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OTTUMWA -- It's almost summer and that means it's time to head down to the old swimmin' hole.

And in the City of Bridges ...The Beach Ottumwa is were swimmers go to keep cool.

Parks Director Gene Rathje says his staff is almost done with the pre-season painting, mowing and repairs, and they are ready to start filling the pool in advance of the official opening day on May 26.

Last year the park added a new kid's play area and a new tube slide.

There are no new attactions this year, but Rathje has hopes one will be coming in the near future.

"We are still trying to raise money for the lazy river which will be over here to the west of the beach area. There is plenty of room over there so that going to be a million and half, to two million dollar project that we are going to start fundraising for hopefully this fall," Rathje said.

And while the park doesn't officially open for another week, area schools use The Beach as a year-end reward for their students, so there will be plenty of kids riding the waves over the next few days.

In fact, Rathje says the week before the park opens is one of the busiest times of the year.