The City of Bellevue is lining up supplies and expertise for development of the 100,000-square-foot indoor waterpark that will be the centerpiece of a planned entertainment area near the northwest corner of the intersection of Highway 75 and Highway 34.
The Bellevue City Council on May 21 authorized the purchase of aluminum for the facility’s enclosure and retractable roof from Canadian corporation OpenAire Sales at a cost of $2.37 million. Officials want to order materials now to beat inflation and avoid being held up by supply chain issues. They hope to have the attraction ready for visitors by summer 2026.
The heated, year-round aquatic facility will be similar to Epicwaters in Texas, according to city officials, and will be one of the largest in the Midwest. It is expected to draw visitors from a 180- to 250-mile radius. The city will hire a resort management company to manage the waterpark.
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On May 21, the city awarded a contract for design and engineering services for the waterpark to Holland Basham at a cost of $3,486,600. Holland Basham, one of four bidders, was chosen based on price, capacity and experience, according to background materials.
The council decided to adopt the “construction manager at risk” contract delivery system for construction of the waterpark in order to make the process less time consuming and more cost efficient. The city has now published a Request for Proposals and is accepting bids on the construction management contract and aims to award the contract by mid-summer, according to Harrison Johnson, director of economic and community development. The city and the construction management firm will negotiate and set a Guaranteed Maximum Price before construction begins.
In January, the Bellevue City Council authorized the city to issue up to $60 million in municipal bonds for the project — $5 million to purchase the land and $55 million to build the waterpark. The city will get a percentage of the waterpark’s profits, which can be used to help pay off the bonds.
The city has applied for state designation of the waterpark area as a Good Life District, which would allow the city to receive half of the sales tax revenue collected in the district, Johnson said. That revenue, too, would be diverted back to the city to help pay for the amenities.
“Right now, the city has an active application in with the state,” he said. “We hope to have an answer in June or July.”
