Permit next in line for Sun-N-Fun

Health and safety inspections at Sun-N-Fun Lagoon resume today and may continue right up to the final hours before the water park is scheduled to open Wednesday afternoon, according to public health officials.

"They have an army of people working on all aspects of the facility," said Deb Millsap, spokeswoman for the Collier County Health Department. "It is very much a work in progress. The health department wants to help get it open. It is a big project but for basic safety we want it right."

Collier government officials are confident contractors can satisfy a check list of safety compliance requirements, such as installing rescue equipment, tightening loose hand rails and addressing drainage and filtration issues that were cited last week in inspection reports. All of the deficiencies must be fixed before the health department will issue an operating permit.

"It looks like it's a go," said Camden Smith, a spokeswoman for the county's Division of Public Services. She acknowledged the health department inspector may still be on-site Wednesday but said she is confident the permit will be issued.

Construction of the massive water park at North Collier Regional Park has been under way since November 2004 and encompasses three water slides, a lazy river, activity pool, family pool and more. One million gallons of water will circulate in the seven pools each day. The park is at 15000 Livingston Road, south of Immokalee Road.

Photo by Garrett Hubbard, Daily News // Buy this photo

Lifeguard Mike Granato, 18, tests out the new 3-meter diving board in the Lap and Diving Pool as part of the week-long lifeguard training at the Sun-N-Fun Lagoon in the North Collier Regional Park on Livingston Road in North Naples on Monday. The park was scheduled for re-inspection today to make the scheduled public opening at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

"At this present time, we still have assurance from the project contractors that all measures will be taken to satisfy health and safety issues," Ken Rech, the health department's director of environmental health and engineering, said in a statement Monday.

The water park is scheduled to have a grand opening Wednesday from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m., with free admission for Collier County residents who present identification.

Another grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Saturday at 9:30 a.m., with the water park opening at 10 a.m. The public will have to pay admission Saturday. That's the first full day for Sun-N-Lagoon's summer hours, which are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily until September.

Admission is $5.50 for children measuring less than 4 feet in height and $10 for all individuals 4 feet in height and beyond. Children who are 3 or younger are admitted for free.

The county last week canceled an open house scheduled for this past Sunday because final construction cleanup wasn't completed even though the pools were not going to be open for public use.

Earlier plans to use reclaimed water for landscape irrigation and for the pool decks were changed to using potable water after a sprinkler in the family pool's island overflowed, raising red flags for the health department. Reclaimed water is treated effluent that is frequently used on golf courses and road medians but is not purified for consumption.

The water park's food concession stand will not be open Wednesday because the kitchen hood did not pass a fire department inspection but a partial certificate of occupancy has been issued to allow people to use restrooms attached to the food concession building, Smith said.

If necessary, the county will hire a vendor to temporarily come in and sell food and drinks. Personal coolers are not permitted in the park.

Smith didn't have an estimate of how many people are expected for Wednesday's grand opening with its limited hours of operation.

"I think fewer people will come out for three hours," she said, adding that she expects the weekend to be much busier.

The pools will close when thunder and lightning begins, so not necessarily just when it begins raining. Anyone who paid admission within that same hour of the pools' closure will be issued a rain check valid for 30 days.

For more information, the Web site is www.collierparks.com .