Dave Hutner, Cranberry Township's recreation program manager, says township officials responded to residents' requests when planning renovations to the township water park. The $1.7 million project is on schedule and the swimming pool facility is set to open May 28.

CRANBERRY TWP — The township has called its swimming pool facility a water park since it opened in 1997, but a $1.7 million renovation project will make it live up to that name even more.

The construction started in September and it is on schedule to be finished by May 9. The pool in North Boundary Park will open May 28.

“This is a true water park. Where else can you get all this at a community pool?” asked Pete Geis, township parks and recreation director, about the new additions.

One of the biggest changes to the pool is that the wading pool has been doubled in size and is separate from the rest of the pool. The new wading pool features an expanded zero-depth entry area on one side and new benches on the other side where parents can watch their children while sitting in water.

A new 50-gallon dump bucket will be installed over the wading pool and a rock climbing wall will be installed over the deep end of the pool. The dump bucket will be held by “CT,” the township’s crocodile mascot.

Though the water slide will remain, it will have several new features. Green and red lights will alert users when it is safe to go down the slide.

Sensors also are being installed at the top and bottom of the slide that will record how fast each person goes down the slide. When a slider reaches the bottom and gets out of the pool, he will be able to see a screen on the side of the pool to view his time.

Seeing who can go down the slide the fastest will become a new game for children and fortunately it won’t encourage them to do anything unsafe, said Dave Hutner, recreation program manager.

That is because the quickest way to get down the slide also is the safest way: lying on your back with your arms at your side, he said.

The filtration systems were replaced, and the water from the splash pad, wading pool and main pool now will be filtered and disinfected separately. This means that if there is a contamination in the wading pool, the wading pool will be evacuated, but the other two areas can remain in use.

Children having accidents in the pool is unavoidable, but one of the most frequent suggestions the township got from residents was that they wanted to avoid the inconvenience of having to evacuate all swim areas multiple times each day for contaminations, Hutner said.

“The water park is here for the residents of Cranberry. Whatever they want, we’ve listened to,” he said.

The new filtration systems also will use ultraviolet light to disinfect the water. Officials believe that the quality of the water will be well above the minimum state standards.

“Any organism that passes through that is going to be dead,” Hutner said about the new systems.

Membership levels at the water park have been steady in recent years, but the township has seen a slight increase in people signing up this year in anticipation of the renovations, Geis said. Maximum occupancy at the park will not increase, though the park is not often filled to capacity, he said.

Once the contractor turns the park over to the township, the department will have about two weeks to train its staff on the new features and to get ready for the Memorial Day weekend.

A Waterpark Celebration Bash to mark the opening of the new park is planned for June 18.