Residents of Bettendorf will need to find other ways to stay cool this summer, as the opening of The Landing has been pushed back to 2025.

The city and the YMCA of the Iowa Mississippi Valley have announced a new timeline for The Landing. The facility will open its permanent outdoor ice rink in November, followed by the state-of-the-art aquatic facility opening in 2025.

“We are committed to building these two premier amenities for the community in a safe, efficient and cost-effective environment,” said Decker Ploehn, City Administrator. “We are experiencing some challenges that are out of our control, but we believe this new timeline is the best way forward to fulfill our commitment.”

There were significant delays in the state permitting process, plus supply chain issues that led to the new schedule, according to a news release from the city. The initial goal of opening the 12,500-square-foot activity pool in May 2024 must be pushed back to mid-July due to the delay, which is too late to start a safe pool season.

“We are looking forward to opening the aquatic side of The Landing, but unfortunately the timing is not looking good for the summer of 2024,” said Brad Martell, CEO of the YMCA of the Iowa Mississippi Valley. The YMCA will operate the aquatic facility. “We will need 35 lifeguards to staff it and trying to find this many lifeguards at the end of the season would be difficult. We all feel it would be better to wait until 2025 when everything is completed.”

The process is more than just filling a pool with water. “Activating a pool doesn’t happen overnight,” said Ploehn. “Even if construction is finished in mid-July, the state needs to test the pool, which could take days or even weeks.”

The city, the YMCA and General Constructors, Inc. (GCI) will keep construction going through 2024. Continuing with construction means crews can complete the remainder of the aquatic facility, including a three-story-high slide tower with three slides, a 430-foot long lazy river and a 3,700-square-foot splash pad by May 2025 as well as finishing the ice rink by November 2024. “While we understand this means there will be another season without a community pool in Bettendorf, we are very excited that the ice rink will be completed earlier than expected,” said Ploehn. “We’re very pleased with RDG’s design, GCI’s progress, and – rest assured – the city is planning a wonderful grand opening of this brand-new ice amenity and, together with the Y, will hold another one for our brand-new water amenity only six months later.”

For updates, designs and a livestream of the construction site, click here.