QUICK FACTS on the Status of the Chesapeake Beach Water Park
October 10, 2023 (Chesapeake Beach, MD) – During the October 3, 2023, Town of Chesapeake Beach work session, the Town Council discussed reconceptualizing the Chesapeake Beach Water Park. The twenty-nine-year-old park has provided generations of fun; however, it has surpassed its useful life, requiring further consideration of a path forward with Town residents’ desires as a center point in decisions.
QUICK FACTS regarding the status of the Chesapeake Beach Water Park:
How is the Town engaging the public? The Town of Chesapeake Beach conducted a community opinion survey from July to August of 2023. Through the survey, Town residents expressed their strong desire to utilize the park as a community amenity, which is accessible and affordable, instead of a tourist attraction. Additionally, Town residents communicated disapproval of funding the cost of out-of-town residents' use of the park. There will be continued opportunities to provide input to Town elected officials as outlined in Table 1.
Who is primarily funding the operation of the Chesapeake Beach Water Park? Over the last twenty-eight years, the Chesapeake Beach Water Park has primarily served as a tourist attraction; however, Town taxpayer resources have funded the operation. The need to rebuild the park is an opportunity to rethink the recreational amenity and its purpose to ensure it is meeting the needs of Town taxpayers inclusively of all Town residents.
Why did the Chesapeake Beach Water Park cost increase in the 2023 season? The prices for the 2023 season were reflective of the actual costs of operating the park under a safe capacity limit. For more information on the operation of the park over time, please click here. Operating the park at the historical number of 1,000+ guests at a time is not safe or self-sustaining. The capacity limit was adjusted to 500 people in the park at one time to improve the safety of all guests. [1]
If the Town lowered general admission costs for out-of-town guests, wouldn’t it increase park revenue? No, decreasing the costs for out-of-town guests of the park will not improve the parks financial position and will continue to create a liability for the Town taxpayers. Accepting admittance to the park at a rate that is less than what it costs the Town to provide services increases the financial loss for Town taxpayers.
Is the Water Park audited? Yes, a third-party private accounting firm audits the Town's financials yearly. The Water Park part of this process. All audit reports of the Town are posted publicly on the Town website here.
Why can’t the Town restore the existing Water Park? Restoring the Chesapeake Beach Water Park within its current footprint is not feasible due to its age and existing site conditions. The footprint of the pools, lazy river, and their associated mechanical features exceed the locations of the structural pilings at the site; therefore, portions of the park are sinking and cracking, creating potentially unsafe conditions.[2] The Town is reviewing ways to refurbish portions of the park where it is feasible to decrease the costs of the rebuild. These areas include the existing slides, the main building, the grill building, and the pump room.
What does the Town mean by rebuilding the Park as an Aquatics Center? During the October 3, 2023, work session, the term Aquatics Center was presented by Mayor Mahoney. An aquatics center is envisioned as an outdoor water attraction facility with pools, slides, interactive features, splash pads, and open space for community gatherings. During the design process, the Town will continue to review the feasibility of a lazy river and will seek input from Town residents on all design elements and their associated costs.
Under a new design, how will the Town support local businesses? Town residents provide a year round base of customers for our Town businesses. Maintaining recreational amenities for Town citizens at the center of Town will continue this support. The Town is seeking news ways to partner with local businesses at Town recreational amenities and is open to ideas from our local businesses and welcome further engagement.
What does this mean for the seasonal staff employed at the Water Park? The process for defining staffing needs is currently fluid as we work through a redesign phase and address concerns with the current condition of the park. The Town conducts recruitment and rehiring each season. This process includes interviewing new hires and returning seasonal employees. The Town employs approximately 170 seasonal staff at the Water Park. On average, 50% of our seasonal staff do not plan to return for the 2024 season due to attending college, taking full-time jobs, or because of schedule conflicts. The Town will not mobilize recruitment strategies to hire new staff for the 2024 recreation season. However, our seasonal staff that have expressed a willingness to return in the 2024 season will be informed of opportunities within the Town as this process moves forward, regardless of the status of the Water Park. If you are a seasonal employee of the Chesapeake Beach Water Park and have questions about the 2024 season please log into the employee portal on the Water Park website for more information.
Opportunities to Engage in the Process Moving Forward:
As the Town moves through a multi-step process that follows the Town's procurement guidelines there will be several additional opportunities for public input in each phase.
TABLE 1: Phases of public review and input - these steps can change depending on the course of action (steps amended April 13, 2024)
| Step # | Process | Details |
| Step 1 | Design / Build (D/B) Request for Proposal (RFP) | The Town released a Design / Build (D/B) RFP in January of 2024. The RFP was posted on eMaryland Marketplace Advantage, in print media, on the Town website and sent to over 150 contractors nationwide. The Town held a mandatory pre-bid meeting where eight (8) firms were present. The Town issued clarifications as Amendment #1 to the RFP; however, the Town received '0' proposals. All firms were contacted for feedback as to why they did not bid on the project. The responses included; 1) an increased risk to the Design / Build (D/B) firm related to soil conditions and existing piles. 2) The bidders felt that the timeline was unrealistic taking into consideration the length of time required for permitting with the condensed project schedule increasing the costs of the significantly, and 3) A lack of clarity on the final pool element design and budget. The bidders requested that the Town consider starting with a feasibility study to provide the information necessary to bid on the project. |
| Step 2 | Feasibility Study | The Town will conduct a feasibility study through a team of design of experts to propose 2-3 design concepts considering the conditions of the site. |
| Step 3 | Designs Finalized, Funding Considerations | At this phase, the design plans will be finalized upon review of the feasibility of the swimming elements, with further funding considerations reviewed by the Town Council in an open public meeting forum. |
| Step 4 | Request for Proposal (RFP) to construct the Park based on the feasibility study | Once the feasibility study is complete and the Town Council has an understanding of the cost range for the elements determined, a RFP will be released to construct the Park as approved by the Town Council. |
| Step 5 | RFP Awarded | RFP Awarded, funding allocated by the Town Council for the work necessary to construct the capital improvements. |
| Step 6 | Permitting Phase | The Town will be required to obtain a permits from local, county, and state regulating agencies based on the final design plan approved by the Town Council. |
| Step 7 | Building Phase | With approved permits and funding in place as allocated by the Town Council, work will begin to construct the new facility, with updates made available to the public on the timeline. |
| Step 8 | The New Facility Opens to the Community | The new facility opens under a Town Council-approved budget for operations with public input provided during the budgeting process. |
Figure 1 Capacity level diagrams at 500 and 1,250 people in the existing Water Park footprint provides a visual representation of the concerns of an overcrowded park. These concerns will be addressed with a redesign of a new facility to ensure the safety of all guests.
[1] When the park operated at a high capacity of 1,000+ guests at a time, it remained supported by Town general taxpayer resources and not considered self-sustaining. These resources include staff time, water and sewer costs, and the inability to establish a reserve fund for future capital improvements.
[2] Pilings are the process of drilling or boring foundations into the ground to provide structural strength in areas that are affected by weak soil. Pilings prepare the ground to carry heavy loads through weak, compressible soils or material onto more compact, less compressible, stiffer soil or rock at a greater depth. Pilings ensure a sturdy base for construction to take place.
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