MIDDLEBORO — Middleboro residents are finding more reasons to spend hot summer afternoons at the Middleboro public pool thanks to the pool’s new inflatable Wibit ‘action tower’.

The 29-foot float obstacle block, set up in the pool’s deep end, contains a slide and a climbing wall for swimmers to play on. 

Kids are thrilled with this new addition to the pool, said Park Superintendent Fran Cass— even though they might not explicitly say it. “It’s more about optics than talk,” he said. “You can see it in their eyes, they’re eager” to try it out, he said. 

“You’re not going to get a young kid to walk by and not want to use it,” he added. 

The float, which was installed in early July, was “blazing with use” right from the start with high temperatures driving residents to the pool, said Cass. Despite the number of cloudy days since, “it’s been a big hit,” he said. 

Tess Busa, who comes to the pool “like everyday” said the play structure makes the pool a lot more enjoyable. 

Mila Jigerjian said the pool “used to be really boring” and “the slide makes it way more fun” — and she especially loves how steep the slide is.

The Wibit was funded by a $20,000 donation from the Peirce Trustees, which was also used to pay for repairs to the pool walls, according to the Parks Department.

Cass said that while other towns have spent millions redoing their pools, this has been a great, cost-effective way to reinvest in the town’s resource.