FORT LAUDERDALE—
Plans to build a water park that will be more than twice the size of the Rapids in Riviera Beach are back on track.
They'd stalled after city commissioners earlier this month chose not to approve a lease with Schlitterbahn, a national chain of water parks that plans to build on 64 acres within the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. Commissioners were concerned that the lease did not require Schlitterbahn to pay for demolition of the park if it were to fail financially and close.
Map: Plans for water park
But after discussions over the past week, the lease came back for commission approval Thursday. During the meeting, Schlitterbahn agreed to post a letter of credit to fully pay for the demolition costs of the park if it fails within the first three years after it's operational. After that, Schlitterbahn will remain liable and responsible for the cost of demolition, but won't necessarily have the money set aside for it.
"What we did, basically, is we protected the city," said Mayor Jack Seiler.
After three years, "projects don't generally fail," Seiler said.
The city commission unanimously approved the 30-year lease on Thursday for the parcel a half-mile west of Interstate 95 between Commercial Boulevard and Cypress Creek Road. The city met a July 15 deadline set by the Federal Aviation Administration, which must also approve of the plan because of the site's proximity to the airport.
The park won't open until at least 2017. It's to include an interconnected system of rivers and rides that visitors can enjoy without ever getting out of their inner tubes. It's to have plenty of attractions for younger children, no parking fees and no rental charges for inner tubes, life jackets or the use of picnic tables.
Even if the project does fail, Seiler said, the city wins because Schlitterbahn is putting about $100 million into improving that parcel. The water park company will put in a parking lot, soccer fields, and improvements to nearby Lockhart Stadium.
"We don't know the unknown," said Commissioner Bobby DuBois during the discussion over demolition costs should the park fail. "We don't know the future. But at the end of the day, either way it's going to be an asset to the city."
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