SALT LAKE CITY — A community council has come up with several ideas for what should become of a now-abandoned water park in Salt Lake City's Glendale neighborhood.
The 17-acre site, established in 1979 as "Wild Wave" before becoming"Raging Waters" and, most recently, "Seven Peaks," is in a serious state of disrepair.
Seven Peaks' lease expired in 2018, and Blue Island Group negotiated to become the next operator. However, the company went into default in August 2019 after failing to maintain the site. It is now owned by the city.
Lack of upkeep combined with vandalism, stolen equipment and even a fire in one of the buildings have turned the once-popular park into an eyesore and a liability. The city has even hired 24/7 security to prevent trespassers from causing further damage or getting hurt.
SLC Government opened up for public input on what to do with the site a few months ago.
The Glendale Community Council then came up with five scenarios that they presented at a "community visioning event."
The scenarios were:
1) Remain a water park
- Restore and rebuild site
- Estimated $20 million or more
- Timeline could take several years due to level of disrepair
2) Water feature and open space
- Splash pad, public pool and/or other water feature
- Green open space for public use
3) Water feature and community space
- Water feature (same as #2)
- "Nostalgia-related" public art installations
- Food truck court, water sports rental area (in coordination with Jordan River), covered and uncovered gathering/seating areas
4) Water feature and recreation space
- Water feature (same as #2)
- Sports courts/fields
- Walking/running trail
- Accessible playgrounds
- Other recreation options
- Possibly also public art
5) Regional park connection
- Combine the site with Glendale Golf Course and 17th South River Park
- Become a "regional park" like Liberty/Sugarhouse parks
- Room for variety of amenities including trails, open spaces, water features, educational signage, meeting/seating areas
The participants in the visioning event then judged each option on four criteria:
- Good for children/families
- Economic/financial feasibility
- ADA/senior citizen accessibility
- Preservation of Glendale identity and site heritage
The responses are illustrated in this graph:
The Glendale Community Council will present its findings to the Salt Lake City Council and Mayor, who will discuss the future of the site.
Click here to view the full report from the Glendale Community Council, including more details on each option and how the participants responded to each one.
The city has also provided more than a dozen photos of the current state of the park. Click here to view a photo gallery.
