Owensville’s Board of Alderman on Monday reviewed Winter Water Park’s modified operations plan and made amendments expanding daily attendance limits to a 33-percent occupancy rate.

Effective Tuesday, the swimmer occupancy increases from 94 at a time to 124 until June 30 when another review could be made.

Winter Water Park will also now be open to all members of the general public. The facility will no longer be restricted to Gasconade County residents and residents of the Gasconade R-2 School District.

Angela Lairmore, parks and recreation director for the city, told aldermen on Monday the facility had turned away at least 26 families comprising 78 individuals in the first 10 days of operations since this season. And, worse, they had not met their 95-person threshold once in those 10 days.

Also approved was a lessening of the restrictions on supervision for day care children. Aldermen agreed to allow the water park to allow day care children in as long as their care providers “adhere to state mandated supervisor to children ratio” and not the more stringent policy previously announced. The state requires a supervisor for every eight to 10 children and the pool policy was lowered to three due to the pandemic virus threat.

And, the toddler swings will be hung in the zero-depth area of the facility. Those had previously been removed.

“You all are going to make a lot of people happy,” Lairmore told aldermen after the approval of a motion loosening restrictions on the residency requirements, allowing the higher attendance rate, and reduced supervisory requirements for child care facilities bringing their children to the pool.

Lairmore said the facility will continue to promote social distancing policies, noting this worked well for the areas around the pool. “It will be encouraged,” said Dana Hampton, chair of the city’s Parks Commission.

Lairmore said she expects water park staff to continue their practice of sanitizing “touch points” around the facility every 15 minutes as part of their normal routine. The increase in daily attendance numbers was originally not supposed to go into effect until a target date of July 1.

“While visiting the facility, it is imperative that guests continue to practice proper social distancing with a minimum of 6 feet from other persons at all times, practice good hygiene and do not use facility if not feeling well or exhibiting symptoms,” Lairmore stated in a press release.