Summer is back with a Splash

New and renovated aquatic parks across St. Charles County offer family fun and cool relief from sweltering heat

The time is upon us. Sunglasses, flip-flops and sunscreen are soon to become week-toweek staples.

By Brett Auten

Area residents and visitors can now test drive a new water park and some of their old favorites revamped for the opening weekend.

St. Peters is prepped and ready to unveil The Cove. Located next to Rec-Plex South at 5270 Mexico Rd., The Cove at St. Peters is a new type of outdoor aquatics park. It has been two years since The Cove, the result of the passing of Prop Q and the first-ever “water park style” outside aquatic facility in St. Peters, broke ground.

“The warm weather already has everyone getting that summer feeling, and if it continues, it should make for a great opening weekend,” Brian Bacyinski, Recreation Superintendent for the city of St. Peters, said. “The people are excited to see what they voted for and what they are going to get. I feel like we are going to give them something to be proud of.”

Catching everyone’s eye will be the waterslides where those of all ages and are at least 48 inches tall can take a trip down two intertwining waterslides that start from a 21-foot high platform. One is a 175-foot long open flume body slide and the other a faster 120- foot closed body slide.

Bacyinski believes that the 3,200-squarefoot Activity/Sports Pool will help separate The Cove from other water respites. The Activity/Sports Pool is versatile with its basketball hoops and is ideally suited for water volleyball and basketball but can also be used for aqua aerobics, water walking, lap swimming and rentals.

The Cove features an 8,000-square-foot leisure pool with a wide zero-entry beach that has shade structures on each corner. The leisure pool has an elevated play structure with steps and multiple water features including a dumping bucket and a slide from a high platform. The rest of the leisure area includes underwater benches and peninsula barriers that separate activities from more relaxing areas for parents and families.

“It is going to be fun and exciting but not big and crazy,” Bacyinski said. “We may not be able – nor do we want to – compete with all of the water slide parks. We feel we offer something for everyone.”

For more information on The Cove, including how to rent out party pavilions, visit www.stpetersmo.net.

In other summer splash news, there will be a celebration for the new Wapelhorst and Blanchette Aquatic facilities.

The city of St. Charles Parks & Recreation Department is having a dedication celebration and official ribbon cutting for the new

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