If you grew up in the Town of Highlands you likely have strong memories of Long Pond. Whether you spent lots of time there as a family, picnicking and swimming weekends away there, or whether you spent your Tuesdays and Thursdays there as a ‘summer rec’ kid, or whether you were the mom who hauled mini-vans full of neighborhood kids out to play in the water, those memories will never fade.

For decades, the Town of Highlands ran the lake-side recreation facility just off Rt. 293. While West Point families did spend time there, it was mostly Highland Falls and Fort Montgomery families.

Then, five years ago, West Point ‘took Long Pond back’, due to Department of Army concerns about how it was being operated. For the town to continue to run it, money would need to exchange hands and the town just wasn’t prepared to do that. So, MWR took over the operations, and made some minor physical changes to the facility. The town’s day camp still used the facility, as did local residents, but there were many complaints of “It’s just not the same.”

This past year there was again some talk about who would run the daily operations of Long Pond, and that task eventually went out to bid.

Enter Hudson Sky Ropes, and Tim Donovan. He’s not from the Town of Highlands, but he has a long association with the town. He’s helped with the improvements of Mine Dock Park, is a WP-HF Rotarian, and most recently he’s become the boys’ varsity lacrosse coach at O’Neill High School, where he and his wife Cathleen’s three daughters graduated high school.

Donovan submitted a bid to operate Long Pond. He won the bid and Highlands Splash Central – “the best kept secret of the Summer” was born.

In addition to maintaining the pavilion, grounds, playground, basketball court and beach area with life guards, he and a happy band of volunteers, staff and lifeguards, moved into the park and created what is believed to be the only floating water park in the Hudson Valley. The equipment – think floating, ‘bounce house’ type structures, with obstacle courses, features a 12’ tower, slides, room to jump, etc. – are called Wibits.

There are two Wibit ‘structures’ – the first one installed was a ‘junior’ version, for kids aged four to nine, but okay for those up to age 12. It is lower to the water, and closer to the water’s surface. The second, which has been up and running for several weeks now, is for those eight and up – it holds up to 30 people at a time.

The Wibit installation was a multiple weekend operation. It included volunteers like Keller’s Maj. Wesley Snow, a pharmacist by day as well as a technical scuba diver. Snow led the installation and executed connections to multiple 800 lb. anchors. After being placed into 4’ of water, the concrete anchors were then connected to an airbag, and along with diver and swimmers, each anchor was floated until anchor could be dropped into position. The team led by Maj. Snow included swimmers Emile Blanc, Pat Flynn, John Flynn, Aiden Gonzales; and shoreline support from Carlo Meyer, Joe Padula and Mickey Flynn. The anchors now sit 18-20’ below the surface, stabilizing the larger Wibits.

The facility has received rave reviews on social media – happy faces in photos and videos of children climbing and jumping are getting lots of ‘likes’!

To use either piece of equipment an online reservation must be made, by adults for the younger people in their lives (hudsonskyropes.com) and liability waivers must be completed. Users wear life vests, provided on site.

While Donovan is looking to attract people to the Town of Highlands – “We want the whole community to benefit from this” – there are discounted rates, and daily blocked times on the senior Wibit available to residents/West Point. The Jr. Wibit has been open to community children most every day at one low price.

Those from out of the community, who can’t necessarily be at Long Pond if they don’t have residency in the Town of Highlands, can book a timed slot for an hour or two as long as they come as part of a reserved group on hudsonskyropes.com. Donovan’s team is so certain anyone who books a slot will have a good time, he has a guarantee.

“Book your group, club or youth team for 60 minutes of unmatched fun at Highlands Splash Central, and if it isn’t the lowest cost and best adventure waterpark entertainment in the Hudson Valley, we will donate the full price of your ticket to your favorite charity, no questions asked.”

Donovan is confident in the value proposition of his effort. “The cost of fun at traditional water parks is very high due to costly motors and pumps moving water. But the fun at Long Pond is powered by human effort, aerobics and human energy. While kids are having a blast, they don’t realize they become stronger, more flexible more resilient.

“This is spectacular water,” he said. “Long Pond is a unique, deep- water pool fed by Highland streams and cool spring water. Our team scientist believes it appears to be a remnant of a ‘kettle pond’ formed when a pocket of glacial ice was deposited by the retreating Wisconsin ice sheet about 15,000 years ago.”

Long Pond is open until September 15 this year. On Labor Day weekend Donovan’s team is planning a fun three-day event: Sausage & Wibits, an all-day feast at the Long Pond Pavilion! See the website for details.