A former Pasco man hopes to return to the area with a big plan.
Jim Hale, who now lives in Florida, is planning to build a 28-acre water park between the Sleep Inn of Pasco and the Broadmoor Park Outlet Mall.
Hale will ask the Pasco Planning Commission for a special use permit for the Bahama Bay Water Park at the commission meeting Jan. 21. At that meeting, he’ll present the master plan of the project, which he hopes to complete in four phases.
The first phase, which he estimates to cost from $8 million to $10 million, includes building the core of the water park over 8.5 acres. The plan calls for a lazy river ride, a wave pool, an aqua-play structure, various slide towers and a 1,000-gallon tipping bucket.
Hale said the second phase would add on an indoor family fun center, including an outdoor go-cart track, miniature golf, laser tag and climbing walls.
“It would be something that could stay open all year round and appeal to families,” he said.
Phase three would consist of additions to the water park area, including adding a rapid river ride geared toward older teens and more slides.
In the final phase, Hale hopes to complete Bahama Village — a hotel that links to the water park.
Hale got the idea last July, when he was visiting his brothers in the area.
“I was impressed with the growth that has taken place and surprised to find out how many people live there now,” he said.
He also noticed there wasn’t a water park to take the kids to cool off on the hot summer days.
“When I got back, I started doing research and since then I’ve learned a lot about it,” he said.
He attended the weeklong World Water Park Convention at Disneyworld in October to get an insiders view of the business.
And Hale, a CAD designer who has been in the architecture industry for about 20 years, and his brothers have formed a corporation to move forward in planning the project.
Hale said although they have an option on the land, they don’t have funding for the project yet. However, he’s optimistic that by doing the homework and building a good business plan, he’ll be able to attract investors.
“I want to do something really nice that the people of the Tri-Cities will be proud of,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of research and have talked to a lot of experts. Despite the economy, there is still money out there. A good plan is still a good plan and wise investors will take advantage of that when they see it.”
For more information about the park, e-mail at jimhale@dynamicwaters.com.
by Mary Hopkin
Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business
