A new, mat-racer slide is coming to Lafayette’s Tropicanoe Cove Family Aquatic Center. The slide will be 44-feet tall, and will be installed within the Aquatics Center on the side closest to Loeb Stadium.
The new slide will stand six-feet taller than the park’s Banana Peel tube slide and is reminiscent of the Big Dipper burlap-sack slide which was located in Columbian Park. The new slide will feature parallel lanes that allow Cove patrons to “race” one another down the slide on body-sized water mats, reaching expected maximum speeds of 25 – 27 miles per hour.
Tropicanoe Cove opened in 1999 and currently features four water slides: the Fish Slide for those under 48-inches tall, the 299-foot-long Banana Peel tube slide, and the Toucan Chute: two, high-energy body slides. In addition, the Cove boasts a 168,000 gallon zero-depth entry leisure pool, an interactive water playground for younger children, a lazy river, a picnic shelter, and a concessions area.
In 2019, Tropicanoe Cove will celebrate its 20th year of operations and of being “Lafayette’s Hottest Place to Cool Off.” The City of Lafayette and the Lafayette Parks and Recreation department are thrilled about this new addition to the Aquatic Center’s many attractions.
Lafayette Mayor, Tony Roswarski, states: “The addition of the new mat racer continues our goal of providing outstanding recreational opportunities while promoting community and economic development. With a nod to history, we hope to inspire enduring memories for the next generation of Columbian Park patrons.”
The estimated cost of the slide is $2.7 million dollars and funds have been earmarked from the Columbian Park Capital Projects budget line, which is part of the Creasy/Central TIF District.
The slide’s design and engineering services have been provided by Schmidt Associates and Water Technology, Inc. Both firms were part of the original design team for Tropicanoe Cove Family Aquatic Center.
Preliminary design has begun on the slide and construction is expected to be completed in Summer 2019.