Swimmers Undeterred By Cool Summer Weather Local Pools See Average Number Of Swimmers

Lines - though short - formed on the deck overlooking the water slides during a recent day at Splash-Down in the Spokane Valley.

Kevin Preston, 9, splashed into the pool at the bottom of the slides. A little chilled, Preston hurried out of the pool trying to keep warm before his next turn.

A late August sun was shining, but the occasional breeze that whipped through the park was a chilly reminder of this summer’s cooler than normal temperatures.

Despite the unseasonably cool weather, Valley water holes reported an average summer. Splash-Down manager Ruth Bleasner estimated 38,000 people would walk through the gates by the time the park closes Sept. 5. Over 46,000 swimmers jumped into Valley pools during the recently-completed eight-week season, said Wyn Birkenthal, manager of the county parks.

“The summer was going along fine and then it took a couple of weather dives,” he said. “A lot of people will tend to get out of the swimming habit even when it gets better.”

Valley Mission saw the highest total of swimmers among Valley pools, logging an estimated 19,615 visits. Terrace View and Park Road had 14,972 and 12,215 visits, respectively. All three were a little below average totals and were down about 20 percent from last summer, Birkenthal said.

Warm weekend weather helped salvage Splash-Down’s standard season of Memorial Day through the day after Labor Day from a potential cold-weather drubbing, Bleasner said. A steady flow of groups scheduled to use the park also helped.

But Bleasner did admit disappointment with the mild summer. The icy high temperature of 59 degrees on Aug. 17 set a record for the lowest high temperature on that date and forced one of the park’s four closures this summer.

“Seventy degrees doesn’t do much good for us,” Bleasner said. “We really need 80 or 90.”

Some of the frustration stems from last year’s record-setting summer. Over 45,000 customers walked through the front gates at the water park last season.

“It’s hard to compete with last year when the weather was 105 for 5 days,” Bleasner said.

Average temperatures during the last three months have been below normal for this time of year, according to the National Weather Service.

Nevertheless, Preston armed himself with a cold-weather remedy and remained a faithful water-slide patron.

“I go in the hot tub and then the cold water,” he said.

Temperatures that day ventured into the low 80s, but the breeze bit into the sliders who scurried up the concrete walk, eager for another ride. Preston’s father, Randy Glenn, said he expected temperatures to be a little warmer when they left the house, but never thought about staying home.

“We were already coming here anyway, so we thought we’d brave it,” Glenn said.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: UNSEASONABLY COLD 1995 average temps./Variance from normal June 60.1/-1.9 July 67.9/-0.9 August 64.0/-4.4 Source: National Weather Service