We have received the following message from our friends with the Pulaski County Parks and Recreation Department and wanted to share it with our students and staff that enjoy Randolph Park so often.
Our Pulaski County Family saw something this evening that we never expected.
The Evelyn Alexander Waterpark facilities were discovered to be on fire around 4:30 PM this evening. Our Parks and Recreation staff were able to call 911 and vacate the building without incident.
We are incredibly grateful for our first responders, both within our community and from surrounding areas, who were quick to arrive and tackle this disaster with bravery and confidence. We are blessed to call you our friends and neighbors.
Our crews fought this aggressive fire for approximately 2 hours and unfortunately, were unable to salvage any of the building itself. The fire spread too quickly and aggressively. Our teams and investigators will lead our next steps in determining the origin of the fire and helping to secure the affected area in Randolph Park. We fully intend to resume all other park related activities as early as tomorrow.
Plans to rebuild will begin immediately but will take time with the goal of public pool access in 2024. We found ourselves talking about it this evening and how we can creatively meet the needs of our community in the interim. We have thousands of families who depend on Parks and Recreation and we take the privilege seriously.
Thank you for your overwhelming support for our department, Randolph Park, and our great community. We look forward to connecting with you again soon regarding next steps for Summer Programs and Activities.
Shay Dunnigan
Director of Parks and Recreation
Pulaski County