ROCK ISLAND, Illinois — Whitewater Junction in Rock Island has rolled out new hours about a week-and-a-half after opening in June for the first time this summer under new health guidelines mandated by the state.
From now on, the aquatics center will open for three sessions each day:
Capacity limits keep crowds down to just 150 guests. Whitewater Junction aquatics manager Ryan Ballard says it can reach close to 900 people at a time in a normal year.
"For some of the staff this seems very very slow. Every single day," Ballard said. "But it’s a very nice crowd. We get a lot of complements. There’s no wait for the slides, there’s no wait for the concessions. They’re in and out very quickly."
Not everyone got the memo about the new hours.
"We only got in here til 1:00, because we thought the times were like 12:00-2:30," said Amy Gibeau, who swimming with family members Wednesday afternoon. "They changed them but that’s OK. We get to come back," she said with a laugh.
To make a reservation, simply call the front desk ahead of time. The morning hours are typically the least busy part of the day.