One of the all-time favorite summertime recreational activities throughout the United States is visiting a water park. In fact, within the scope of themed amusement parks, the highest rated ‘Places to Go’ and “Things to See’ on travel sites are water parks.
From the giant mega corporation “Six Flag” to smaller community based water parks, there are so many options when planning to construct one in your area. You can go as large or small as you’d like and target any or all age groups. Looking into water park construction and maintenance to see if this is something you can accomplish? Here is a bit of what is involved.
Planning stages
Of course the first thing you will need to do is check all the rules and regulations in the city or unincorporated area where you would like to build your park.
Before getting too involved in the planning stages, you need to be aware of any zoning laws that would affect whether or not you can build a water park in the site you have chosen and if there are any restrictions as to what kinds of rides you can include or local covenants restricting hours of operation.
It is also vital to check the availability of utilities and resources because you will certainly need water and electricity.
If zoning and resources are available for your intended use, it’s time to put that plan into action. Most often, the land will be purchased outright but if you intend to lease the land, don’t settle for anything less than a one-hundred year lease option.
Any lease of shorter duration will eat into your bottom line. After all, who could go to all this expense only to have the landowner refuse to renew the lease before you’ve seen an ROI after going to all the expense of constructing their water park?
Rides by ages being catered to
The size and scope of your rides will also be dependent on the age groups you intend to cater to. If you are building a family water park, you will need to take everyone from tots to seniors into consideration.
For example, tots three and under would require activities with extremely gentle sprays and very low water slides. Those water parks looking to increase their revenue might even want to look into a side line of water slide rentals for birthday and summer parties that would add extra income above the usual entrance charges. These can be used on or off site, and parents love them for their summertime backyard barbeques. (Keeps the kids busy and out from under foot!)
Then some activities would need to be a bit bigger to cater to kids from 4 to 7 and from 8 to 11. Now you are going to need to be ready for some more adventurous activities because the next age group is the teenage daredevil group of 12 to 16 year olds.
Of course the really boisterous age bracket is from 17 to 22 and on it goes until you have shallow water activities designated for seniors as gentle as those planned for tots. The only difference is that seniors’ water activities can be a bit deeper and sometimes heated spas and whirlpools are a real plus. Let grandma and grandpa relax while the younger generations romp and roam.
What you will need for water park maintenance
Most often the thing that is of most concern to the operation and maintenance of water parks are such things as:
- Chemicals
- Equipment for Cleaning Activities (i.e. professional high-power pressure cleaners)
- Safety and First Aid Supplies
- On-site Office
However, many water parks keep a staff of trained professionals on hand in the event of any mishaps. In fact, some local governances may require a certain number of staff members who are certified in American Red Cross Health and Safety to be on hand at all times the park is operational. This would include such skills as CPR. Whether or not this is required by law, for your own protection and to get reasonable insurance rates, this is an absolute must.
Don’t forget insurance – an absolute must
Finally, don’t forget that you will also need all types of insurance such as fire, liability, loss of business and other coverage that will guard you against losses. Floods and ‘Acts of Nature’ coverage need to be considered as well. Yes, you are operating a water park, but one hurricane can break water mains placing your park under feet of unwanted water, closing you down indefinitely.
Even so, once you have everything lined up and are ready to start construction, get ready for an exciting addition to whatever community you intend to build in. There is nothing more alluring than a water park in the summer so plan well and have fun. The money will start rolling in from your very first season. Watch and see!
