The city’s new recreation center is going to make North Platte an even greater place for fitness devotees, with several gyms, outdoor and indoor courts, as well as bicycling, recreation trails and organized 5K, 10K and longer runs.
These days, fitness venues are expanding by leaps and bounds.
After the city’s new skate park opened Nov. 21 near the east entrance to Centennial Park, skaters have been active during the warm weather this winter, with dozens of people skating most every day.
Skating the bowl at the new skatepark. Photos by George Lauby.
Likewise, competitors are playing pickleball this winter at the new complex at Cody Park, which opened in June.
Another skate park is expected to take shape this year on the north side of the city, near Madison Middle School. Also in recent months, the Memorial Park tennis courts were resurfaced, thanks to the generosity of a local donor. An infield groomer was contacted to recondition all the Little League baseball fields, as well as the softball fields for girls and adults.
Also, the warmer-than-normal winter weather has been favorable for the ongoing construction of the water park expansion of the Cody Park Pool. The channels of the “lazy river” are paved, and the concrete block walls are built for the expansion of the bath house and concession area.
A channel of the Lazy River east the expanding bathhouse at the Cody Park Pool.
The new Cody Pool is expected to open in early June.
Recreation Center
And, construction of the biggest project of all — the expanded city recreation center — has not slowed a bit. If the rapid pace continues, the two new indoor swimming pools will also open in June, City Recreation Superintendent Bob Barr said.
The expanding city Rec Center.
Part of the rec center’s new climbing wall.
The indoor turf field will has the size and capacity to accommodate soccer, flag football and basketball. Batting cages and the climbing wall are expected to open in the voluminous building at about the same time, Barr told the Bulletin on Monday, Jan. 5 as we toured the project.
The climbing wall will offer rope, lead, auto-belay, and bouldering options, with space for up to 22 climbers at one time.
The main pool meets all the requirements for sanctioned competitions. Alongside it, the kiddie/wading pool has a zero-depth entrance so people can simply walk into deeper water. On the other end of the smaller pool, a water slide will go in and out of the building and drop participants in the water.
A sauna is near the pool, and so is a hot tub, which was under construction on Jan. 5 as we toured the building.
Ports for the waterslide — upper left and bottom.
Building the hot tub.
The entire pool area will have a sophisticated ventilation system, Barr said. In the existing rec center pool, air vented out of building at the top of the dome. In the new pool, ducts will draw air out the building in lower areas, which will reduce humidity and chlorine in the air. And, the system is reversible, so it can draw fresh air from the outside on nice days.
City Recreation Superintendent Bob Barr stands on a viewing balcony above the new pools,
which will be illuminated by tall east windows. The wading pool and hot tub are in the distance.
Barr said a large video screen will hang on the wall next to the pool to show the scores and times at swim meets. The screen can also show many other types of programs, including movies. He said people will be able to watch movies from flotation devices atop the water.
A 24-hour workout room, bathrooms and showers that adjoin the pool area. Other bathrooms adjoin the pool, as well as a poolside party room complete with a kitchen area.
New locker rooms and other exercise areas will probably open in July or August, which is 30-60 days after the pools and indoor turf building.
Jazzercise and yoga groups will be able to work out in a room on the second floor, and people can move outdoors to work out on a deck in favorable weather.
After the pools and turf areas open, extensive remodeling of the existing rec center will begin. The entire rec center will be complete in March 2027, if plans are fulfilled.
The northeast side of new Rec Center is also designed to let in natural light. The dome above the existing pool is at right.
Barr, who has worked in city recreation for 39 years, said it’s gratifying to see things come together.
“It takes patience, but it’s fun to do, and this is very exciting,” he said. “North Platte is fortunate in that we’ve always had a good facility – in some ways better than other communities — but this renovation and expansion puts the icing on the cake.”
A ninja obstacle course will hang above the pool, which will be the first of its kind in Nebraska. It will have two lanes designed for everything from head-to-head races to one user at a time who likes to work out.
The obstacle track is suspended above the pool. It can be raised or lowered as needed, so people who use it can be in the water or just above it, adding various degrees of difficulty. It will feature interchangeable obstacles, allowing designs to suit all skill levels.
Materials for the climbing walls were expected to arrive at the building site during the first full week of the year, with installation to follow. The basketball hoops and two batting/pitching cages are ready to go in the building. New basketball flooring has yet to be installed. Artificial turf will be laid over the top of the basketball courts, which will be removable so both sports can be played there.
This report was first published in the Bulletin’s Jan. 7 print edition.
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