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Pasco is one step closer to having a water park.
The Pasco City Council unanimously approved a special permit for Bahama Bay Water Park at its Monday meeting.
Jim Hale, project director for Dynamic Waters, plans to open the 27-acre water park on Sandifur Parkway, west of the Broadmoor Square.
Bahama Bay will be open for Memorial Day 2012, Hale said. Construction will take a year and will hopefully start in spring 2011, he said.
"We are diligently working on it," he said.
Councilman Matt Watkins said he was excited to have a private company take on a project "that the community clearly wants."
Pasco, Richland and Kennewick have worked on plans for a regional public facility, such as an aquatic or performing arts center, for the last three years.
Watkins, who is chairman of the joint committee, said he doesn't think the Pasco water park, or the Kennewick one planned by Mike Hillman of Kennewick and Dave Schlotthauer of Pasco, will take an aquatic center off of the table.
Private businesses must make a profit, while public projects can adjust to community needs without the same limits, he said. But Bahama Bay may affect the features of an aquatic center.
Councilman Al Yenney said he thinks the city should address the need for a competition-sized indoor pool. Such a pool is not included in the Bahama Bay Water Park preliminary plan.
"This is a chance for us to step up to the plate," he said.
The Bahama Bay preliminary site plan includes a variety of slides, a wave pool, a surf-riding pool, go-carts and a family fun center.
The go-carts, family fun center, and a hotel with an attached indoor water park will be open year-round, Hale said.
Hale changed the original site plan to take into account suggestions made by the planning commission and the public last month. He moved the parking lot away from Sandifur Parkway to create a longer entrance to address concerns about backups on the road and changed the hotel design from cabanas to a business-like look.
The water park may be built in four phases, or completed in one, Hale said. Dynamic Waters is considering both options.
The company is working on financing, he said. It still needs to complete the architectural design prior to breaking ground.
Also Monday:
-- The council set facility fees based on a city resident and non-resident status, with non-residents paying more.
Residents will pay $35 to $50 for a half-day and $60 to $90 for a full-day to rent the shelters at Memorial, Chiawana, Kurtzman and Volunteer parks, depending on the shelter. Others would pay $52 to $75 for a half-day and $90 to $135 for a full day.
The city had previously set rates based on for-profit and nonprofit use, but with the increasing difficulty of achieving nonprofit status, staff recommended resident and non-resident prices.
The city also increased the electricity charge for softball field rentals to $12 per hour.
The fee increase brings the cost closer to the actual costs of turning the light on, said city manager Gary Crutchfield. The city was charging $7.50 an hour, while actual cost is closer to $12 to $13 per hour.
-- The council clarified the process for setting program fees in a 6-1 vote, with Councilman Tom Larsen dissenting.
The city manager or designee will approves fees for city programs. Staff will use the actual cost of the program, any benefits for the city subsidizing the program, what other local jurisdictions charge and market trends to determine the fees, Crutchfield said.
The council will continue to set facility fees.
-- Kristi Pihl: 582-1512; kpihl@tricityherald.com
