Plainfield Receives 'Spirit of Hendricks County' Award
Plainfield was presented with the 2004 Spirit of Hendricks County Award at the annual meeting of the Hendricks County Economic Development Partnership on March 16. The award, which is not given annually but only those years when a deserving candidate is identified, was given to the Town's Parks and Recreation Department in recognition of the Plainfield Recreation and Aquatics Center.
"The new Recreation and Aquatics Center will bring additional quality development to the Town of Plainfield," said Gregory Zusan, President of the Hendricks County Economic Development Partnership. "This type of development serves as an economic development tool, attracting business and families into the community by enhancing the quality of life for area residents."
2004 was a busy year for the Town's Parks & Recreation Department as it opened the outdoor aquatics facility, Splash Island, in June 2004 and the recreation center in November 2004. Splash Island's tropical themed water park with three water slides, a huge interactive splash area, a "lazy river," a diving well, and a competition pool area received acclaim throughout central Indiana and was featured on the front page of the Indianapolis Star. The recreation center, whose opening was also touted in the press, includes three full basketball courts, a weight room, a 1/8 mile elevated track and many more amenities.
The Hendricks County Economic Development Partnership is a public-private partnership established to increase investment and employment opportunities in Hendricks County through new business investment and expansion of existing business and industry. Public sector partners include Hendricks County and the towns of Avon, Brownsburg, Danville, Pittsboro and Plainfield.
Splash Island Receives Award for Safety
Splash Island is not only among the top summer attractions in the central Indiana area, it's also among the safest in the nation. Ellis & Associates, in whose safety techniques all Splash Island lifeguards are trained, awarded the park a Platinum Award, meaning it ranked among the top 7% of all the pools they rate.
The Ellis & Associates method provides for accountability and turns training to prevent accidents into risk management. One hallmark of the Ellis method is that lifeguards constantly are constantly scanning the pool in their sector, with regular rotation of the lifeguards, so that no one gets complacent. Ellis specializes in pool and water parks safety with regular, unannounced audits. A representative is sent out with a video camera to secretly tape the lifeguards and check records for compliance with company standards. Unannounced mock emergencies are staged to make sure the lifeguards handle emergency situations correctly. Their goal is to ensure that the everyone demonstrates competence.
Three audits were made during last summer's operations, and all three were passed handily.
Nate Thorne, Aquatic Facilities Operation Manager for Plainfield Parks & Recreation, and two of his crew leaders, Brandon Bangel and James Trent, were at the Town Council meeting on April 11 to present the Platinum Award they had received.
Splash Island Opens May 28!
Regular Operating Hours are:
Monday through Saturdays:
10 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Sundays:
12 noon - 6 p.m.
Wet Wednesdays (June & July only):
7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Admission
Annual, three month, and six month memberships to the Plainfield Recreation and Aquatic Center are available and include admission to Splash Island. For more information, contact the Recreation Center at 839-POOL (7665).
