The beloved Wave Waterpark in Vista needs millions of dollars in repairs and there are differing opinions on how to do that.
When it first opened in 1994, the city-owned waterpark was state-of-the-art. It was the first in the world to use a FlowRider to power its lazy river.
But 31 years later, it’s showing its age. There’s broken concrete on the walkway, rust on the support poles and leaks in the bathrooms and changing rooms.
“A lot of this facility is very, very old, and we have an opportunity to bring the public in and say we’re going to modernize it," Councilmember Corinna Contreras said. "It’s going to cost us this amount of money, let’s figure out how to do it.”
A recent analysis shows the waterpark needs around $3.5 million in repairs to bring it up to code. and another $15 million over the next 10 years to keep it safe and operational.
“Upgrades that we’re struggling to afford,” Mayor John Franklin said.
He suggested turning the park over to a private entity to run it and make it profitable. The waterpark has never made a profit.
“The goal is to bring someone who might have better business acumen than the city of Vista does to make sure that we lose as little as possible and hopefully turn a profit," Franklin said. "That profit would give us the ability to reinvest in the Wave and make it a great asset for years to come.”
He said this is not privatizing public amenities. Rather, the private entity would be a contractor the city hires to run the park.
The city council, however, rejected that idea at its last meeting.
“A private operator is not going to give the consideration to the public that the city of Vista is going to give to the public," Contreras said. "And we just know that that’s the way it is.”
She was the one who led the "no" vote.
Contreras said she'd rather see city staff, who are more familiar with the Wave, come up with ideas on ways to make the park profitable and to fund the repairs.
Those could include a phased approach to repairs and expanding amenities, such as a bar, and increasing operating days and hours. Currently, the park is only open during the summer months.
Contreras said the city could also host workshops to get feedback from residents.
The council will discuss the Wave's future at its June meeting. For now, staff are preparing the Wave for its May opening, including resurfacing the lazy river and replacing the pumps for the FlowRider.
The waterpark is hosting a hiring open house from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday to find seasonal workers.
