Wet 'n Wild waterpark should be demolished, says mayor
Rural Municipality of St. Andrews to meet with park's current owner next month
The Wet 'n Wild waterpark near Lockport, Man., was once a big family attraction in the 1980s, but the long-closed attraction has become a hazardous eyesore that the area's mayor wants torn down.
The park has been vacant for a decade and the waterslides have fallen into disrepair, prompting safety concerns.
George Pike, mayor of the Rural Municipality of St. Andrews, says he's worried about what could happen to anyone who tries to get on the slides today.
"There's steel involved and there are areas that are broken and missing and that, so yeah, there is a problem with it structurally," Pike told CBC News on Wednesday.
"But for an engineer to come in and study it for the safety, is it going to collapse? We haven't gotten to that point yet."
He added that the fence that surrounds the property is broken in some places, which would make it easier for children and others to get inside.
The property, which stretches from Highway 9 to the Lockport bridge, is currently owned by a numbered company based in British Columbia.
Pike said the municipality will meet with the owner next month to discuss the possibility of demolition.
Check out this YouTube video of a Wet 'N Wild commercial from the park's heyday, back in 1987:
- ON MOBILE? Watch the video here.