Issue link: https://alabamapower.uberflip.com/i/1181510
34 propulsion pumps. "It's been a real good thing for Fayette," says Chris Champion, who came on board in 2014 as assistant city athletic director. "Usually, less than 20 percent of the paying customers at the park will be from Fayette County. It's a bit of an anomaly that, more often than not, most of the people here will be from out of town." Champion's busiest day of the year is April 1, when he begins booking parties, which are $400 for a two-hour, after- hours run of the park. This year he booked 70 that first day, mostly church groups and birthday parties. Passersby on the highway can easily see the tall red, blue and yellow tubes that empty into the 8-foot-deep pool but visitors are equally attracted to the 10 large umbrellas providing shade over chairs and tables. They like that there are three large bathroom and changing houses. They appreciate that there are water devices and areas appropriate for every age around the zero-depth entry pool. Perhaps more important than the entertainment aspects is the city's commitment to safety. Certified lifeguards are scattered throughout the fenced waterpark. For many of the 100 lifeguards on staff, it's their first job. Food and drink aren't allowed into the waterpark: The concession stand has a large menu that includes hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, candy and drinks. Sales surpassed $100,000 this year and last, helping put a dent in the high operations and maintenance budget of the big facility. Anyone going down the slide tubes must be 48 inches tall or able to pass a swim test at the park. Children 2 and under are admitted free. Admission for seniors, military and nonswimmers is $7 per day. ALABAMA POWER OFFICE Fayette Business Office Manager Andrea Ellis has been with Alabama Power for 26 years but only in Fayette since August. She's covered Pickens County the past 11 years, and also manages the Reform Business Office. Ellis started her career in her hometown Childersburg Business Office as a customer service representative before moving to the Oak Grove Office when those facilities merged. In 2011 she moved to Western Division. "I love rural areas, probably because I was raised in one," she says. Ellis has two sons: Jamaury, 29, who is a manager for Cheesecake Factory corporate in Atlanta; and DeAndres, 23, a Power Delivery Distribution utility assistant intern at Waterpark slide tubes drop 35 feet into the Nancy Rutland Swimming Pool.