Water park open

The water was still a bit chilly.

And conditions were breezy.

But the facility was open.

Portland Water Park opened Saturday for what is projected to be the facility’s first full season since 2019.

“We had a pretty good turnout (Saturday) considering the weather and the pool water temperatures,” said new water park manager Eliza Bader. “We had a pretty good first day.”

Highs were around 80 degrees for the weekend, but conditions were breezy. Water temperatures were still hovering around 70 degrees.

Still, the facility had 289 visitors for its opening day.

Bader said the situation — steady traffic but not overwhelmingly busy — was a good one for the staff.

“It was a great first day to start, especially since probably 70% of our staff is brand new,” she added. (The facility will have between 25 and 30 lifeguards — a few prospective employees are still completing the testing process — after there were only about 15 for the 2021 season.) “It was a great day for first-day lifeguards, just to get their feet in the water a little bit.”

Portland Water Park, which opened in 2016, has not had full availability for the last three years.

Its opening was delayed until July 4 in 2020 because of coronavirus pandemic shutdowns. A lifeguard shortage a year later forced hours to be limited. And issues with breaking tiles shut down the facility last year for repairs.

Blakley’s of Indianapolis completed the tile repairs — they came at a cost of about $70,000 — during the closure.

Bader was hired as the new water park manager in April. She took over the role from her mom, Missy, who had led the facility since it opened.

“It was definitely different than lifeguarding, getting everything started here,” said Bader, who had worked as a lifeguard since 2018.

The biggest challenge was getting things back in shape for a season after the water park sat idle.

“It was definitely difficult with it being empty last year, just sitting here for a year not being used,” Bader said. “Everything had to be cleaned. It was dusty in here. … Just figuring out where everything went.

“It definitely took a good week and a half just to get everything cleaned up inside here.”

Daily admission to the water park is $5 before 5 p.m. and $3 after. (Admission is $3 for those 62 and older and $2 for those 2 and younger.)

Season passes for the water park are $75 for an individual with an increase of $25 for each additional individual in the same household (with a cap of $200).

Ten-day passes are available for $45.

The water park is open from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

It is available for rent before or after regular hours on Saturdays at a rate of $75 per hour plus lifeguard fees. (There is a two-hour minimum plus a requirement of at least for lifeguards.) Rentals, which began being accepted today, must be scheduled in person.