Splash Station Destroyed By Vandals, Graffiti Rampant Everywhere: 10 Patch Photos

JOLIET, IL — The Joliet Park District shut down its outdoor Splash Station water park six years ago because it turned into a money pit. Nowadays, the Park District is trying to redevelop the entire 20-acre property by selling the land to the tune of $10.5 million.

However, while the Park District's price tag has not attracted a buyer just yet, the Splash Station property along Route 6 has attracted widespread vandalism and graffiti.

Currently, the property is a mess — and easily accessible, with giant holes in the fence and the front entrance gate wide open. Joliet Patch visited the property on Friday afternoon to capture several photos that are posted at the bottom of the story.

Joliet Park District Director Brad Staab told Patch on Friday that the park district is aware of the graffiti and vandalism, which has increased of late. He said the Park District has posted numerous no trespassing signs and locked the gates, only to have the vandals and trespassers return and destroy them.

Staab pointed out that the Park District is still trying to sell the 20-acre parcel, and that the parcel is not being targeted for a future outdoor water park. "We are still hoping to sell it as soon as possible," Staab said. "We've had interest, we just have not been able to close on a deal just yet."

Staab said the Joliet Park District strongly discourages people from trespassing on the property.

He urged area residents to "stay away from the Splash Station property. We've put up the signs, and they rip the sign downs. We had locked up the gates as well."

In March 2024, Joliet Patch reported that the Joliet Park District was using Coldwell Banker with hopes of completing a property sale in 2024. The property along the Route 6 corridor mostly consists of industrial and distribution centers.

Joliet's Splash Station opened in 2002 and closed in 2019.

"When the demographics of Route 6 began to quickly change in a short time, Splash Station saw a drastic decline in attendance, resulting in vast revenue loss for several years in a row," Joliet Park Board President Sue Gulas said in 2024. "As a park district, it is our job to provide activities and settings for residents to 'take time for fun,' concentrate on their health and wellness or just enjoy what the Joliet Park District has to offer to the community ... Not everything has to generate huge revenue, but we could not sustain a significant yearly loss either. As a board, we collectively agreed to move on from the water park. With the sale of Splash Station, we can look at options to better serve and reinvest into the community."

According to the commercial website LoopNet, Coldwell Banker's listing agents Nick Ferro and Keith Conroy are not willing to sell the land unless they get $10.5 million for the 20-acre parcel.