VISTA — The Vista City Council will be diving into talks about the future of the Wave Waterpark over the coming months after an initial analysis revealed the need for millions of dollars in repairs at the beloved aquatic center.
At its Feb. 11 meeting, the City Council reviewed the results of a study done by Aquatic Design Group. The study found that the 30-year-old waterpark in Vista Village needs around $3.5 million in repairs to bring it up to code, including the replacement of its mechanical and chemical systems.
This is in addition to the $150,000 needed annually for overhead and maintenance at the park.
Aquatic Design Group also recommended spending another $15 million in additional repairs over the next decade to keep the park safe and operational. This includes replacing the pool decks, which pose a slipping hazard, resurfacing the lap pool, replacing the water slides, and redoing the locker rooms and bathrooms—items that have been deferred for several years.
“What we found was, you’re going to need to continue to sink money into the waterpark if you want to keep it operational,” said Justin Caron, CEO of Aquatic Design Group.
The Wave opened in 1994 as the first municipal waterpark in the San Diego area and was the first in the world to use a FlowRider to power its lazy river. It draws tens of thousands of visitors each summer, mainly from Vista and Oceanside, and holds programming such as swim lessons and camps.
City Council members assured the public that they are not considering closing or selling the waterpark at this time. Instead, they talked about three main options for the Wave: repairing the park through a phased approach, repurposing the park with new amenities, or entering an agreement with a private operator.
While no concrete decisions were made, council members directed staff to proceed immediately with urgent repairs to the park’s chlorinator and chemical system. Leaders referenced an incident a few weeks ago in which chemical issues canceled a water polo tournament in the pool.
“I think that that’s going to be top priority for me right now, and the deck. I’m really concerned about safety,” said Councilmember Katie Melendez.
Mayor John Franklin wanted the council to move ahead with a request for proposals for a private operator to see who may be interested. He noted that he had spoken with someone from Pacifica Enterprises LLC, which operates Belmont Park in Mission Beach, who expressed interest in leasing the park and shared some great ideas.
“Sometimes you need a little help from the sharks to bring it to the next level,” Franklin said.
This was met with resistance from Melendez and council members Dan O’Donnell and Corinna Contreras, who either said they were wholly opposed to the idea or wanted more information before having staff draft an RFP.
Contreras said a private operator would almost certainly raise park entry costs.
“I just have to say absolutely no to a corporate takeover of the Wave. Just no way,” Contreras said.
Staff said they would return at a future council meeting with more information about the cost and timeline of specific repairs to give the council a better idea of how to proceed.
Facility needs, profit
The Wave is undergoing several repairs during the offseason, including resurfacing the lazy river, repairing bathroom leaks, and replacing the pumps on the FlowRider. The waterslide towers have also received repairs in recent years.
Most complaints about the facility are geared toward the locker rooms and restrooms, Caron said, noting that they are substandard and don’t accommodate families and transgender individuals as well as other aquatic facilities.
He added that the island in the center of the lazy river could also benefit from more shade structures and seating.
“The city has done an amazing job … unfortunately, we’re at a point where we just need a lot of capital investment to maintain the quality that your citizens expect,” Caron said.
Caron said the city can choose to be proactive in replacing items that are past their lifespan or maintain a reactive approach of fixing or replacing things once they become urgent.
However, he warned that unaddressed issues like rusting can eventually lead to structural failures, which are more expensive to fix.
City leaders also discussed how to make the Wave profitable, as it has continually operated at a deficit since it opened.
Contreras said she would like to see the park open to the public more often, making it more accessible and providing more employment opportunities. The park is fully closed from October to Memorial Day weekend.
Kyle Smethurst, an aquatics PE teacher at Vista Innovation and Design Academy, also suggested keeping the pool open throughout the year so that more children can learn to swim.
“At VIDA, I teach roughly 200 kids swimming each year. It amazes me every year and surprises me how few kids come into middle school with any sort of swimming experience,” Smethurst said. “I think that’s partially because we have half to a third as much water as each of our neighboring North County cites. If you look at San Marcos, Oceanside, Carlsbad, they each have two to three or more public pools available to them, whereas we have just the Wave.”
Community support
Several other community members also shared suggestions about improving the Wave, with a large showing from the local water polo community.
Water polo players, parents and coaches said the waterpark provides a crucial space for Vista High School and Rancho Buena Vista High School aquatics athletes to practice and play, especially with the lack of other pools in North County.
Many suggested that the city replace amenities such as the slides or lazy river with a 50-meter pool that meets CIF standards, allowing local teams to host swim meets and tournaments.
“By converting the Wave into a true aquatic center, we would give Vista High and Rancho Buena Vista athletes a proper facility to train and compete in, benefitting not just high schools teams, but also clubs, community members and future generations of athletes,” said VHS senior and water polo player Hayden Vasile.
Other residents said while they support athletic opportunities, they don’t want to see the slides and lazy river go away, as those amenities are a big draw for families and kids.
“I will admit, if those things went away, I don’t know that we would also be coming back with those younger kids, because that’s really what keeps them engaged,” said Vista resident Tarina Peterson.
Speakers also expressed concerns about bringing in a private operator, noting that it could reduce the community’s level of service and increase admission, lessons and camp costs.
Anna Potratz, who worked at the Wave in high school and college, said the current park management has made the Wave a valuable resource for the community due to its dedication to local youth, helping them learn to swim and training them to become lifeguards.
An outside company may not make that a priority, Potratz said.
“The amount of love and dedication and mentorship that they pour into that park every day is unlike [anything] I’ve seen in any other job that I’ve had,” she said. “I don’t think you should pass the buck to somebody else just because it’s getting a little expensive.”
Council members emphasized that bringing in more revenue will be crucial going forward.
“For 30 years, we’ve been operating at a loss, and yet you see the impact that it’s had on the community and the benefit that it brings in a multitude of facets, from just family gatherings to sports to swim lessons and all these different things,” O’Donnell said.
