Water park projects in Henderson, Summerlin remain on track, developers say
As summer approaches and temperatures rise, tourists and locals are starting to look for ways to cool off. Pools have begun to open, but what about two water parks that developers announced last year?
They aren’t in operation yet, but if all goes as planned, both should be open by next spring.
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Shawn Hassett, developer of a 22-acre water park at Galleria Drive and Gibson Road in Henderson, said he has secured financing for the project, plans to close on the property in July and expects to break ground in August.
“We’ve been meeting with slide manufacturers, visiting other parks, talking with industry experts, jumping through all the hoops,” Hassett said. “Things are moving forward.”
Hassett declined to put a price tag on the project but said it would feature 20 water slides, a lazy river, a wave pool, restaurants and cabanas.
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Across town, plans for Splash Canyon in Summerlin also are moving along swimmingly.
Construction is set to resume in May, and season passes for 2013 should go on sale in late summer or fall, said Nancy Katz, spokeswoman for the project.
The $20 million, 25-acre water park was supposed to open for Memorial Day 2012 but got pushed back a year so developers could add amenities to the project. The park will feature 20 slides, a wave pool, lazy river, water playground and toddler pool, as well as a seven-story speed slide and head-first mat racer. The venue is being built by Roger Bulloch and SPB Partners.
Locals and tourists have long bemoaned that Las Vegas has no full-scale water park. Wet ’n Wild shut down in 2004 after nearly 20 years in operation along the Strip near the now-defunct Sahara. Although developers have floated proposals for a replacement, no projects have come to fruition.
Most notably, in 2006, a former Disney and Universal Studios executive announced plans for Las Vegas Wet, a $10 billion combination indoor water park, ski slope, casino and hotel. It was supposed to open on Las Vegas Boulevard south of Interstate 215, but the idea burst along with the economy.
Now operators of the proposed Summerlin and Henderson water parks insist their projects will become realities and say they welcome the healthy competition two venues will bring.
“We have no doubt our economy can support two water parks, especially when they are on opposite sides of town,” Hassett said. “Other communities of our size have multiple water parks, and we are an extremely hot climate with limited things to do
for families.”
for families.”
