FunCity Adventure Park in Wichita voluntarily closes after permitting issue

Just two weeks after opening, FunCity Adventure Park voluntarily closed over Memorial Day weekend.

According to the Kansas Department of Labor, the issue was that the indoor playground, one of several FunCity locations across the United States, did not have the required permits.

To operate amusement rides, such as trampoline courts, inflatables and more — all of which Wichita’s FunCity has — operators are required to obtain amusement ride permits from KDOL.

According to Becky Shaffer, communications director at KDOL, FunCity did not have all the necessary permits upon opening.

“The Industrial and Health Division of the KDOL informed them of this and instructed them to engage a third-party vendor to conduct the necessary inspections,” Shaffer said via email.

Upon the inspection, FunCity received a report highlighting what it needed to correct, the department said. The location, near 21st and Woodlawn, voluntarily closed over Memorial Day weekend.

Shaffer said that once the corrections are made, the KDOL will be able to issue the permit necessary for it to reopen.

When asked about the building’s temporary closure on Tuesday, an employee at FunCity said the indoor park is closed for construction but declined to elaborate, saying “I can’t give you that information.”

When asked why, the employee said, “There’s not really a reason. I mean, I just don’t think we need to provide that information for you.”

In a follow-up call on Thursday, another FunCity employee did not offer any more information about the temporary closure or when the location would reopen.

This situation follows another abrupt FunCity location’s closure in Algonquin, Illinois. The location closed two weeks after opening upon the Illinois Department of Labor finding multiple violations, such as “unsafe equipment and construction,” according to Shaw Local.

The Algonquin location remains closed.

This story was originally published May 30, 2024 at 2:01 PM.