Just days after its long-awaited reopening, a Calgary mother claims her children were injured at the Prairie Winds water park.
Trina Pentony said she took her three daughters to the park on Aug. 22 and Aug. 23 to check out the facility and at first dismissed what she thought were minor scrapes and bruises.
“The kids were coming out of the pool and the kids had sores on their hands and feet,” Pentony explained. “We couldn’t really place what it was, because a lot of the kids were going to the playground with bare feet, too.”
But Pentony said after her second afternoon at the water park, she became more concerned.
“It looked like they touched an element or something,” Pentony said. “Their fingers were all bright, bright red and hot to the touch. Some of the kids had blisters on their toes.”
Pentony’s 10-year-old daughter Molly said she was playing with a friend in the water when she first realized she was hurt.
“The first thing I did was go to the lazy river with my friend Linc and we played dinosaurs and we came out and I noticed my toes were bleeding,” Molly said.
The pool and spray park first opened in 2017 after Prairie Winds Park underwent a major redevelopment, transforming the green space.
However, over the past year, the facility has faced ongoing issues.
Days after the splash park was opened to the public, it had to be closed due to several complaints from parents about scratches and cuts on their children’s feet. There were also concerns about the amount of chlorine in the water.
Then in June, a leaky pipe was discovered and once again, the park sat dormant until last week.
“We’ve been to many wading pools, outdoor parks, splash parks,” Pentony said. “What’s the difference between all these pools and Prairie Winds?”
City officials said Monday they had not received any other complaints besides Pentony’s since the water park reopened in August 2018.
“Note that the concrete pool basin is textured to prevent slips and falls,” wrote Kaila Lagran in an email to Global News.
“Some patrons may want to use water shoes or limit time in water to protect sensitive skin.”
The city also said it would provide the information on its Calgary.ca website and would put up signs offering safety tips.
The Prairie Winds pool and spray park is scheduled to stay open until Sept. 9, weather permitting.
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