Staff photo by Clay Schuldt The new aquatic facility at Recreation Center is almost ready to open. The facility will include several new water amenities including the ninja cross course. It is only the second ninja cross installed in the United States. In the background the two flume slides in the new aquatic facility are the final amenities to be installed in the pool area.

NEW ULM — The new Recreation Center is nearing completion with only a few necessary components to add until the entire facility opens to the public.

Within the last week, water was added to the new aquatic center. The new aquatic center will feature a zero-depth entry section for the toddlers. Two flume slides were added for the older children.

In the lap section of the pool, a NinjaCross course will hang above the pool. This is only the second NinjaCross course installed in the United States. The other is located in Utah.

Park and Recreation Director Tom Schmitz said the ninja cross course features two lanes; one easy,the other difficult. The aquatic obstacle course also features a timer to allow users to compete for the fastest completion.

The deep end of the pool will also feature a zip-line and climbing wall.

The entire pool deck surface is made from Life Floor, a special foam rubber that is slip-resistant even when wet. Since the surface is made out of foam material, even if a user were to fall they should not sustain a serious injury.

The Gymnastic Center is also nearing completion. The last component needed for the gymnastic facility is an HVAC system that will be coming in September. All this week, members of Turner Gymnastics Academy (TGA) have been hard at work transferring equipment to the new location.

TGA Director Kourtney Peterson has been taking two shifts a day to move the equipment to the new space. With the creation of Gymnastic Center, Turner Hall Gymnastics and New Ulm Area Gymnastics Academy (NUAGA) were able to combine into TGA, but this also meant combining equipment from two gym facilities.

Peterson said all of the equipment is at the Recreation Center and now they are just waiting for the HVAC system to be up and running.

“When we open, we will go right into classes,” Peterson said. “There is a lot of interest in gymnastics; especially with two Minnesota girls in the Olympics and now the new facility.”

She estimated TGA had some of the highest enrollment in history for either of the former organizations.

The full completion of the Recreation Center is scheduled for the end of September. The fitness center portion of the Recreation Center opened on Aug. 2. Schmitz said the fitness center has seen extensive use since it reopened with many new memberships.