Council approves FlowRider design

Aquatic center expansion now priced at $3.25 million

MOSES LAKE — At the very least, the Moses Lake city council is ready to ride the wave(s).

The council unanimously approved a design Tuesday night which includes a two-chute wave attraction and 300-foot lazy river to be added to the city's 12-year-old aquatic center. Council members and staff now have to determine how they want to pay for the project.

The price tag now stands at approximately $3.25 million for the lazy river and near-surfing experience to expand the facility. Council members unanimously chose the two-chute model over the same concept with a single-chute FlowRider, priced at $2.81 million.

The council saw presentations for the project Tuesday by Andrew Thatcher of Wave Loch, Inc., who described the composite membrane surface over which the FlowRider water flows as similar to a trampoline and accessible for most people.

"It basically brings surfing to the people, it brings snowboarding to the people," Thatcher said.

The 30-foot wide double chute FlowRider will accommodate two riders at a time, and an average of 480 rides per hour. The FlowRider chute divider can also be removed, creating an extra-wide single chute. Ride lengths vary anywhere from three to 30 seconds, Thatcher said, depending on a rider's experience.

Thatcher answered questions from some staff members about the length of wave rides, mentioning to riders that it felt like a longer experience.

"I guess it's kind of like the rodeo, riding that bull for eight seconds is a long time," Councilman Dick Deane said.

The addition will cost $1 million more than what was originally budgeted, through a bond issue approved by the council earlier this year. The council approved issuing $6.1 million in bonds in May to pay for the aquatic center expansion, along with ice rink construction and a portion of downtown.

In addition to being approximately 10 feet wider, consultant Tim Gremmer said increased costs are attributed to the double-chute FlowRider water tank being approximately twice as large as the single. The 300-foot lazy river is 12 feet wide.

Gremmer, of Wisconsin-based Water Technology, Inc., also worked on designs for the city's current aquatic center. He has worked with other water parks to install similar devices, and said those devices have seen an increase in attendance.

Councilman Brent Reese was one of the first Tuesday to suggest the city build the double chute.

"I agree," Mayor Ron Covey echoed, "if we're going to do it we're definitely going to do the double."

The current aquatic center draws people from as far away as Spokane, but Councilman Richard Pearce suggested the proposal would contribute to increasing overnight stays in the city.

The estimate does not include funding for outside event lighting for night use, and Councilman Bill Ecret requested a final estimate for the project include that estimate. After the meeting, Gremmer said a rough estimate for lighting the entire area would cost approximately $60,000.

A financing package beyond the bond funding approved earlier this year has not yet been finalized. City Manager Joe Gavinski said $500,000 to $600,000 could possibly come from the city's hotel and motel tax fund, with funding for bathrooms available form the city's water and sewer fund. The remaining funding could be borrowed by the city internally from the city's sanitation fund, he said.

"You do have several options," Gavinski told the council.

Gavinski said the city anticipates increased sales and property tax revenues from continued city growth to help pay for the costs associated with the project.

The council remains poised to open the facility in May or June of 2007. Gremmer said after the meeting that a construction schedule opening the expansion with the opening of the 2007 aquatic center season would be "pretty aggressive," but added the mild central Washington climate allows for a year-round build.