ERIE COUNTY — Workers have begun demolishing a portion of Maui Sands, a former indoor waterpark in Erie County, and local officials are excited to get the property cleaned up after a few years of being condemned.
The indoor water park and hotel in Perkins Township first opened in 2008 and, since then, has seen its fair share of issues.
“Maui Sands had a bad reputation for a long time. Starting with bed bugs, squatters and now the graffiti all over the building,” said resident Rebi Fuerst.
Erie County’s land revitalization director, Ellen Schrig, believes the issues stem from the multiple changes of property ownership and the original owners opening the hotel before it was fully completed.
“I think some of that maintenance kind of fell by the wayside, and when it was purchased by the current owner there was water damage in the property which ultimately is why it was deemed unsafe by the Health Department,” said Schrig.
Maui Sands was in a notable location just North of Ohio 2 and U.S. 250, but it never reached its full potential in the 11 years it was open.
In 2019, Maui Sands was condemned, leading Perkins Township to place a demolition order on the property.
“We wanted to make sure we protected taxpayers’ dollars and ensure that the property would be demolished and redeveloped in the future.
The land bank was able to get a $500,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Development for the demolition project. This helped move forward on their revitalization plans to turn the property into a new hotel and entertainment space for locals and tourists to enjoy.
“The East and West side of the building is going to be gone, the four-story hotel and the water park is going to stay. They're going to remodel the hotel, and then the water park will be redeveloped into an entertainment space. It's a growing county, and we want to look to [the] future and current. This is new hotel will bring in jobs and will be very valuable to the area in a time like this,” said Schrig.
Although many people are excited for the future of the property, Schrig acknowledged that the plan to knock down just a portion of the structure has been questioned by residents.
“We have gotten mixed reviews; people say, 'It needs to all come down' or 'Why are they keeping part of it? Why don't you turn it into this or that?' And my response to that is we wouldn't have strategically partnered this way if we did not feel that it was going to be a benefit to Erie County and the residents here,” said Schrig.
Schrig said the new project will offer another avenue for hotel and entertainment space in the area.
“We have a lot here, but they want to bring something different that will hopefully bring a whole new slew of tourists and give residents something fun to do on the weekends,” said Schrig.
Schrig said the project will not be all state-funded, and in total, it will cost around $720,000. Meaning the property owner will have to pay the remainder $220,000.
Schrig said their goal is for the project to be completed by July of 2027.
“I've lived in Erie County my whole life, and now I get to be on the other side and get to put back into it, it's exciting,” said Schrig.
