2020 season slides away for Wild Waterworks
Although the water park will be closed due to the pandemic, authority hopes to open other amenities
Hamilton has pulled the plug on Wild Waterworks for the 2020 season because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hamilton Conservation Authority chief administrative officer Lisa Burnside said it will mean an operating loss of about $425,000 to close the park now.
“This was a difficult recommendation to make,” Burnside told councillors on May 13.
She said there will be no layoffs to staff, but the estimated 150 seasonal staff, which includes lifeguards, waterslide attendants, cashiers, food services, cooks, security officers and maintenance staff will not be hired for 2020.
Burnside said even if the province eased its emergency measures, such as allowing gatherings of more than five people, the facility needs at least six weeks to prepare to reopen. That would mean an opening date of July 1, with a significant portion of the season already lost, she said. The facility needs at least 10,000 visitors a day to earn enough revenue to cover its costs, she said.
It is conceivable that the public will be reluctant to visit public facilities, such as the water park, because of fears of the virus. She said every 10,000 drop in visitors means a $200,000 loss in revenue.
The authority operates Confederation Beach Park and its amenities behalf of the city for a management fee of 15 per cent of operating expenses. The authority has been operating Confederation Beach Park since 1990.
Wild Waterworks generated $2.9 million in revenue in 2019, about $137,000 more than expenses, which included a $360,000 management fee.
“It’s cheaper to leave it closed than open it up,” said Ancaster councillor Lloyd Ferguson, also chair of the Hamilton Conservation Authority’s board of directors. “I know there will be disappointed people.”
One silver lining by closing the water park, said Burnside, is needed maintenance will be done this season rather than over the course of two seasons.
Even though the water park will be closed, the authority is intent on opening Lakeland pool and the other amenities in Confederation Beach Park.