Council says water park won’t reopen this year; engineers debate repair vs. rebuild as town readies assessments

Chesapeake Beach council members and staff discussed next steps for the town’s closed water park after the council received a geotechnical report and supporting documents. Staff said the study was written for a complete demolish-and-rebuild approach; the council signaled a preference to evaluate repair-and-reopen options and asked staff to pursue a staged assessment.

Wayne, the town’s plant engineer who reviewed the geotechnical work, told the council the Hillis Karnes report provides useful information for new construction but does not address how to proceed with a repair-and-reopen strategy. He said the study’s borings reached depths used for design guidance (the report referenced deeper materials at around 43 feet and deeper) and that additional geotechnical work may be required if the town pursues renovation rather than replacement.

Jay, the public-works lead, said the council’s stated will is to pursue repair where feasible and recommended starting targeted investigative work that would both inform design decisions and allow crews to fix a number of known accessibility and plumbing issues while they are on site. He told the council that limited initial expenditures — under the current mayoral spending threshold — would let crews make access improvements and correct defects found during inspections that would otherwise require re-entry later.

The mayor told the council staff had found state grant funding that could be used for water-park improvements if the work results in revenue generation, and council members discussed a $600,000 Department of General Services (DGS) line-item grant that is available for the park. Staff noted the grant is tied to state appropriations and said it would be prudent to use the money sooner rather than later.

Staff said borings for the reported study were conducted in June 2024 and the report was delivered to town staff in January 2025. The town’s engineering staff estimated roughly one to two months to produce an alternative assessment scoped specifically to repair-and-reopen; they said the park cannot be reopened this summer and that a target to reopen is roughly “a year from this spring,” language used by the mayor to describe the council’s timeline.

Council members and staff discussed the mayor’s current administrative spending limit, which is set at $10,000 per item. Staff said that under existing rules the mayor can authorize spending up to that threshold without separate council approval; larger procurements or contracts would require council action and formal procurement. Jay told the council he believes $10,000 is sufficient to initiate targeted investigative and access-improvement work that will both inform larger design choices and produce immediate safety/access benefits.

The council did not adopt a formal repair plan or vote on a capital contract at the meeting; staff said they will return with a scoped assessment, cost estimates and procurement recommendations. Council members asked staff to coordinate timelines so available state grant funds can be applied if projects are eligible.

Ending: Staff will complete a narrower assessment for repair-and-reopen options within weeks to months, provide cost estimates, and present procurement options to the council; the town is also monitoring a $600,000 DGS line item tied to water-park improvements.