Volume 2, No. 15. August 9, 2002
New Arrivals
It’s
a waterpark!
Joliet Park District in Joliet, Illinois, announces the arrival of Joliet's
Splash Station, August 7, 2002. Measurements: 13 acres (5.2 hectares), one zero-edge
pool with interactive waterplay elements, a six-person racing slide, two body
slides, two tube slides (all slides 235 feet/71 meters long), a 865-foot-long
(262-meter) lazy river, an 80-foot diameter (24-meter) sand play area, one retail
outlet, one food concession, 54 employees. Delivered by SCS Interactive and
Whitewater West.
Three weeks ago, this former rock quarry had shells of buildings at the front
gate, two slide structures, the completed-but-empty zero-depth-entry pool and
a trench creating an island, with dirt dams crossing through what would be the
lazy river instead of bridges crossing overhead. The rest was dirt and consternation.
The Chicago-area's newest waterpark had already missed its July 1 opening target,
and the park district was determined to make an August 9 grand opening.
The District's Aquatic Coordinator Mike Landers never wavered from his optimism
that it could get done, though his projections were laced with "ifs."
The day before today's festivities—and, most importantly, the day after
the park hosted its first public customers—Landers admitted his fears.
"I'm surprised we got it open," he said. "We were really getting
frustrated toward the end there. All of a sudden the contractors got together,
and the city council authorized overtime."
With that, the contractors worked seven days a week, 10 hours a day. The district
hired a landscaping firm that laid all the sod and planted trees for the berms
in two days. Construction concluded on Sunday when the perimeter fence was erected.
State inspectors did their tour Monday, and Splash Station, lightly themed in
a railroad motif, was ready for its first guests.
About 500 people showed up to play on the first day, and soon the media descended
(and hovered overhead in helicopters). The publicity lit up the phone lines
and Landers is looking forward to a big weekend.
The district was facing something of a fait accompli. The pools would have to
be filled anyway to get their plumping working properly, and Landers already
had his staff hired since the beginning of the summer and working at pools around
the district. "Since we've got to fill these pools anyway, we're going
to operate as long as we can," he said. Splash Station will remain open
until September 8, cutting back to a 3-to-8 p.m. (15,00 to 20,00) schedule on
weekdays after next weekend.
Splash Station has the Midwest's first six-person racing slide. However, its
the region's largest sandbox that has drawn the most attention. "The sand
play area has been a huge hit," Landers said. "I knew it would be
popular, but I didn't know it was going to be used this much. It's the first
thing that gets filled when the gates open."
In hindsight, then, when the park was almost 90 percent dirt three weeks ago,
maybe the Station should have opened anyway.
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