Lowell Treds Slowly Toward Splish-Splash Attraction

Plans for a $12 million water park on 17 acres in Lowell are on hold awaiting financing, but the city of Lowell hopes all will go well and the park gets under way soon.

David Schaffner, project engineer for Buildings Inc., compared the planned water park to White Water in Branson. But, he said, it will have “less concrete and more landscaping.”

The Ozark Adventure Water Park, a name proposed for the park planned in Lowell, won’t be as crowded with features as White Water, Schaffner said. White Water has about 11 acres of property. The park proposed in Lowell would have 17 acres.

White Water attracts about 275,000 people per season, said Martha Bohner, a spokesperson for Silver Dollar City Attractions in Branson, Mo. The park estimates that 25,000 of its annual visitors (9.1 percent) come from the Northwest Arkansas area.

Carlos Treat, vice president of Buildings Inc. of Springdale, said his firm is collaborating with The Pinnacle Group on the project, but he’s not sure when or if the venture will proceed. Financing is still being pursued.

The Pinnacle Group is led by entrepreneurs J.B. Hunt, Tim Graham, Bill Schwyhart and Robert Thornton.

“We did what we needed to do to get to that point, and we won’t do anything else until we sign the note at the bank, if that happens,” Treat said.

Phil Swope, Lowell’s city engineer, said the project has been through much of the city’s planning process already and needs only the final approval from the Lowell Planning Commission before it can proceed.

“We’re very excited and we think it will bring in some good traffic,” Swope said. “We hope that other business will feed off it. It will spark some growth, spark some retail-type growth.”

The city has heard “some rumblings” about a few restaurants interested in locating near the interstate exit where the water park is planned, Swope said. A Ramada Inn is already in the works to the northeast of the Arkansas Highway 264 and Interstate 540 intersection. The water park is planned near the southwest corner.

The water project is planning to use an alternative sewer system, and providing water to the park will not be an issue, Swope said.

Much of the water features will be similar to Branson’s White Water. Schaffner explained that the proposed park will include an 18,000-SF wave pool, a slide complex with five slides, an 800-foot lazy river and a kiddie pool with all the amenities available.

The park will also have an administration building, a gift shop, a first-aid hut and a large concession stand. There will also be a number of refreshment kiosks scattered around the park.

Schaffner added that shade shelters, both permanent and canvas, will also be scattered around the water park.

Construction will include a parking lot for at least 500 vehicles.

“And, of course, there will be a lot of water features and landscaping,” Schaffner said.

Plans were to have the park open by spring, but delays could mean it won’t open until late summer, he said explaining it will take about seven months to build the park.

Admission costs for the 2004 season at White Water are $29 for a one-day adult pass, $24 for kids ages 4-11 and $13 for the “landlubber.” Admission costs haven’t been established yet for the proposed water park in Lowell.