Like its larger metropolitan neighbors Forth Worth and Dallas, summers in the smallish north Texas suburb of Grapevine get hot. Between June and September, average temperatures consistently hover in the 90s, and spotty cloud cover means that summer sun can be incredibly intense. For decades, Dove Park has been a go-to respite for Grapeviners — each season, thousands of residents and visitors flock there during the hottest days of the year to splash and swim at the community pool. In spring 2013, Dove Pool and the surrounding park underwent a major renovation with significant facility updates. 

Getting a Facelift

Originally designed in 1971, Dove Pool was a simple, I-shaped oasis where guests could swim a few laps or take a cooling dip off either of two diving boards. In the ensuing years, small improvements were made, like the addition of a toddler pool and installation of a fun mushroom water feature. Still, upkeep costs for the aging facility were mounting, and operators knew it would soon be necessary to make some major improvements. “Over the years, the industry standard and public expectations of an aquatics facility changed,” Jennifer Kashner-Fry, aquatics coordinator for the City of Grapevine Parks and Recreation Department, wrote in a February World Waterpark Magazine article detailing the project. “Patrons desired a more diverse experience that can only be provided by enhancing the facility’s features to approach that of a true waterpark.”

Park and recreation officials, town leaders and consultants from Water Technology Inc., endeavored to come up with a plan that would provide the necessary compliance improvements as well as include features that the community would find irresistible. Working with landscape architects La Terra Studio, the final design was able to incorporate the surrounding Dove Park elements while adding a slew of new amenities to the pool, like a lily pad walk, spray features, a zero-depth beach entry area, in-water lounges, two slides, cabanas and huge shade canopies courtesy of Shade Systems. 

Another big plus, Kashner-Fry points out, is the merging of the existing splashpark with the new Dove Waterpark. “Initially, filtration of the splashpark was separate from the pool systems and designed as a ‘pass-through system.’ This was changed and integrated into the new pool filter system. This allows for the recapture and recycling of the water at the splashpark preventing the water from being used once and dumped down the drain,” she writes.

Summer Fun in Shaded Style

The Dove Pool of old is now a bonafide 224,000-gallon waterpark where visitors of all ages and abilities can find respite from relentless Texas summers. And, according to Assistant Director of Parks for the City of Grapevine Kevin Mitchell, “The response has been awesome. Patrons have loved the added shade — especially the shade over the zero-entry pool and play feature.” The Shade Systems canopies are particularly attractive, not just because they provide needed protection from the sun — “The shade has helped to extend the times of day patrons can use the parks and facilities,” Mitchell adds. That, plus fun, modern waterpark additions designed to lure sweltering citizens means more revenue for the City and more poolside playtime.

Samantha Bartram is the Associate Editor of Parks & Recreation Magazine.