Water slides, batting cages and a Grand Prix go-cart race track — attractions of Clearlake”s Outrageous Waters — are the object of deliberation between the county and a local developer since the park has been closed.
County Supervisor Anthony Farrington said he wants to see the water park equipment stay available for the county”s youth, as well as for the purpose of promoting tourism.
“It”s not just for kids, but adults as well,” said Farrington. “It”s a family activity.”
According to former owners Mike and Dorrie Walker, the park was not closed because of lack of attendance. Outrageous Waters saw close to 50,000 people walk through its doors during its summer seasons, said the Walkers.
The Walkers” former business partner, who apparently had more financial control, sold the property before the Walkers could raise enough money to buy him out.
The park employed approximately 70 high-schoolers every summer and 10 adults.
Farrington wants to relocate the equipment to an as-yet-undetermined parcel of county-owned land in order to make it available to the public.
“At the visitor center, the first referral that was given was for the water park when people would ask what was available for the kids,” said Farrington.
Local developer Barry Johnson bought the property this year, and recommended that the equipment be placed on a five-acre parcel to allow for the park to take on additional attractions.
“We”ve discovered in our research that in order for a park to be successful over a long period of time, it should have new attractions added, if not yearly, then at some regular interval,” said Johnson, who concurred with Farrington”s assessment of the need to allow for growth.
Johnson has put in an application with the City of Clearlake to combine the 10-acre parcel with another city-owned parcel to create a 35-acre “regional power center” for Clearlake.
In the interim, Johnson said he may reopen the park for the summer 2007 season. “Mike Walker did a phenomenal job with the park, and it”d be a shame to see it go away,” Johnson said.
Farrington is in negotiations with Johnson to get the park equipment donated to the county and moved to county land. He anticipates having the equipment relocated within a year.
Johnson said he doubts that the county will have moved the equipment by the upcoming water park season because of the nature and volume of the equipment needing to be disassembled and relocated.
The Walkers said the park equipment entails a “lazy river,” which is a stylized pool made to look and flow like a river for inner tube floating, four water slides made out of fiber glass, interactive play equipment with water slides for small children, batting cages, a Grand Prix go-cart race track, a snack bar and a video arcade.
“I”m an optimist,” said Farrington. “I think it”s important to set optimistic time periods.”
He added, “As long as we can work out a deal with Mr. Johnson, and as long as the equipment can be moved, I”m about 99-percent sure we can secure a piece of property and move forward and have this park up and running again.”
In their annual budget hearings, which were held Monday, Aug. 21, the Lake County Board of Supervisors earmarked $100,000 to look into the project”s feasibility.
Farrington said this was a first step in setting up recreation for county youth. He referred to a county recreation program that had to be eliminated in the early 1990s due to budget cuts, and said he hoped to approach this project as a revival of that program.
“The next hurdle is looking at the feasibility of the equipment withstanding being relocated and securing a piece of property large enough for the equipment,” he added. “Once we get past those hurdles, the rest will fall into place.”
Prospective locations are being discussed with Public Services Director Kim Clymire.
Farrington said he is open to a possible private-public partnership in order to make the project work. “I just want to see the park up and running,” said Farrington.
“If we do move forward,” he said, “we just want to break even. Even if we don”t, I would personally support subsidizing it to make it available to our youth.”
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
