MERIDIAN, Idaho — Officials at the Roaring Springs waterpark and Wahooz Fun Center have announced the two Meridian entertainment facilities will open later this month.
“Roaring Springs is opening with authorization granted to waterparks in Stage 3 of the Governor Little’s Idaho Rebounds plan,” said Sales and Marketing Director Tiffany Quilici. “Wahooz will open its outdoor attractions, plus bowling on Monday, May 18 with authorization given in Stage 2. Wahooz indoor attractions are scheduled to open May 30th.” Roaring Springs will open at 11 a.m. May 30.
However, delays in the governor's stages could result in delays of opening the parks.
“Our management team has developed a comprehensive plan to keep our guests safe at Roaring Springs and Wahooz. We have shared our safety plan with officials at Central District Health, Idaho Health and Welfare and the Meridian Mayor's Office -- and they have given it their approval,” Quilici pointed out.
“Roaring Springs is one of the only aquatic facilities in the Treasure Valley with Ultraviolet Light on all our pools as an added layer of protection for our guests. We invested $350,000 in the spring of 2018 to install UV light on every drop of water that circulates through the waterpark. UV light works by disrupting the DNA or RNA of specific organisms, such as viruses, which in turn, kills or inactivates the virus completely,” Quilici explained. “The Centers for Disease Control states: ‘Proper operation, maintenance and disinfection (e.g. with chlorine and bromine) of pools and hot tubs should remove or deactivate the virus that causes COVID-19.’”
A waterpark is different than a public pool because riders are dispatched on slides that allow for social distancing. “(We will be) limiting the capacity to 50 percent in our Wave Pool, Endless River and Bearfoot Bay, as well as practicing social distancing and thorough disinfecting in queue lines, dining areas and throughout the waterpark,” she said.
Some of the other measures officials are taking include:
-Limiting capacity at Wahooz by taking online reservations for four-hour outdoor play sessions and 1.5 hour bowling sessions with social distancing and extra disinfection on all attractions and bowling lanes.
-Asking employees and guests with any symptoms of COVID-19 to stay home.
-Checking the temperatures of all guests and employees before they enter the parks using touch-free infrared thermometers. Any person with a fever at or above 100.3 degrees F be asked to return home until symptoms resolve.
-Placing alcohol-based hand-sanitizing stations throughout all areas of our parks.
-Requiring most employees to wear face masks (except lifeguards guarding pools) and guests will be recommended to do so. No face masks will be allowed in the water as a safety precaution.
-Where possible, employees will interact with guests from behind Plexiglass shields.
