Crystal Beach wins national pool award as city highlights flood recovery and reopenings
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Summary
Contractor Brian Spear told the Madison City Council that Crystal Beach Aquatic Park won United Aqua Group's Pool of the Year for large aquatics; council members and staff credited contractors and city crews for fast flood remediation and said other park facilities remain under repair.
Brian Spear, owner of Spear Aquatics, told the Madison City Council Tuesday in June that Crystal Beach Aquatic Park won a national award and that the pool reopened to the public after flood recovery work.
The award came from United Aqua Group, which picks marquee projects each year; Spear said Crystal Beach was one of four gold award picks and ended up winning “pool of the year for large aquatics.” He described the recognition as “super special,” noting his long personal history working at Crystal Beach and that the project was designed to respect the site's historical value.
The city and council members used the moment to thank contractors and staff who worked on flood mitigation and recovery. A city official told the council that “we would not be open today as a pool if their company had not come down and walked us through the flood mitigation.” The mayor's office and parks staff said contractors and city crews worked quickly after the flood to reopen Crystal Beach and other park assets.
City leaders also outlined remaining recovery steps. The mayor's office said Hargan Matthews park sustained significant flood damage and “will be reopened in the next couple to 3 weeks.” Officials said the city is conducting multiple layers of damage assessment and is awaiting a potential presidential disaster declaration; the mayor's office estimated roughly $30.4 million in damage across the affected area and said about 35 counties were included in the governor's declaration.
The council and staff thanked Spear and his team for both the award-winning work and their role in flood response. Spear noted his firm's role on the project — “we were 1 of the contractors on the aquatic park project. We did the mechanical systems, pumps, filtration, chemical treatment … some of the water features.”
Council members said the reopening showed effective collaboration among the city, contractors, and county emergency management. The remarks closed with city officials emphasizing continued recovery work and planning as the community moves into the rebuilding phase.
