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BRADLEY – Regarding the planned enclosed water park in Bradley, it would be fair to say Bradley leadership is no longer dipping its toes in blue water.
While not a single drop of water has been placed into the planned $75- to $80-million, tourist-seeking water attraction set for Northfield Square mall property, it would be fair to say waters are rapidly rising.
The village board on Monday OK’d a resolution allowing the administration to proceed with a not-to-exceed $30 million sale of general obligation bonds.
The purpose of this large bond sale, while not exclusively limited to the proposed 2-acre water park development, is the water park development which will consume these resources.
The bond sale will help fund the water park facility and surrounding infrastructure projects, as well as buy land and equipment.
A public hearing will be held at the board’s next meeting, set for Feb. 24. The sale of the bond is expected in early April.
The 20-year bonds, said Bradley finance director Rob Romo, will be paid through the village’s business district and hotel taxes. User fees, meaning park entry fees, also will be used to repay the debt.
In the world of government, bonds are often compared to a household using a credit card.
Mayor Mike Watson said the chief consumer of this money will be to design and place the order for the water slide package as well as for the aluminum framing structure which will be the backbone for the glass enclosure. The shell’s glass is also part of this cost.
The Midwest region is not a location in which a year-round water park can operate in the outdoors. An enclosure will allow the park to be used throughout the year, including the winter.
“This is all an indication that this project is moving along,” Watson said.
Watson said if the materials can be ordered in the coming weeks – as engineers have been pouring over designs – the products could be ready for delivery to Bradley yet this year.
The delivery, however, is only one step. There has to be a foundation. No on-site work has been done.
There is also some portions of the mall which will be in need of demolition. The spaces targeted for demolition have not yet been finalized.
Watson, however, did note it would not be out of the question for demolition to happen this year.
Time for action
The project is moving forward at a rapid pace. Watson said they are not being reckless, but the time for movement has arrived.
“We want to live and see it,” he said. “We don’t need to sit around and talk about this for the next 10 years.”
Developers are contacting village hall regarding the potential to locate in the area of the water park, Romo said. He said as the process moves forward, more will likely reach out.
“This is real,” Romo said. “This activity will spur real interest for developers.”
The timeline for the opening of the park remains on course, Watson and Romo said. They are seeking a mid- to late-2027 opening.
If constructed as preliminary designs have illustrated, the water park would be in the top 20 largest in the U.S., and the park could hold 1,700 people at once.
The park would be about 100,000 square feet when all areas are factored in, meaning some areas not for water use.
The project is the direction of American Resort Management LLC, of Erie, Pa., and engineering consultant Ramaker, of Sauk City, Wis.
The water park, the consultants said, would fit hand in glove with the 126-acre, 12-diamond baseball-softball complex set for opening in the spring 2025 along St. George Road.
The more than $45-million ball field development is anticipated to bring in upward of 3,000 spectators and players on tournament weekends. The park will offer play from spring through autumn.