The consulting firm whose founding client was Walt Disney also believes the site is a “strong location” for family-style entertainment centers such as Scandia Family Fun Center or Boomers! with a mixture of miniature golf, laser tag, and arcade games and a variety of amusement ride.
Under the proposals outlined by the consulting firm of AECOM Manteca could own and operate the complex itself or lease the management of the aquatic center and park to a third party much like the arrangement with Big League Dreams.
The City Council Tuesday night approved from its ranks the appointment of Vince Hernandez and Steve DeBrum to a committee to work with staff and AFK Development to develop immediate- and long-term development of for the proposed site. AKF has been retained by the council to market the project. Ultimately, they will be paid by the developer who cements a deal with the city. AECOM’s study was paid for with $27,700 in redevelopment agency funds.
Already a number of firms have been in contact with AKF with one already making a preliminary proposal to invest $2 million up front to build a water park with the goal of hiring 150 workers.
No specific costs have been attached to any of the four development options that AECOM’s economic analysis believes are feasible. A 14-acre water park dubbed Hawaiian Falls that opened next to the Big League Dreams complex in Mansfield, Texas, cost $10 million to build in 2008. It includes 14 water slides, a lazy river, a football-sized wave pool, children’s activity area, and an interactive water tree house among other attractions.
The Manteca BLD complex was built using just over $28 million in RDA funds on city-owned land. The city owns the complex and leased it to BLD to operate and maintain for 35 years. The city shares a set percentage of the overall revenue plus receives payments specifically for the upgrading to artificial turf plus the indoor soccer arena.
•a regional water park similar to Raging Waters with an integrated, themed hotel along with a meeting and banquet facility within the hotel. The consultant believe this would have a difficult time due to the nature of the greater Manteca area being more residential and day driven visitors as opposed to a traditional tourist destination.
•a regional water park, with a standalone hotel complete with meeting and banquet facilities. The consultants believe this has a somewhat better chance of flying financially
•a regional standalone water park with no hotel and no meeting and banquet facilities. The biggest problem, according to the study, is that it may be difficult to secure a water park developer given the number of such water parks in the region.
However, that appears to fly in the face of the reaction that AKF has been receiving from interested firms tried into water parks that are lured by Bass Pro Shops’ 2.7 million annual visitors and more than 400,000 in attendance at the BLD complex as well as the premiere location on the 120 Bypass.
The aquatic center and water park hybrid also dovetails into preliminary discussions that have been conducted years ago about the amenities that Manteca needs for recreation. An aquatic center has surfaced repeatedly on such lists and has been championed by Hernandez. Under the proposal being advanced, it could be built with RDA money and not impact growth fees or the general fund.
The consulting firm noted the aquatic center could be used for competition employing an Olympic-sized pool and could also be used for swim classes and other water activities.
Manteca currently has the Lincoln Pool as its only public aquatic facility.
The old Manteca Waterslides located at Oakwood Lake Resort had 170,000 visitors in 2004. It was demolished to make room for a gated community.
Mayor Weatherford noted that the city continues to be associated today with the water slides that were the first of its kind in California and were a popular stop for tourists - many from foreign lands - who traveled from San Francisco to Yosemite.
Hernandez was tapped by the mayor for his experience in helping hammer down the BLD deal on a council subcommittee. DeBrum was elected due to his work on another council subcommittee that helped land the Bass Pro Shops deal.
Councilwoman Debby Moorhead had asked to serve on the subcommittee. She too spoke glowingly of the drawing power of water slides in connection with Manteca from her experience as Manteca Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer. She noted inquiries continue today about the waterslides that have been gone for more than five years.
The subcommittee will develop a master plan for the site so that initial uses are placed in such a manner that it could accommodate hotel and a conference center in the future.
The AECOM report noted:
•The primary residential market area of people within 30 minutes of travel time to the site was approximately 960,000 residents in 2009. That is expected to grow to a million by 2014.
•The secondary residential market people with a 30- to 60-minute travel time to the site was 2.6 million in 2009 with an estimated 2.8 million by 2014.
•The Greater Manteca Region comprised of Manteca, Stockton, Modesto, Tracy and adjacent cities receives 2.4 million overnight and pass-through visitors annually. That includes 1.5 million who are domestic overnight leisure visitors, 702,000 who are leisure pass through visitors via the Highway 120 Bypass, and 215,000 who are estimated to be overnight international leisure visitors.
