Gurnee OKs KeyLime Cove fundraiser for police, fire

Gurnee’s police and fire departments will be among the recipients of a fundraising effort slated to start next month at KeyLime Cove Indoor Waterpark Resort.

Village board members Monday night gave KeyLime Cove permission to operate Spring Community Days from April 16 through June 12. Participants under the program will receive daily access to the Lost Paradise water park, which typically requires a hotel stay.

Mayor Kristina Kovarik said the police and fire departments each received $14,000 from last year’s Community Days. She said the village board vote on the event was necessary because the facility was allowed to be built with the stipulation there wouldn’t be daily water park business.

KeyLime Cove will sell a maximum of 5,000 tickets at $25 apiece to the fundraiser, with children 2 and younger free. That means a potential $125,000 may be raised for the Gunee police and fire departments along with United Way of Lake County.

In a letter to the village board and Mayor Kristina Kovarik, KeyLime Cove general manager Dale McFarland said the fundraiser will occur during “an inherent low-occupancy time frame for the hotel.”

“The purpose is to create ‘Ambassadors of the Resort’ in the local community by giving residents an entertainment experience at a great value, without having the purchase an overnight room,” McFarland said.

Community Days guests may use the park from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. from April 16 through June 12, except for Memorial Day weekend. Fundraiser tickets may be purchased by anyone.