Park District bursts bubble of inflatable water park proposal
The air has been let out of a proposal to create a giant floating water park at Montrose Beach.
Thewater park, to have been dubbedAqua X Zone, would have incorporated modular inflatable “obstacles” similar to the Whoa Zone in Whiting, Indiana, which opened in 2017.
Plans forAqua X Zone came to light over the Memorial Day weekend, when permit requests filed in mid- May— with the Army Corps of Engineers and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources— began to circulate online.
The prospect of bouncing, splashing, sliding and swinging on a waterborne playground had some residents thrilled, but the Park District quickly burst that bubble, at least in the near term.
“Effective immediately, and going forward, the Park District will no longer consider an inflatable water park at Montrose Beach,” Raffi Sarrafian, chief administrative officer of the Park District, said in response to public feedback.
The Park District’s decision has birders and naturalists breathing a sigh of relief just as they were beginning to marshal forces against the water park.
Montrose Beach is home to a bird sanctuary and dunes that are a premier natural site, said Jill Niland, co- chairwoman of the Chicago Ornithological Society’s conservation committee.
Niland said she and other park advocates aren’t playing killjoy in wanting to manage the amount of activity atMontrose.
“There’s just so much commercialization and use one small area can take,” she said.
People seeking more passive recreation, like simply taking a walk, are being crowded out, she said. “It’s so hard to get in and out of Montrose,” Niland said. “Our lakefront is good for something besides entertainment.”
Others are concerned about the lack of public process surrounding the water park proposal. Ald. James Cappleman, whose 46thWard includes Montrose Beach, tweeted that he heard of the plan at the same time as his constituents.
The timing left organizations scrambling to assess the proposal and develop a response. Juanita Irizarry, executive director of Friends of the Parks, said she returned to her office after the long holidayweekend to a flood of voice messages and emails from people “freaking out” over news of thewater park.
“[ The Park District] certainly did not mention this to us,” said Irizarry, noting that Friends of the Parks and the Park District meet monthly. “Unfortunately what seems to be the normal process is to try to do things as quickly as possible under the radar.”
“The proposal can be considered in the future at any Chicago area beach. Should this be submitted again, the Chicago Park District would solicit community input, as is customary,” said Jessica Maxey- Faulkner, director of Communications for the ChicagoPark District.