Joliet Splash Station Runs Dry

Image Courtesy of enjoyillinois.com

The Splash Station Waterpark will not be making a splash this summer. Located on US Route 6 in Joliet, this waterpark has been operating for 17 years, however, this upcoming summer season it will not be opening.

According to theherald-news.com, this closure comes after a failed attempt by the Joliet Park District to get a $120,000 city subsidy to support the park. In fact, they failed to get a single vote in favor of motioning the subsidy to begin with.

“It looks like it will not open,” said Executive Director of the park district Tom Carstens after the Joliet City Council would not vote on the subsidy.

Additionally, Splash Station has made a statement regarding the matter on their website.

“The Joliet Park District has determined that operation of the facility for the 2019 season cannot be sustained. No decisions about operation of the facility after the 2019 season have been made. The park district has commenced a wide-ranging study of options for the facility’s future, and further information will be made public when possible. The closure of Splash Station has no impact on the availability of other park district-operated facilities to the public.”

Splash Station appears to be the first domino to fall after the park district’s failed tax referendum they proposed on April 2 that was intended to raised the property tax in Joliet by 58 percent.

According to theherald-news.com, when Carstens was asked by Councilwoman Jan Quillman whether or not he was depending on that referendum to operate the waterpark, Carstens said, “Yes.”

While the indefinite closing of the Splash Station waterpark is major hit to the park district, they are still encouraging all residents to continue to use and enjoy all of its many other publicly available parks and facilities.