Wild Waters LLC, of Coeur dAlene, has started construction on the first phase of a planned two-phase, $4 million expansion of its water-slide park there.


The first phase of work involves building a 1,200-foot-long Sunnyside Lazy River at the west end of the 8-acre Wild Waters park, which is located southeast of the intersection of Interstate 90 and U.S. 95, says Stacey Lavin, a Spokane-based consultant to the water park. The attraction is to feature a 600-gallon bucket that dumps water on floaters in the river, a swinging rope from which swimmers will drop into a deep pool in the river, and a bar that serves frozen drinks to swimmers, Lavin says. It will be one of the longest float rides in the U.S., he asserts.


Construction of the project, which will cost $1.5 million, started last month, and the attraction is expected to open June 22, he says. The project also is to include installing a second pump system to serve the expanded areas of the park.


The second phase of the project is to include four new family tube rides, Lavin says. It will cost an estimated $2.5 million and is to start early next year and to be completed by Wild Waters 2008 season. Lavin declines for now to disclose further details.


He says Wild Waters has been planning the expansion for three years.


The guests are driving this, because they said they wanted to experience something new, and theres been a big demand for new family rides, he says.


Wild Waters employs three workers full-time and 97 people seasonally, Lavin says. He declines to disclose its annual revenues, but says the expansion is expected to boost attendance at the park by 30 percent.


T.I. Construction, of Spokane, is the general contractor for the expansion project. Spokane-based J.R. Bonnett Engineering is the structural and civil engineer; WhiteWater West Industries Ltd., of Richmond, British Columbia, is the ride designer; St. Louis-based Counsilman-Hunsaker Engineering is the river-propulsion designer; Budinger Engineering & Associates Inc., of Spokane, is the soil engineer; Pool World Inc., of Spokane, is handling the chemical treatment of the water; and Los Angeles-based Nord Systems engineered the filtration system.


Wild Waters opens Memorial Day weekend and closes after Labor Day weekend. Currently, the park has 14 slides, a tube ride, a childrens play area, paddle-boat lagoons, a concession area, and a covered pavilion.


Wild Waters LLC bought the water-slide park in 2001 from a Canadian company. When the park opened 25 years ago, it was one of the first water parks in the U.S., Lavin asserts. A few years ago, the company started renting out the park in the evenings to corporate groups, and sales to those groups have doubled every year since then, he says.


Contact Emily Brandler at (509) 344-1265 or via e-mail at emilyb@spokanejournal.com.