CHESAPEAKE BEACH, Md. – The Town Council of the Town of Chesapeake Beach announces the upcoming review of concept plans for improvements to the Chesapeake Beach Water Park at the September 10, 2024, Town Council Work Session.
The concepts, that are developed with input from a third-party geotechnical analysis, aim to make the necessary improvements to the twenty-nine-year-old Park, while accounting for the site and subbase conditions that have led to increased infrastructure failures and continued degradation.
To complete the analysis, engineers completed several eighty-foot borings to test the existing subbase and subsoil conditions under the park. As a result of this examination, the findings conclude that attempting to repair the existing park as is would be “futile, dangerous and only continue to contribute to the park’s subbase degradation.” Therefore, replacing the park to include demolition of existing features with reinforcement to stabilize the subbase is required as the conditions are “no longer conducive to repair and have become a confined space hazard.” Confined spaces present many hazards, including loss of life through physical conditions that can cause workers to be crushed, buried, drown or asphyxiated. To view the full letter from the Town Engineer summarizing the conditions, please click here.
The results of the third-party engineering analysis confirm the conditions the Town’s Public Works Administrator and Public Works staff have increasingly experienced in their work to maintain the Water Park, as conveyed in several Town meetings. The conditions are a result of a design that is oversized for the infrastructure required to support its operation due to being constructed in a drained and filled wetland.
“We have learned from the known site conditions and look forward to a new and improved Water Park that is not only safe for the public but also safe for Town staff to access and maintain,” stated Jay Berry, Town of Chesapeake Beach Public Works Administrator.
The Town Council work session will start at 6 PM at the Chesapeake Beach Town Hall on September 10, 2024, and will be live-streamed on the Town’s channel here. During the meeting, the concept plans will be viewable to the public. Plans incorporate Town citizen feedback, offering three scenarios with varying features, including slides, a lazy river, pools, and an interactive splash pad. The Town will seek Town citizen feedback in moving forward with a concept that meets their needs. To view quick facts previously released about the status of the Water Park, please click here.
