The new Jack Carter Park Pool welcomed more than 1,800 visitors during its opening weekend July 9-10. The original pool had been closed since September 2013 for repairs.

City officials held a grand opening ceremony July 8 at the new, $12.5 million, state-of-the-art facility, located at 2601 Pleasant Valley Drive, Plano. Ceremony attendees, which included local residents, city officials, staff and board members were invited to take the first dip in the pool, which includes a Flow Rider surf simulator, lazy river and rock climbing wall.

"We believe that this new Jack Carter Pool will be just as an important part of the neighborhood as the original ... pool was," said Robin Reeves, director of Plano Parks and Recreation. "We hope that [residents] enjoy it and that it serves [them] for the next 30 years."

The original pool opened in 1983. Voters approved its renovation in the 2013 bond election.

"What we found was that Jack Carter Pool was very important to this neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods and had become an integral part of the community," Reeves said. "The idea of building a new pool was not something the neighborhood was not entirely open to doing in the beginning.

Communications between an executive committee and local home owner associations eventually led to an agreement on the design, Reeves said. Amenities also include a dual rider tube slide, body slide, deep water pool with platform diving and a climbing wall, children's pool, leisure pool, wet deck areas, spray features, rentable party areas and concessions.

Daily admission to the new Jack Carter Pool is $5 for children ages 3-15 and $9 for adults. Admission is included in Plano Parks and Recreations memberships. Annual and monthly membership options are also available and can be purchased in advance at any Plano recreation center.

The pool is open daily during the summer season from noon to 8 p.m. For more information, visit www.plano.gov.