By Annabeth Miller
Showe Times Editor

The starter’s pistol of summer is soon to make its noise.

Sure, you know it. Bounce, bounce, thwaap — the wincing sound of a belly buster off the springboard. Or, how about Wheeeeeee! Splash! - the sound of a kid going down the Water Slide!

Dexter’s Aquatic Center is set to open at 1 p.m. Saturday , and DPR staffer Jamie Rowe is ready for the 10th season at the “new” family fun place in town.

“We’re ready,” she said with enthusiasm! The pool will begin its daily hours of operation Saturday – open 1-5 p.m. Rowe said admission is $6 per person (patrons arriving between 3:30 p.m. and closing time will pay just $3.)

This summer marks the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Aquatic Center, a milestone event for the community in 2001.

“It’s starting to show its age a little,” Rowe said. “We’ve done a lot of maintenance this year. We did add a new shade structure this year, which will be our new concession area. And added a little kiddy basketball goal for this year.”

But the water is crystal blue, the chairs all lined up in straight lines like little soldiers, and everything is polished to a high gleam in preparation for the season opening.

Rowe’s enthusiasm for the Aquatic Center hasn’t dimmed in 10 years, and she says the pool is still the place to be on a summer afternoon.

“It’s good family atmosphere,” she said.

The Aquatic Center has six lifeguards on duty every afternoon, in addition to staff who run the concession stand and work in the office. A total of 12 lifeguards are certified and on the center’s staff this summer.

During the summer of 2010, the center average 126 patrons a day. There were days last summer, she said, when it was just “too hot” in the oppressive heat/ She said people just stayed inside the air conditioning on some of the ubber-hot days last year. But a high attendance day Rowe said is around 400 patrons.

“Those are busy, busy days,” she said.

“We’re kicking it all off Saturday!”

Dexter Aquatic Center

• Hours: 1 – 5 p.m. daily; plus lap swims 7-9 a.m. and 5:30-6:30 p.m.
• Daily Admission; $6 • An individual pass for the entire summer is $85; a family pass is $225
• Aquatic Center will be open through Sunday, Aug. 28.

Photo Above: Jamie Rowe (standing next to the edge of the pool) is ready to start the summer season at the Dexter Aquatic Center. The view is from the very top of the water slide platform - pretty good for a photographer afraid of heights!SMT Photo by Annabeth Miller