“We care deeply about the safety and well-being of our constituents and visitors, wo we felt this decision was necessary until further investigation and inspection can be conducted,’’ said Briann Wooten, township spokeswoman, in a statement.
“The manufacturer has assured the township that the equipment is safe to operate. However, we feel that closing the park is the right decision.”
This isn’t the first time the splash pad has been closed since it’s May 23 opening. In late June the tube slide was closed after officials received calls about children being injured on the feature.
The tube slide comes off a five-foot deck on a playground-like structure in the middle of the pad.
The whole Splash Park was closed July 1 for maintenance and equipment testing, opening the next day after the manufacturer made adjustments to the tube slide.
Upwards of 800 to 1,000 visitors come to the splash daily, based on cellphone pings, but officials said that number is likely closer to 1,600 or more.
The splash park has 18 different play features with water flowing at 800 gallons per minute. It is the second largest free splash pad in the state. It sits on an oval-shaped concrete pad measuring 120-feet by 82-feet.
Most of the maintenance problems have been with the filtration and control systems. Those issues have led to higher-than-expected utility bills as well as staff time to troubleshoot problems with the system.
Primarily, there have been maintenance problems with the filtration and control systems, leading to in efficient use of water and higher utility bills, Wooten said.
Fairfield opened a new splash pad at Harbin Park a week before West Chester’s opened. It was built by the same company as West Chester Twp.’s splash park.
“We’ve had minor issues and we’ve addressed them but they are nothing (compared) to the extreme that West Chester is dealing with,’’ said Mandi Brock, Fairfield’s parks and recreation director.
Wooten said the township will provide updates on whether the park may reopen partially or fully before the end of the season on its Facebook page and other social media.
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