Southeast Michigan waterpark preparing to reopen, seeking new hires
Owners of the long-shuttered water park say they're ready to get back to business once staff is in place and inspections are done. The owners of Splash Universe, a former indoor water park in Dundee, Michigan, are preparing to reopen once staff is in place and inspections are completed. The water park has faced challenges over the years, including a tornado incident in 2010 and a pandemic outbreak in 2020. Brothers Jacob and Joseph Garmo purchased the property and plan to reopen in 2022. Despite challenges and closures, there is still plenty of interest in the community. Aquatics manager Allen Longnecker said the work of the brothers is being done and the public is eager to see the park reopen.
Published : 4 weeks ago by Josh Love in
Owners of the long-shuttered water park say they're ready to get back to business once staff is in place and inspections are done.
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DUNDEE, Mich. — The signs have stood the test of time. Visible from U.S. 23 in Dundee, Splash Universe has sat off the highway for many years. Despite facing challenges and closures, the indoor water park is seeking to enter a new era.
Although many families have fond memories of the indoor water park, it has faced challenges over the years. Eleven people were injured at the property when a tornado also ripped the roof off an adjoining hotel in June 2010. It reopened the following year. Then, Splash Universe shut down as the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020.
Brothers Jacob and Joseph Garmo purchased the property and got to work, with plans to reopen in 2022.
"Anytime I've been in Monroe or Ann Arbor and I bring up anything with Splash Universe, everybody just gets extremely excited," Joseph Garmo said.
"They redid the underground water system. The roof got torn off so they had to redo the roof," aquatics manager Allen Longnecker said. "It's a lot of maintenance stuff. Most of this place has been replaced."
"I know they've put a lot of hard work and money into it so they're just as excited if not more," he said. "We're all really happy we're finally getting somewhere with it."
There's still no final date to reopen, but the community continues to express interest. Longnecker said the phones are ringing non-stop, with people asking when the water park will be back in business.
"It's fluid. Will all the inspections and hiring, obviously that's another road bump we're trying to climb," Longnecker said.
But there is plenty of excitement. Splash Universe holds a special place in the northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan community and its staff.
"For me, personally, I worked here when I was 16, 17," Longnecker said. "For me to come back and see it open is amazing."
"We're working on it, we're trying to," Longnecker said. "We're putting a lot of work and it's better and more vibrant than it was back then."