About 15 state, county and town officials toured the closed Seven Peaks Water Park Duneland on Wednesday to assess what remains to be done before the park can reopen.
"The immediate goal is to get the park back open," said Bill Helton, chief executive officer of Green Frog Environmental LLC, the firm hired by Seven Peaks' corporate office in Provo, Utah, to correct the problems at the park, adding company officials hope to reopen within the week.
The Porter County Health Department shut the park down last month after several reports of chemical burns from the chlorine in the park's children area, as well as breathing problems and two instances of broken bones when children were thrown from rides.
County officials said then the park did not have a state-mandated inspection by the health department before it opened on June 15 and lacked the required records for water testing, among other issues.
Helton led the tour, which included representatives from the Indiana State Department of Health, the Office of State Chemist and Seed Commissioner, the county health department, and the town of Porter.
The first stop was the park's west pump house, which contains the chemicals and controls for the splash pad and slides in the children's area, as well as a large slide called the Vortex.
In the weeks since the health department shut down the water park, Helton said the filters and chemical systems throughout the park have been rebuilt, and employees are physically testing the chemicals in the water as a backup. Officials have said an equipment failure caused too much chlorine to be released in the children's area, causing the chemical burns.
"There's no chance of anyone being injured," he said.
He brought the officials together for the tour, he said, so they could help him assess what's been accomplished and what is left to do before the park can be found in compliance.
"If I can get all the information I need, I can get the input I need to open this park safely," he said.
Kelly Cadwell, director of environmental health for the county health department, went over critical and non-critical improvements Helton will have to make for the park to reopen.
Because of the significant safety issues at the park that caused injuries, "we can't be flexible. There are safety components that absolutely have to be addressed," she said.
Seven Peaks took over ownership of the park, formerly known as Splashdown Dunes, at 1275 N. Waverly Road in Porter, a few years ago. Cadwell said having the other agencies on the tour was helpful for her department as well because they have expertise beyond the scope of the local health department.
"(Seven Peaks staff) have been very open and very helpful and I believe they have a sincere sentiment to get the park going," she said. "They want it safe and we want it safe."
Michael Barry, building commissioner for the town of Porter, said his department handles permits for new construction and business licenses, but he wanted to go on the tour to see what the park had left to do before it could open its gates to the public again.
Going forward, he will ask the park for copies of its permits from the county health department to prevent the problems the park saw this year.
He plans to come out next year before the park starts the season "so I know when they open they have all the proper permits in place and this never happens again," he said. "It's people I know who got hurt. I don't want to see that happen again."