SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — SplashDown Family Waterpark on I-90 in Spokane Valley will remain closed this summer season. This is the third year in a row that the water park will be closed, but this year's closure is not due to COVID-19 concerns.
The water park will not be able to open this summer due to several factors, including the lack of maintenance the park suffered after being closed for two years and the remaining owners' plans of selling the business after the main owner died in 2020.
The water park remained closed through 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. During that time, the owners of the water park asked the city of Spokane Valley to wave its lease payments as the park is located on public property leased by Spokane County. The Council accepted to waive the lease payment for those two years.
According to a City of Spokane Valley statement, the current lease requires SplashDown to pay the city of Spokane Valley $15,000 annually in three separate payments of $5,000 each through the summer. Other payments include a leasehold payment for leasing public property. The water park is also required to maintain certain premises liability coverage.
This year, the waterpark owners are again requesting amendments to the lease agreement similar to the previous two years to give them an opportunity to try to sell the business with the hope it can re-open in the future.
Currently, the owners of the waterpark are actively attempting to sell the business, which includes the slides and other personal property attachments on the property. To date, the attempts have been unsuccessful. If the water park sells, the city would seek a lease agreement with the new owner.
The proposed lease amendments for 2022 would allow the water park to remain closed for the 2022 summer season and waive lease payments for 2022. It would also waive the requirement for them to have premises liability insurance for this year.
In 2020, Washington Cities Insurance Authority (WCIA), the city’s liability provider, informed the city that the SplashDown facility could be covered by pool coverage so long as it remained closed, and appropriately signed with "No Trespassing” signs, which has been done.
The city will request that WCIA again provide this coverage if the council agrees to the amendments. If the council wants to consider these amendments, staff will bring this back next week for a motion consideration.
City staff is recommending that council approve the proposed amendments of waiving the waterpark lease payments for the 2022 lease agreement given the circumstances the waterpark is going through.
