The weather definitely wasn’t the greatest.
Splash Baldwin, the new waterpark at Walter B. Williams Jr. Park, shut down for the afternoon on Friday, which was opening day, after the rain and lightning moved in around 3 o’clock. Then, on Sunday, the weather was so crummy that nobody showed up.
By Tuesday, however, the sun was shining and the park was “pretty packed,” according to Charles Trumbo, a county management analyst with the Baldwin County government.
“Aside from the weather, everything went great,” Trumbo said. “The weather actually may have been a blessing in disguise, because it allowed us to work out some kinks without it being too crowded.”
In terms of logistics, Trumbo and his team called an audible, and patrons are now allowed to bring in thermoses, tumblers and water bottles. These items originally were not allowed.
However, all drinking containers must be emptied prior to entering the park.
Once inside, they can be filled up at one of the water fountains or hydration stations.
There’s also been a tweak to the “clear bag only” policy. Diaper bags are now allowed for patrons with infants. Other than that, though, the clear bag rule remains in place.
Also keep in mind that the park is closed on Mondays. For various reasons, not everyone got the memo.
The only real negative was a Facebook post that was later deleted.
In this post, a woman complained that waterpark officials informed her daughter that her bathing suit bottom was too revealing. Trumbo didn’t want to get into detail, but he did say that “we ask people to remember that this is a family-friendly facility” and “please refrain from wearing anything too revealing.”
Morning swims, senior swims and swimming lessons don’t look like they’ll be happening this summer, which was part of the original plan. Also part of the original plan was renting out the waterpark after-hours, which is the main reason why lights were installed. The timing of the opening wasn’t the best, based on the fact that Carlos Tobar was fired from his county manager position in early May. Tobar was the point person for the project and the one with most of the expertise.
Trumbo is now the point person.
“We’ll get there eventually, but this summer we’re just focusing on running the park as effectively and efficiently as possible,” he said.
More than 200 season passes, a combination of individual season passes and family season passes, have now been purchased, according to Trumbo. Season passes can be purchased atsplashbaldwin.com