A child using one of the slides at Kinsmen Water Park. (file photo/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Splashy statistic

Busy summer at Kinsmen Water Park

Oct 8, 2019 | 5:03 PM

Despite an unseasonably cold and rainy summer, Kinsmen Water Park’s latest season was the busiest it’s seen in six years, with 30,098 visits registered from June to August.

The high attendance is being attributed to this summer being the first one since 2013 where at least one part of the park wasn’t under construction or closed.

In 2014 the water slides had to be repaired due to safety concerns, and last July marked the end of a nearly $1.2 million overhaul, which focused on the main pool. Kinsmen also benefited from some of the so-called “Husky apology money,” which was used to build a new splash park.

“A lot of good work has went into the water park,” recreation coordinator, Curtis Olsen told paNOW. “So this summer I think we got to see the benefits of all that work to where everything was operating and I think people were taking full advantage of that.”

To deal with a spike in attendance experienced in 2018 after the newly renovated pool opened, this past summer the water park created a second terminal to decrease wait times at the entrance.

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2019 also saw fees at the park increase 10 per cent, bringing adult admission to $11, while youth and seniors get in for $6.50, and a family with two adults and three children can enter for $22.

The city says fees were increased to offset costs associated with the new pool and wage increases for aquatic staff.

Director of Community Services Jody Boulet said his department has been careful to balance costs, as to not set prices too high.

“This year really speaks to the volume that goes through the water park when you get a good year and all the different components operating properly,” he said during Monday’s council meeting. “We want to continue to maximize that attendance.”

On Saturday, July 13, one of 2019’s busiest days, nearly 800 people visited the aquatic complex as the temperature in Prince Albert climbed to 27 C.

Olsen estimated that if there are more hot sunny days next summer, the aquatic complex could see an even higher seasonal attendance.

“Weather plays a big factor in it, but I think too though when the weather isn’t great, people don’t go to the lakes and stuff so they do take advantage of the water park. You can look at both sides of it,” he said.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom