The Rotary Club hopes to have a waterpark in Willow Point Park by next summer after city council approved designs this week.
The company hired to design the waterpark presented council with conceptual designs for a spray park at Tuesday’s council meeting.
Marylou Wilmot, of Rectec Industries, said the plan is to divide the waterpark into three sections – one for families, one for teens and one aimed at toddlers which would have a gentler spray.
The family section is slated to have a major attraction – a Mega Soaker which Wilmot said would be the first of its kind in B.C.
“You’re going to want the Mega Soaker on all the time, that’s going to be the most popular piece,” Wilmot said. “If I was with the City of Campbell River tourism, I would have a billboard for people coming north that said ‘Visit the waterpark with the only Mega Soaker in British Columbia.’”
The Mega Soaker is a 17-foot tall apparatus that holds a bowl full of water. Once the bowl is completely full, it tips over, creating a large splash.
Both the Noon Hour and Daybreak Rotary Clubs, along with the Campbell River Fire Fighters Association, have been working on designs with Rectec that could include additional structures such as a fire hose and fire hydrant.
Both Rotary Clubs and the fire fighters have been working on a waterpark for Campbell River for three years.
Patricia Gagnon, Rotary Club president, said in a letter to council that the groups plan to provide council with a detailed drawing and schedules for approval to city staff in early January.
“The prime contractor will work to acquire VIHA (Vancouver Island Health Authority) and city approvals for construction to begin in early March 2012,” Gagnon said. “We then expect that the splash park will be completed in May 2012 prior to the summer season.”
Wilmot said the spray park will appeal to all generations and bring many benefits to the community, including free recreation.
“With many references to Campbell River’s environment, natural history and culture, it also functions as a form of public art as well as an attraction to tourists and families traveling in the region,” said Wilmot.
“Benefits also include promoting “physical activity for children and youth (and) encouraging families to utilize the spray park rather than filling kiddy pools and running sprinklers.”
Wilmot said the spray park will use a potable or water to waste system.
“The park will utilize city water to run through the components and drain to sanitary during hours of operation and storm off hours and off season,” Wilmot said.