The water park at Cloverdale Athletic Park will not be “revitalized” in time for the summer rush.
The “Waterpark Revitalization” project is part of a larger improvement project at the park, which includes putting in a new artificial turf field and practice area, and constructing a new field house.
According to the City of Surrey recreation website, the water park won’t reopen until August 4, 2017.
Spray parks and water playgrounds in Surrey are typically open from late May until the end of September.
Residents who live nearby to Cloverdale Athletic Park have expressed their disappointment.
“The ground was dug up last fall and there’s still no waterpark for the kiddies,” said Margaret Adams, who lives near the park.
Adams said she saw kids headed away from the park, with their swimsuits and towels, after seeing that the waterpark wasn’t open. “The looks on their faces,” she said. “It’s very upsetting.”
Neal Aven, acting parks division manager, said that heavy spring rains delayed the initial work on the site, which was what pushed back the project timeline.
“It was a wet one this year,” he said. “Soil conditions around the site were really wet, which prevented construction early on.”
“The company with whom the city was working, they were delayed. They were then scheduled to work on other projects, and were committed elsewhere,” he said.
“Construction [on the water park] will begin next week,” he said.
A closed community Facebook group, Families of West Cloverdale, has been discussing the project since at least early June, at times expressing frustration at the delays and excitement for the upcoming improvements. One user wrote that the delay “really sucks for summer and my daycare.”
Another wrote that they doubted complaining would speed the project, and that “[losing] it for a month of summer stinks, but I’m stoked we’re getting a new one. Telling myself it will be worth the wait…”
Adams said she contacted the City of Surrey and the developer of the project, RecTec Industries, “many times” regarding the delays. According to Adams, the developer has also said that the project was delayed due to a high water table, preventing the work from taking place.
Adams expressed her disbelief. “People are building basement homes all over Cloverdale and you’re telling me we can’t start?” Adams asked.
August completion date
Work on the site should begin next week, according to Aven, and be complete by Aug. 4.
“We’re targeting for that early August date,” said Aven. While he acknowledged that there was always the possibility of further delays, he said that none were anticipated.
Aven said that Cloverdale families had a few nearby alternatives to cool off this summer. Options include Greenaway Pool, for example, Hazelgrove Park in east Clayton, Goldstone Park in Newton or the larger parks, Fleetwood Park and Bear Creek Park.
Adams said that it wasn’t as simple as asking people to use other water parks around Surrey. The park is a local option for neighbourhood kids to walk to during the summer, and it’s a nearby option for babysitters who aren’t always able to or old enough to drive kids to another park, Adams explained.
“They dug it up and put a fence around it,” Adams said of the water park. “Absolutely nothing has been done.”
“What are we waiting for?” she asked.