The city recently announced both facilities will remain closed for the 2020 summer season.
According to Keenan, Soetaert usually draws anywhere from 90,000 to 100,000 patrons each season, and Splash Cove attracts 30,000 annually—“and that’s just daily admission, not including swim lessons and teams,” he says. The aquatics centers employ about 150 people between the two facilities.
“Parks rate as a very high priority for quality of life in Shawnee and Johnson County.”
Approximately 1,800 youngsters enroll in swim lessons with the two facilities each summer. “It’s a busy pool in the mornings,” Keenan says.
Keenan also heads up the Sharks Swimming and Diving Teams, one of the largest such organizations in the Kansas City area. The Sharks begin their season the last week of May and compete through the middle or end of July. The program consists of a competitive swim team, a pre-competitive swim team, and a dive team that, last year, won the all-city diving competition.
Last year, there were 276 participants in the program—85 with the dive team, 191 with the swim team.
“We’re one of the last facilities in the city to have a threemeter (diving) board,” Keenan says. “We were really proud of our dive team last year. That was a big deal for us to win that (all-city title).”
With such a short season of operation, Keenan says it’s important to keep the two aquatics centers busy during the summer. So, both are packed with programming that includes swim lessons for all ages, as well as aqua aerobics sessions for seniors, private parties, and civic events such as barbeque cookouts and dive-in movies.
“If you have two children of various ages, you’re going to bring them here,” says Keenan, referring to the more versatile Soetaert facility.
29 DEVELOPED PUBLIC PARKS IN SHAWNEE
Caenen
12400 Johnson Drive 0.4 acre
Charles J. Stump 4875 Woodland Drive 60 acres
Civic Center Complex 13817 Johnson Drive 18 acres
Clear Creek 6203 Monticello 28.8 acres
Donald B. Gamblin Jr. 6202 Monticello 13.3 acres
Douglas Highlands 6321 Switzer Lane 0.5 acre
Erfurt 24255 W. 71st St. 20 acres
Garrett 22325 W. 47th St. 33.5 acres
Grey Oaks
Clear Creek Parkway and Silverheel 40.4 acres
Gum Springs 11524 W. 67th St. 18.5 acres
Herman Laird 11600 Johnson Drive 13 acres
Jaycee 6815 Quivira 1.2 acres
John F. Lynch 5800 King St. 3.9 acres
KCP&L 12601 W. 51st St. 10.2 acres
Listowel 12003 W. 71st St. 8.4 acres
Memorial 4701 Nieman 2 acres
Monticello Springs 7990 Monticello Road 9 acres
Pflumm/Bichelmeyer 5920 Pflumm Road 4 acres
Pioneer Crossing 10401 Shawnee Mission Parkway 2.2 acres
Quivira Glenn 13630 W. 51st St. 9.7 acres
Sister Cities 5805 King St. 0.4 acre
Swarner 6220 Lackman 34 acres
Thomas A. Soetaert 13424 W. 61st St. 1.1 acres
Water District 11720 W. 49th Terr. 1.4 acres
Water Tower 11312 W. 70th St. 0.5 acre
Wedgewood
Midland & Blackfish Parkway 63.4 acres
West Flanders 10920 W. 55th St. 8.7 acres
Wilder 4740 Wilder 0.2 acre
Veteran’s Tribute 13605 Johnson Drive 2.6 acres
