Pocatello’s Ross Park waterslide could be back as soon as 2025
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POCATELLO — With the help of a substantial donation, the city of Pocatello could be celebrating the return of the Ross Park Aquatic Complex waterslide.
At a meeting Thursday, the Pocatello City Council voted unanimously in favor of accepting a donation of $140,000 from the Milder family. The family, according to Ross Park Aquatic Complex manager Stacie VanKirk, has long been connected to the complex.
“We have never had a donation, I would say, like this in the past,” VanKirk told EastIdahoNews.com. “It really shows how much (the Milder family) cares for our facility.”
The waterslide has been closed since April 2020, VanKirk said, after the ladder used to ascend it was condemned. Since then, the city has been exploring options to fund its replacement.
VanKirk says the city expects the total cost of the replacement to be around $1 million. A source for the remainder of the funding, she added, has yet to be determined and will be discussed at the next city council meeting, on March 16. American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) moneys are being considered for the remaining funding. The city, she said, is “taking a hard look at capital improvement.”
The sooner funding is established and dedicated, VanKirk added, the sooner the slide will be replaced. In her estimation, the soonest the slide will be operational once again would be the summer of 2025.
VanKirk said that though the city and its parks and recreation division receive queries about many projects — like another dog park or the addition of a splash pad — the Ross Park waterslide is among the most asked about.
“The community has been missing it,” she said. “It’s been long enough, it would be a really nice addition to have the slide back.”
Asked what it means to the city to have residents make such a large donation, VanKirk, who has known the Milder family for many years, said that the city owed the family a “huge thank you.”
“We don’t find that all the time — we don’t find people who are so deeply invested (in their community),” she said.
The Ross Park Aquatic Complex — sans waterslide — is expecting to open with a fully resurfaced pool as planned, on Memorial Day weekend, VanKirk said, joking that the plan is contingent on whether or not it is still snowing.