Joliet Park District will reopen downsized Splash Station, no Lazy River

A downsized Splash Station Waterpark will reopen this summer, the Joliet Park District announced Thursday.

The reopening follows a financial turnaround in which the district ended 2019 with a $300,000 surplus, reversing an $800,000 deficit the year before.

Improved finances along with the need to meet obligations of a state grant that helped fund construction of Splash Station has led to its being reopened for at least four more years.

Wary of losing too much money at Splash Station, however, the district will only reopen a portion of the water park, Executive Director Brad Staab said.

"We still are going to be able to offer swimming to the public, but we don't want to hurt our budget," Staab said.

Reopening are the kid's splash area, adjacent lap pool and two slides leading into that water feature.

Not opening are the Lazy River and three water slides leading into it, which comprise about half of the space in the water park. The concession stand also will not reopen, although the seating area will be open.

Staab described the Lazy River as a financial drain on the water park budget because of the constant need for repairs.

"It doesn't hold water," he said. "We have spent thousands of dollars on the Lazy River, trying to fix cracks and repairing burst pipes."

Good news is that prices are coming down.

The park district is planning to charge a daily rate of $5 for residents and $7 for non-residents. Season passes will not be issued this year.

Also, people now will be able to bring food into the park, which was not allowed in the past, and eat in the concession area where vending machines will still be available.

The park district closed Splash Station last summer after voters in April rejected a referendum proposing a hike in property taxes.

Reopening Splash Station was not completely a matter of choice.

Staab said the water park was built with the help of funding from a state grant that included a condition that Splash Station be open for 20 years. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources gave the OK for the water park to close for a year but expects the park district to fulfill the 20-year obligation, he said.

"We have four years left to fulfill the obligation of the grant," Staab said.

Whether the water park stays open longer will be a decision made by the park board then, he said.

Reopening Splash Station is the only reversal the park district is making from cuts made since the referendum was defeated, Staab said.

The park district issued a news release on Thursday morning announcing the reopening of Splash Station and describing a "substantial financial turnaround."

The park district took a series of cost-cutting measures including closing Splash Station, which alone showed a $130,000 deficit in 2018.

Other cost-cutting measures taken last year included reduced hours at Hartman Recreation Center and a $300,000 reduction in staffing expenses.

Expenses were cut by $1.1 million, and "overall 2019 annual expenditures were the lowest in over a decade," the release said.

“It has been a very successful collaborative effort between Executive Director Staab and the park board to see the realization of this positive swing in the budget in such a short time," park board President Sue Gulas said in the release. "It validates just how much the board, staff and executive director are all dedicated to this second-to-none park district that reigns as the third largest in the state."