In its heyday in the 1980s and ?90s, Waterfall Park in Rodanthe was one of the busiest and happiest of places. It was filled with families enjoying all of the water-themed attractions, such as waterslides, go-carts, a free-fall tower, and swimming pool.
It was built by the Merjos family of Virginia Beach. The parents ? George and Ritsa ? lived in a very large house on the soundside of the property. He died several years ago and she lives in Virginia Beach. Most of the park?s business is conducted by their son Steve, who also lives in Virginia Beach.
Waterfall Park started its downward spiral when the bottom fell out of the U.S. economy in 2007. It fell on hard times, business fell off, land values plummeted.
The park had not been in operation for several years by the time Hurricane Irene hit in August of 2011 and it had begun looking rundown.
However, the epic storm surge off the Pamlico Sound with Irene did an incredible amount to damage to homes and businesses in the tri-villages, including Waterfall Park. While before, the park was rundown, it was now wrecked.
In the almost three years since the hurricane, the owners have not moved forward with either tearing down the park or selling it.
As time passed, the deterioration of the park continued. It was vandalized and graffiti started popping up everywhere. There are sharp edges on equipment and standing water.
The county started getting complaints from residents of the area and even from some visitors. The Island Free Press has over the years received quite a few comments on the condition of the park.
Last summer, an Eastern Carolina University professor surveyed Dare County residents on their attitudes toward the economy and the environment. Among the open-ended questions she asked was, ?What is the largest eyesore in the county??
The two most frequent responses from Hatteras islanders were the Wings stores and Waterfall Park.
Bobby Outten, the county manager and attorney, and planning director Donna Creef say the county has done what it can to get the place cleaned up and is working with the owners. The public health inspector is a regular visitor now.
?We can?t make it look pretty, but we can make it safe,? Outten says.
The owners have hired a lawyer and an engineer, and Creef says she and other officials are working with them now on exactly what on the county list of safety repairs the owners are willing to make.
?It?s not that I like to see the property like that,? Steve Merjos said last week. ?We don?t.?
He said he and his family built the largest park on the island, which over the years has contributed immeasurably to the economy. In return, he said, they have gotten very little consideration from the state or the county, especially after Hurricane Irene.
He said that after Irene he personally came to the island and hauled off 150 dump truckloads of debris ? at his own expense.
Whether or not the family rebuilds, he said, depends on many things. Chief among them is the replacement of the Bonner Bridge and the repair of the ?hotspots? on Highway 12. Without a reliable transportation corridor, he thinks, the park cannot be viable.
He added that they are also not willing to sell just now.
?It was worth a tremendous amount of money at one time,? he said of the park.
The people complaining, he said, are locals not visitors.
?Someone is trying to pick up the property for pennies on the dollar.
The Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Civic Association has made an offer on the property, which was turned down.
?We also won?t demolish something we might reopen,? he said.
Merjos said last week that he is planning to head to Hatteras soon to do some more cleanup work.
The county has given him a report on the property and what it wants to see done to protect public safety. And the two sides are negotiating.
Outten says he thinks the property will be cleaned up to the minimum level, just so ?the county has no legal recourse.?
?We?ll give them some time and then we?ll move on to the next level,? he added.
?Nobody in this situation is the bad guy,? Merjos said. ?It?s the circumstances?.The hurricane hit me harder than anyone in the state.?
He wishes to remind the county and all those who complain that, at one time, Waterfall Park brought one million visitors to the island.
?I was the Number 1 reason people crossed the bridge,? he says, ?not your lighthouse.?
