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Lee's Summit officials admit some fault after canceling pool party at Summit Waves; apologize to family

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Posted at 5:52 PM, Aug 09, 2022
and last updated 2022-08-09 18:52:50-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After an investigation looking into why a Black family's pool party was canceled at the Summit Waves Water Park in Lee's Summit, city officials admitted some fault in the incident.

In a press release, Joe Snook, administrator, Parks and Recreation, said a "sincere apology" is owed to the Evans Family, who rented the park out.

Snook also said that through a review, there were missed processes and miscommunication that led to the cancellation.

READ: City's preliminary review of Summit Waves incident

In a press release, Snook said that staff became aware of a social media post last week advertising an event dubbed "Splash Blast 2."

The event was set to happen from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 6.

In a rental agreement booked on July 8, it stated that there would be 250 attendees.

The agreement also said that the event could not be advertised on social media and fees would be charged to attend the event.

It also stated that 10 to 15 chaperones would be in attendance and security from the Lee's Summit Police Department or Jackson County Sheriff's Office is required. Though the Evans, as renters, were required to pay for the security, the security itself would be arranged by Parks and Recreation staff.

Snook said that staff from Summit Waves attempted to make contact with the Evans family beginning the morning of Aug. 5.

On the day the party was canceled, staff called the family two additional times and didn't make contact.

Therefore, at 5 p.m., staff decided to cancel the party.

Summit Waves did get a phone call at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 6 and were notified of the cancellation and that they'd get a full refund.

On Tuesday, at a press conference, the Evans family said they believed the cancellation was a result of racial profiling and discrimination.