Rolling Hills Aqua Park opens to rave reviews
James and Taylor Smith stood under a 50-plus gallon blue bucket emblazoned with the Peters Township logo. They giggled when the water finally fell, soaking them completely.
“It didn’t hurt at all,” James said to Taylor, who shivered because the hot and humid 90-degree days of July had cooled to the mid-70s around lunchtime on Aug. 4.
The sun-drenched Monday marked the official grand opening date of the multimillion-dollar Rollings Hills Aqua Park, although a ribbon-cutting ceremony and soft opening was held July 31 for Peters Township employees and their families.
“This is the best part,” Taylor said of the water feature.
Taylor noted that she was just at Kennywood the day before.
“This is better,” she said.
Plenty of opening-day patrons agreed. The township’s aqua park, which is located at 110 Warriors Way, was worth the wait and price.
“This is a project that has been in the making for a long time, and we finally hit the finish line,” said Dave Brooks, the township’s director of parks and recreation. “In my opinion, I think we have the nicest water park in Southwest Pennsylvania.”
“It’s awesome,” agreed Julie Stroyne. She brought her daughter, Eloise, to the park. “The kids are loving it. It’s great for all ages and it’s something different from the pool.”
Sandi Helbling noted that she and her granddaughter, Dylan, had driven by the park. Longing for opening day was akin to awaiting a visit from Santa Claus.
“They could not wait. They could not sleep. They kept thinking about it,” she said. “We even came up here and looked through the gate before it opened.”
In addition to the dousing bucket, the park features a large splash pad with slides and several other water features. There is also a toddler area, pavilion and a party room.
“This is fantastic. I love it,” said Sandy Colditz. She was with her daughters, Anna and Audry. “I just wish it would have opened sooner, but I’m glad they took their time and really did it right.”
Planning for the aqua park began before the pandemic, and it was initially more ambitious with a swimming pool and lazy river.
“Early on we looked at building a somewhat smaller splash pad, and swimming pool. We took that out to bid, and it came in more than we could afford to do,” Township Manager Paul Lauer said.
Bids came in about $7 million higher than the project’s $10 million budget, it was retooled into what Lauer called the “premier splash pad” in the region.
“There’s nothing quite like this,” Lauer said.
The park cost just shy of $6 million, and about half was funded through state grants. Lauer noted that there is a large space near the park for the potential addition of a swimming pool in the future.
“It was designed to allow for the construction of a pool,” Lauer said.
Expansion would please Brittany DeVries. She brought her children, Celina and Levi, to the aqua park for opening day. When she moved into the township, she was disappointed to learn there was no community pool. Club memberships were expensive and private clubs have wait lists, she noted.
“It’s wonderful,” DeVries said. “I’m really happy that we have something like this. I’m just happy it’s here, and I’m looking forward to seeing if there’s any future plans for community pools. This is a great township and it offers a lot of things that are free or not horribly expensive for families.”
Rolling Hills Aqua Park is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Sundays its hours are noon to 7 p.m. After Labor Day, the park will be open on weekends, weather permitting.
Residents can enter for $2.50, while non-residents will be charged $5. An annual pass for four people will cost residents $25, and non-residents $50. The party room can be rented for $150, and the shelter for $100. The price for non-residents to rent is doubled in both cases.
“I don’t care about paying,” said Helbling. “This is awesome. All the other communities have something like this. So, it’s nice that it’s here and people have things to do in our community.”
Jon Andreassi contributed to this story.