Cleaning, other preparations for Clarksburg (West Virginia) Splash Zone beginning this week, officials say | News

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WV News) – The Clarksburg Splash Zone is starting preps for the busy summer season, including emptying the pool, doing thorough cleanings, and more.

Park Superintendent John Cooper said cleaning will begin this week and getting the facility ready for the season is a pretty intense process.

“It’s a four week process to get everything going. … when we start we basically drain the pool, clean it and finally we do like an acid wash that basically disinfects everything. Then we fill it up again up. “he said.

All skimmer baskets are clogged before winter and must be removed to fit new fittings. While the pool is being refilled, other work is completed. The slides and equipment are cleaned, the baby pool area is cleaned and cared for, and then the pumps are filled. After that, the water was balanced and disinfected, he said.

“As soon as that is all done, (we) do the bathroom, take everything apart, remove lines and have concessions set up,” he said.

Lifeguard certifications will also be held this month, he said. One employee is in the process of getting their lifeguard certification this week, and some of those applying for certifications will be reaching out to other organizations like the Harrison County YMCA for certification.

With a targeted timeframe for the Memorial Day weekend opening, Cooper believes individuals are already looking forward to the facility opening their doors in some way.

“We are still working with the governor’s office, the local health department, to open and open safely,” he said.

Cooper said the department had also called the governor’s office to see if there were any upcoming changes to the existing COVID-19 policy.

Hopefully the vaccinations will resume soon, he said.

“We are obviously sorry that we couldn’t open last year. We hope that the governor will reduce some of the restrictions he has put in place and fit a few more people into the pool as well as the amphitheater … We look forward to it on it, “he said.

Clarksburg Mayor Ryan Kennedy said he and many other local residents look forward to the facility opening this year.

“As you know, I and other council members were hoping they would open last year. We were in a very strong position that it should have opened, but that didn’t happen for various reasons. So we’re very hopeful that it will be like that. ” Open this year because, as we have said many times before, we need to go back to some normalcy, “he said.

Kennedy said the Splash Zone was an outdoor activity, and since chlorine “kills a lot of germs” anyway, swimming isn’t a particularly dangerous activity for disease spreading.

“It’s relatively safe and the kids around here are really looking forward to it. We spent a lot of money on this really nice water park and we should let the families of Clarksburg enjoy it,” he said.