportunity to reimagine them.
Re-Imagining Your Space with Vortex
Instead of starting from scratch, Vortex helps communities reimagine and renew existing aquatic spaces, building on what already works while introducing fresh play value, improved accessibility, and long-term flexibility. Vortex solutions such as Splashpad®, Poolplay™, and Elevations™ transform aging facilities into vibrant hubs of activity. These imaginative designs cater to all ages and abilities, encouraging intergenerational play, increasing attendance, strengthening community pride, and unlocking new revenue opportunities.
Smart Planning for Maximum Play Value
Successful refurbishments start with thoughtful planning. Vortex follows three core principles to ensure long-term success:
- Optimize space to maximize play opportunities within the existing footprint
- Plan for multiple thrill levels to engage a wide range of ages and abilities
- Improve accessibility to ensure inclusive play for all users
By rethinking underused areas and incorporating elements such as interactive sprays, play structures, beach entries, and waterslides, communities can create engaging aquatic environments that appeal to toddlers, teens, caregivers, and grandparents alike. All Vortex refurbishments are designed to meet ADA requirements, supporting higher attendance while reducing compliance risks.
Reimagining a splashpad is about more than adding water features—it’s about transforming a space to better serve the diverse needs of the community while fostering health, happiness, and connection.
SWAP: Upgrade with Purpose
Begin by evaluating existing equipment and identifying elements that no longer serve your goals. Vortex’s unique Safeswap™ anchoring system provides municipalities with the flexibility to add new products, interchange products or completely replace products without any modifications to the infrastructure. This technology can be used in three unique ways:
Expansion: The Vortex Safeswap™ solution allows municipalities to make their investment in play products over time as capital becomes available. The infrastructure planning will take into consideration the future play elements to be added. In the interim, the future play products are substituted by an attractive Safeswap™ ground spray.
Interchange: For cities and towns with several Vortex Splashpads, the Safeswap™ solution provides the ability to interchange products from one location to the other, creating novelty without additional costs.
Transform: Although Vortex products will last for decades, some municipalities may want to transform the look of their space or provide residents and visitors with new attractions. Safeswap™ makes it feasible to swap out a few products or change from one Vortex design line to another, effectively transforming the appearance of the Splashpad® without the costs associated with infrastructure modifications.
REFRESH: Design for Inspiration
Transforming an old pool or wading pool can breathe new life into your community space. By integrating modern features such as a Splashpad®, a dynamic waterslide, or an Elevations™ multi-level play structure, you can revitalize the area with vibrant colors, imaginative play elements, and inviting gathering spots. These additions not only enhance the visual appeal but also prioritize accessibility, enhance the play value of your aquatic space, and introduce inclusive design that welcomes all ages. With thoughtful upgrades, a once-dated pool area can become a lively hub of activity and a source of community pride for years to come.
EXPAND: Create New Zones for Diverse Experiences
Growth should address both capacity and variety. Expand your splashpad by adding play zones tailored to different developmental stages and interests—gentle sprays for toddlers, interactive jets for older children, and shaded areas for relaxation. Think about how to accommodate larger groups and integrating features that invite multigenerational play. When planning an expansion, consider these three factors:
Assess Usage Patterns: Gather data on peak times and user preferences to guide your expansion.
Foster Community Input: Engage residents in the planning process to ensure their voices shape the final design.
Plan for Growth: Anticipate future needs and build flexibility into your layout for easy updates.
Upgrade in action: Midtown Water Park, Carrollton, Georgia
Midtown Water Park in Carrollton, GA showcases how a municipality can transform an aging asset into a modern, high-value community space. Instead of reconstructing its 60-year-old pool, the City takes an innovation-first approach, upgrading the existing footprint to create a more engaging and inclusive aquatic experience.
A Transformation That Delivered Big Impact with Minimal Disruption
The renewed facility now includes:
· 6,000 sq.ft. Splashpad® with multiple interactive features
· Central Elevations™ multi-level play structure
· Toddler-friendly PlayNuk™ zone
· New Vortex waterslide that quickly became a guest favorite
These upgrades allowed the City to extend the life of its infrastructure, add modern play value, and improve accessibility—while staying within the boundaries of the original site.
Strengthening Community Spaces Through Re-imagination
Midtown Water Park is now the largest municipal water park in the region and has quickly become a popular gathering place for families. Its successful first season shows how upgrades can deliver long-term community value.
Simplified Procurement For a Renovation Project
To simplify procurement, Carrollton used the NPPGov cooperative purchasing program, which helped reduce project time and cost. Through NPPGov, municipalities can:
· Skip the lengthy RFP process;
· Access pre-negotiated competitive pricing;
· Ensure compliance with public-sector purchasing rules;
· Purchase directly from vetted suppliers like Vortex.
Learn how NPPGov supports municipal refurb projects
Ready to Reimagine Your Aquatic Space?
Vortex’s water solutions allow for seamless, efficient refurbishments that offer great ROI. Whether its adding play structures or optimizing dry decks, Vortex customizes installations to meet unique property requirements.
More than a supplier, we work alongside cities and towns as a practical, hands-on partner—supporting planning, design updates, and refurbishment strategies that help extend the life of existing infrastructure. Our goal is simple: to help communities refresh their aquatic spaces efficiently, sustainably, and in ways that strengthen local engagement.
Since 1995, Vortex has been collaborating with municipalities to revitalize community spaces and bring accessible aquatic play to residents of all ages. From the original Splashpad® to today’s inclusive play solutions, our focus has always been on safety, durability, and long-term value for public facilities.
