The day is nearing for families to take a dive into the deep end at a new water attraction in Ste. Genevieve.
The River Rapids Waterpark has been in the making for over a year now, and Executive Director Brad Arnold says one of the biggest impediments has been the weather.
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Officials are hoping the park - which will include a lap pool, lazy river, tube slide, body slide, four-lane mat racer, and kiddie section - will be open by July 12.
Arnold says at this stage, the center is planning on doing some “soft openings” ahead of time for employees, staff, and a few invited members of the public.
“We’ve got 110 or so staff members that we’ve been working with, making sure we’ve got everybody ready,” he says. “And not only ready, but comfortable. And to the point to where we feel like we can be successful.”
He says the crew at the Ste. Genevieve County Community Center has “divided and conquered” multiple tasks at the waterpark, but have hired additional lifeguards for the park.
It’s going to take a few weeks for everyone to get fully prepared for their duties, Arnold says, since they’ve only had a couple of weeks in the water.
“When you lose a day, and it costs you two, it just kind of snowballs,” says Arnold. “We had several months like that.”
He expects work within the park’s fencing to be finished by the end of this week, when all that will be left is dirt work outside the park. Arnold says that work can be done after opening day.
Arnold says the park is a large part of an expansion process that’s taken place over the past five years, including the creation of Challenger Field, new infrastructure, the Braden & Friends inclusive playground, and the Progress Sports Complex.
“It feels like we’ve been constructing for a long time, and I guess when you really look at it, we have been,” says Arnold. “We saved the biggest one for last. Maybe that was a good thing, because maybe it would have deterred us from doing some of the other things.”
Despite the summer fun missed out on due to construction delays, Arnold says community members can still enjoy the year-round attractions in the community center’s indoor pool. Once open, the park will be available through Labor Day weekend, and will open on Memorial Day in 2020 for the full summer.