Amusement Today, February 2024

Expansion plans have been revealed for the Grand Junction Recreation Center in Grand Junction, Colorado. The new plans call for a center that is almost 20,000 square feet larger than originally proposed. The recreation center will include a lazy river, warm-water leisure pool, lap pool, water playground and warm-water therapy pool, among other attractions.

The recreation center has been decades in the making, starting with a local resident first proposing a center as part of a high school senior project in 2000. Fortunately, even after discovering how messy municipal government can be, Lucas Bullen was not deterred. After graduation, Bullen enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, but once he returned, he renewed his efforts.

After initially being rejected by city voters in 2019, the proposal for the facility proved successful in April 2023 by a 60 to 40 margin, calling for a city sales tax of 3.39 percent to fund the project.

The new center is expected to cost $70 million, which also covers the costs of road improvements and infrastructure. It is expected to be completed in 2025.

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The new football-themed water park under construction at Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio, has been given a name. In December, officials announced the indoor water park will be known as Gameday Bay, which was decided after a public voting campaign.

“The water park is being built with the latest state-of-the-art technology and will include sports-themed ‘zones’ as well as very large jumbotrons that will be within all views, placed so fans never are far from watching their favorite team,” according to a press release.

Plans are to have Gameday Bay open by the end of this year.

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In December, Barceló Mussanah Resort, opened a new 1,200-square-meter (13,000-square-foot) water park. Located in Muscat, the capital city of the Sultanate of Oman, it is said to be the first if its kind in the city. Although mostly designed for families with children, the park does include a 28-foot-tall slide tower with three slides. The park is divided into three zones with the kids area having an interactive water play structure with a tipping bucket, a children’s zone with the aforementioned slide tower, and a splash zone with gentle features for toddlers.

Adrian Brea Gonzalez, operations manager, said, “At Barceló Mussanah Resort, our commitment extends beyond providing exceptional guest experiences. The recent introduction of our waterpark is a testament to our dedication to delivering outstanding, family-friendly recreation for all valued guests.

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Sioux City, Iowa, could be home to a new water park. In December, the city council finalized the sale of land to local developers who want to build a new recreational water park called Siouxland Splash. According to the developers, the water park would have body slides, tube slides, a kids zone and multiple pools for all age groups. The local developers want to purchase 10 acres of a 42-acre parcel, with a 10-year option to purchase the rest of the land for possible expansion. Plans are to have the water park open for business in summer 2025.

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The residents of Chico, California, are all set to enjoy a new aquatic recreation center. The Chico Area Recreation and Park District (CARD) received a $6 million grant from the Land and Water Conservation Funds to further the development of what they say will be the first water park in Chico.

The park is to be built on land donated by billionaire philanthropist Ken Grossman, founder of the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.

Amenities planned for the aquatic center include a 50-meter competition pool, warm-up lap pool, beach-entry recreational pool, water slides, interactive water play structure, cabanas, bath house and more. The competition pool will have a deep end for diving and can accommodate a floating obstacle course when not used for lap swimming.

The CARD Aquatics & Recreation Center is slated for its grand opening in the fall of 2025.

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In March, voters in Searcy, Arkansas, will decide whether or not to go through with a $93 million master plan.

Searcy city council approved two ordinances to be placed on the ballot. One is for a 20-year, half-cent sales-and-use tax primarily for a new community center. The other issue up for vote would allow a $13.9 million bond to be taken and used on an outdoor aquatics center and improvements to Riverside Park. It would be paid for through the current advertising and promotion tax.

$10 million is allocated for an outdoor water park adjacent to the existing indoor swim center. The features listed include tower slides, a lazy river, diving boards, a zero-entry pool, and a shallow-entry play pool.

Coney Island sold, closed; music venue forthcoming

AT: Pam Sherborne

psherborne@amusementtoday.com

CINCINNATI, Ohio — An Ohio River icon has closed. Cincinnati, Ohio's Coney Island — and its popular Sunlite Pool — shuttered for good on December 31, 2023.

Even though there has been a local outcry from organizations like the Cincinnati Preservation Association as well as Cincinnati residents to save some of Coney Island's historical significance, the Music and Event Management Inc. (MEMI), a subsidiary of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO), which purchased the grounds in December, has not disclosed if or how they might do that.

What officials of MEMI have announced is that it intends to build a $118 million, cutting-edge music venue and entertainment campus on the Coney Island grounds. This new venue will be in addition to the neighboring Riverbend Music Center and PNC Pavillion concert venues which are also owned by the CSO.

The new venue will include state-of-the-art sound systems and lighting, adaptable seating arrangements, larger seating capacity, modern amenities and first-class VIP and patron spaces.

Coney Island has been operating since 1886 with its Sunlite Pool added in 1925. The park and the pool are iconic Cincinnati features. The pool is famous for its size, 200 feet by 400 feet. The Sunlite Water Park was created later.

Owners of Coney Island, located along the banks of the Ohio River, sold off all its amusement rides and attractions in 2019, but kept the water park operating and even added some new attractions over the last couple of years.

No specific reason for selling the property has been provided by the former park owners but a statement released said: "We have been proud to provide a place where so many wonderful memories were created for families. We thank the millions of patrons and employees from Cincinnati and surrounding neighborhoods. You made this a special place for all of us. But the time has come for this historic destination to offer new and different options for entertainment-seekers looking for fun and unique experiences."

Ronald Walker, a local Cincinnati businessman, purchased Coney Island in 1991.

The preservation association has encouraged the symphony to be creative and develop the site while leaving the pool and adjacent gardens intact.

The target opening date for the new venue is spring 2026.

The park said every season pass that was purchased for the 2024 season will be fully refunded and credit card purchases and payment plan payments will be credited to the card used to make the purchase.

Any purchases made with cash or gift cards will be refunded via check and mailed to the address of the pass holder.

Gift card holders were invited to an exclusive event last month to purchase Coney Island merchandise on sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. These items included Coney Island branded apparel, accessories, drinkware and more.

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