The renovation and expansion of the 120,000-square-foot facility increased the park’s capacity from 600 to 1,600 visitors.
Perhaps the most important goal for the design team was to fill a gap in the pre-existing facility – namely, a lack of features to attract teenagers. To answer this need, the team devised The Quarry. Where municipalities increasingly remove their high-dive platforms, Round Rock chose to anchor this zone with a 12-1/2-foot-hive diving platform.
In the Quarry, shipping containers serve as for-rent cabanas. This carried the added benefit of tying into the city’s railroad history, and cutting on building costs. An audio system plays music for teens. Elsewhere in the park, shipping containers also have been converted into a retail and locker-rental space, complete with air conditioning, service windows, electricity and shelving units for locker bins that can be checked in and out.
Another distinct space, Splashville, sports a large waterplay structure with four slides, a large dump bucket and several spray features to attract all ages.
The activities lagoon includes a water basketball hoop and volleyball net.
While many municipalities avoid amenities such as The Watering Hole, designers report high traffic here. Catering to adults, it was crafted with a resort feel and features a swim-up counter/bar serving food and drink; a 6-inch deep sun shelf; three 60-inch televisions; and plenty of in-water bench seating for relaxation.
Before the renovation, rental spaces had been one of the most requested amenities, as families looked for ways to house birthday parties and gatherings. To better meet this demand, the team included rentable cabanas and shade structures of various capacities, so they could be used for events and parties of all kinds, and at different price points.
Signage with rustic-looking fonts and a parchment feeling, along with “Wanted” posters showing a famous local outlaw, adorn the park.
