New county water park fills up quickly - Dan Rodgerson

New county water park fills up quickly
The Greenville News - Greenville, S.C.
Author: Angelia Davis
Date: May 30, 2005
Start Page: A.15
Section: Front
Text Word Count: 862

Document Text
Move to raise capacity cap could cut families' risk of running into a line

By Angelia Davis

STAFF_WRITER

adavis@greenvillenews.com

SIMPSONVILLE -- Simpsonville resident Trista Tilley visited Greenville County's new water park with her husband and three children the morning it opened and found hardly anyone there.

The next day was a whole different story.

She described it as "kind of a rude awakening because all of a sudden there was all these people." But the mother of children ages 7, 5, and 2 said that even then, it "didn't feel too crowded or uncomfortable."

So many have crowded into Greenville County's new water park during its opening weekends that some have been forced to wait outside for swimmers to leave so as not to exceed the park's capacity.

Dan Rodgerson, executive director of the Greenville County Recreation District, said Discovery Island Waterpark on Baldwin Road has reached its maximum of 800 most days it's been open since May 7. Wait times outside averaged about three minutes, he said.

But the end of the school year and weekday hours beginning June 6 could mean more crowds and longer waits unless the capacity limit is raised.

"Our fear is as it becomes more popular and we do more advertising and summer camps come, that there should be more people than we can accommodate," Rodgerson said.

The capacity limit is based on the number of bathroom facilities the park offers.

Coy Watts, a state health department associate environmental engineer, said a miscalculation based on the park's original design plans may have led to a lower capacity cap than it should be allowed.

He said the park has more showerheads than were submitted on the plans and that the park can handle about 1,200 people. Watts said that's the figure DHEC is going to resubmit to the county, and that it will be up to the county building codes department whether to change the copacity rating.

Rodgerson and Lee Polowczuk, a spokesman for Greenville County, said the building codes department is awaiting DHEC's determination.

Vanessa Means said her 17-year-old daughter visited the park and had a great time. Her only complaint is that there weren't more activities geared toward older children.

When time allows, Means said, she plans to take her younger children to the park.

"I'm glad to have it, even if I'm not out there," she said. "I think it's a wonderful addition to our city."

Tilley said she likes the park's size and feels comfortable letting her 7-year-old out of her sight. "I don't feel like I have to have my eye on him every second because there are so many lifeguards," she said.

"As long as he checks in with me before he goes into a new area, I feel pretty safe that he's OK," she said. "The lifeguards seem real attentive and really like they're doing their job."

Plans for the $2 million water park began in July 2003. The park replaced the pool at Southside Park, which served about 5,000 residents the entire summer during its heyday.

Discovery Park, Rodgerson said, serves about that number in five days. "We were kind of blown away. It's exceeded our expectations."

The main attractions are the two water slides that rise above the park and drop from a 30-foot platform.

As with any pool, DHEC requires the water park have attendants at the top and bottom of the slide, said Earl Whittington, manager of pool programs for DHEC's Appalachian II District.

He said the park has more than adequate number of lifeguards.

Steven Hayes, chairman of the recreation district's board of commissioners, said the water park follows safety guidelines set by DHEC. He said the park has 15 to 20 lifeguards on duty at all times that it's open.

Hayes also said the capacity of the park often doesn't translate to the number of people in the pool. Discovery Island was designed to have as much space surrounding the pool as the pool itself to accommodate visitors who don't want to spend time in the water.

Sabrina Bedingfield, mother of 4- and 6-year-olds and wife of Greenville County Councilman Eric Bedingfield, said the park needs to be "extremely" prepared for increased crowds. She believes the park will probably meet its capacity every day.

"It's summertime, it's not expensive, and it's fun as far as the children are concerned," she said.

The Saturday and Sunday crowds have been mostly parents and families. The weekday crowds are expected to be mostly children.

The Recreation District is asking camps, day-care facilities and groups that plan to bring in busloads of kids to call beforehand.

"Anyone coming with a group of over 20, they need to call because it would be horrible to come and not be able to get in because we're at capacity," Rodgerson said. "If we had 3,000 people show up, obviously we couldn't let them in because we're regulated."

Cutline: ALAN DEVORSEY / Staff

Water park: Tammy Staggs and her 16-month-old son Trevor play in the county's new water park off Baldwin Road.

Cutline: ALAN DEVORSEY / Staff

Watcher: Lifeguard Sarah Bell keeps an eye on the crowd at the new water park.


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