MACON, Ga. — After more than a year of being closed, Sandy Beach Water Park is planning to have their grand opening on May 23 if the state allows them.
"I'm hopeful we'll be able to open up on time," Satterly said. We're going to be ready to open up on time no matter what happens, and if it gets pushed back a week or two, then we'll adapt."
Matt Satterly is president of StandGuard Aquatics Inc., the company that now manages the park. He and his team are so hopeful that they're moving along with plans on their grand opening and also are hiring employees.
Satterly says beginning Monday, they'll start selling daily passes and memberships for the season online.
When asked if he has safety concerns because of COVID-19, Satterly said he didn't.
"The pools, aquatics is sort of an enigma right now," Satterly said. "We have a pretty good grasp on how we need to operate."
The management company says they are putting in place COVID-19 precautions.
"We're going to do touch-less temperature tests for each person that comes through before they actually get to the entrance gate. We'll, obviously, have lines set up to keep people six feet apart," Satterly said.
Satterly added that they'll space out seating in the water park and add additional cabanas to keep space between families.
However, Rigby's Water Park in Warner Robins isn't making plans to reopen just yet.
"We're waiting and seeing what we'll be allowed to do. We're not going to make a plan because there's no way to make a plan. We won't have a couple hundred people come," said Steve Rigby. "We'll have a couple thousand people come. I mean, there's going to have to be some guidelines put in place for us to follow.
Satterly says they'll comply with state guidelines if they can't open on their planned reopening date. Whenever they're allowed to reopen, Satterly says he expects a big turnout.
"It's going to be a home run," Satterly said.
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