CORSICANA, TX — After years in the discussion and planning stages, work has finally begun on a Central Texas tourist attraction that its owners hope, will put their hometown on the map.
A patch of land off of I-45 will soon become the Corsicana Water and Adventure Park, a project conceived in 2011 that has taken until 2019 to build.
Folks out at the Corsicana splash pad love the idea of a water park.
”I think it's awesome. Why? Because my son loves water parks," said Corsicana Native Sandra Quinn, who brings her son Michael to the splash pad as often as she can.
After a long wait, Corsicana will finally get its own water park, sort of.
Dirt has finally begun to turn on the site at I-45 and U.S. Highway 287 for the $7.5 million dollar Corsicana Water and Adventure Park.
”I come out here and I walk around, and it's hard to believe after all these years, that it's actually happening," said John McClung, General Partner in the project.
McClung, a former Corsicana City Councilman, now has charge of the park. He aims to have the area's first floating obstacle course up and running by the end of the month.
Believe it or not, Mr. McClung says discussion of this project began with the need for a grocery store. One thing led to another and before you knew it, the grocery story had transformed in to a full-fledged tourist attraction.
The project got wide acceptance but not enough financial interest early on, and then the fast growth in Texas worked against it.
”Most of the contractors were just, a lot of work was going on all over north Texas and sure, that was part of it, and looking for the right funding too," explained McClung.
Because state money was involved in the infrastructure for the project, the Adventure Park must create at least 51 jobs. McClung says, the park, right now, has 54.
Now, only the weather is causing delays. But with dirt moving, he aims to have the obstacle course open soon, followed in a month or two by an indoor trampoline park, and then familiar water park features as time and money allow.
”What is our prospective opening date ? Well, we're hoping for our grand opening on the 29th," said McClung.
Weather permitting, of course, and Sandra Quinn can't wait.
”I think it's gonna bring a large crowd. I think so. We're gonna go, oh yes," said Quinn.
Because, she says, the heat of a Texas summer requires some cool relief.
