“2019 (the last time the pools were operational) was a negative financial experience, with only two pools attracting only a limited audience,” Lakemont Partnership President Andrea Cohen stated in an email. “We hear/get limited inquiries from some Facebook followers, but most park guests have accepted the fact that the water park is not an option.”

Under the current format, which comprises a three-foot pool and a Treehouse wading and splash area, it’s also unlikely the complex will open next year, either — although the partnership has been trying to recruit a municipal, nonprofit or business partner that could bring it back, according to Cohen.

“We have explored a variety of revenue-share opportunities for independent attractions to add,” Cohen wrote. “None of the options researched have proven to be viable, but we continue to look for new ideas.”

Such a partner would be expected to provide money, staffing and public relations, she wrote.

The three-foot pool at Lakemont Park has been closed since the 2019 season. Lakemont Partnership President Andrea Cohen said a variety of options have been explored for recruiting a group to operate the water features. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Without that help, operating the three-foot pool and the Treehouse area wouldn’t be feasible, based on “an evaluation of expenses. … including supplies, maintenance, staffing, insurance, etc … (unless there were) a significant price increase … (that would) place us out of the competitive range of other local water attractions,” Cohen wrote.

The evaluation pricing included options that took into account the other attractions in the park, according to Cohen.

The price in 2019 for use of the three-foot pool and Treehouse pool alone was $6.95, Cohen said.

A third element of the complex, a water slide, has not operated since 2016, and would need to be repaired to pass inspection, according to a former park employee.

There are “complex obstacles” to removing or replacing the slide, including “demolition, accessibility to the island for heavy equipment and special permitting,” Cohen wrote.

The Treehouse splash pool at Lakemont Park, new in 2019, was only open for one season. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

In years past, the partnership has communicated to county officials that it planned to rehabilitate the water park, but the park lease includes no definitive obligation for doing that — in contrast to a specific requirement for maintenance of the historic Leap-The-Dips roller coaster, for example, said county solicitor Nathan Karn.

Plans for the water park were mentioned in “recitals” accompanying a lease amendment that allowed the partnership to keep the park closed in 2017 — and with an extension, 2018 — so it could transform the site from a paid-entry facility that emphasized rides to a free-entry facility that emphasized participatory attractions like batting cages and miniature golf, for which customers paid a la carte, according to Karn.

The issue of whether the partnership is responsible to make the water park operational is “nebulous,” Karn said.

It’s more a policy matter for the commissioners than a legal matter for him, Karn said.

“My concern personally now is that it’s kind of an eyesore for the community,” said Commissioner Laura Burke, the only one of the three commissioners who responded to a request for comment. “(It would) be nice to hear what their plan is, (and that they would) do something about it.”

The water slides at Lakemont Park have been closed since 2016 and would need to be repaired to pass inspection, according to a former park employee. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Burke is looking for such a plan based on the land for the park having been given to the county for public use at one point, she said.

A factor not mentioned by Cohen but likely to have contributed to the decision not to open the water park is the increasing difficulty of obtaining lifeguards, according to the former employee.

“You need to actively recruit,” the employee said. “You can’t wait for them to come to you.”

It’s helpful that the current configuration would only require “shallow-

water” certification, which is easier to obtain than standard pool certification, the employee said.

It’s unfortunate that the Treehouse feature, new in 2019, was only used for one season, the employee said.

Cohen emphasized what is still available, rather than what is not.

Batting cages and miniature golf opened this week, and are available from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Friday and from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, she wrote.

Grand opening for the rides will be May 6.

New in 2019, “monster” paddle boats will be operational on the lake this season, according to Cohen.

“We would like to focus on the positive,” she wrote.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.