Texarkana May Get Water Park

[bigboyz05]

The City of Texarkana, Ark., wants to get wet and wild with $13 million and construct a waterpark. When completed it will cover 10 acres. A feasibility study for the park, to draw tourists and provide recreation for local residents, should be completed by the end of the year and financing decisions made in 2009. This waterpark will be seen as a catalyst for development including recreatioal, dining and hotel opportunities. People would be attracted from a five state region. Funding possibilities include private development and a bond covered through taxes. The city is gathering information from park designers and developers. The study is looking at the demand of a waterpark, the size of the service area, estimated gate admissions and annual revenue, optimal location and expense of construction, operation and maintenance. Financing could be decided late next year. The park would be a low water use facility and would have enough land to triple the parks size over the next 20 years. It would be located near the planned convention center. Crossroads Business Park near I-30 is being considered as a possible location. The park would be advertised in Shreveport, Little Rock and Dallas.

[Mith242]

The City of Texarkana, Ark., wants to get wet and wild with $13 million and construct a waterpark. When completed it will cover 10 acres. A feasibility study for the park, to draw tourists and provide recreation for local residents, should be completed by the end of the year and financing decisions made in 2009. This waterpark will be seen as a catalyst for development including recreatioal, dining and hotel opportunities. People would be attracted from a five state region. Funding possibilities include private development and a bond covered through taxes. The city is gathering information from park designers and developers. The study is looking at the demand of a waterpark, the size of the service area, estimated gate admissions and annual revenue, optimal location and expense of construction, operation and maintenance. Financing could be decided late next year. The park would be a low water use facility and would have enough land to triple the parks size over the next 20 years. It would be located near the planned convention center. Crossroads Business Park near I-30 is being considered as a possible location. The park would be advertised in Shreveport, Little Rock and Dallas.

[dimebag1980]

The park would be advertised in Shreveport, Little Rock and Dallas.

[bigboyz05]

Mith I sure hope it comes through. That's something really needed in this area I thought for sure NWA had a water or amusement park. SBC I hear what you're saying and agree with you.

[Mith242]

Mith I sure hope it comes through. That's something really needed in this area I thought for sure NWA had a water or amusement park. SBC I hear what you're saying and agree with you.

[dimebag1980]

On another side note, I heard Wild River Country in North Little Rock is having problems again.

[bigboyz05]

I know this is off topic but I read in the paper yesterday that the new convention center that was to be built on the Arkansas side in the Crossroads Business Park near I-30 won't be built there. Instead the company building the convention center wants to build on the Texas side now after Hilton Garden Inn announced it is planning to build a hotel on the Texas side. Arkansas side officials and others who were instrumental in luring the convention center are very heated.

[dimebag1980]

I know this is off topic but I read in the paper yesterday that the new convention center that was to be built on the Arkansas side in the Crossroads Business Park near I-30 won't be built there. Instead the company building the convention center wants to build on the Texas side now after Hilton Garden Inn announced it is planning to build a hotel on the Texas side. Arkansas side officials and others who were instrumental in luring the convention center are very heated.

[bigboyz05]

It's a jealousy thing. The Texas side is nicer and gets all the new development, while the Arkansas side continues to dream. It's the same thing that happens here: city vs. city. Case in point: Shreveport wanted to build a convention center and arena complex downtown. The city spent hundreds of thousands of dollars doing a feasability study. While the study was underway, Bossier City approved the spending of $50 million to build an arena instead. Now we have the CenturyTel Center, which I honestly believe is much nicer than it would have been had Shreveport built it. So it could be a blessing in disguise.

The city vs. city issue within a metro is very troubling, however. I understand the cities' perspectives, but in the end, what's good for one side is good for the other. If the arena gets built and attracts big events, hotels on both sides of the state line will fill up and restaurants on both sides will benefit as well. And Texarkana, AR can be happy that their police department won't have to work traffic control. I know Bossier City pays a lot of money for the police presence they have at CenturyTel Center. Shreveport still benefits from the major events that come here, but they don't have to shell out money.

By the way, when we went up to Hot Springs earlier this month we were so happy to see the loop on the Arkansas side being rebuilt. The construction was a bit of a pain in the ass to drive through, but it will be worth it in the end. I used to bounce all around that road every day when I did my daily Texarkana -> Shreveport -> Texarkana commute. The road system in Texarkana is already light years ahead of where it was when I first started dating my wife 7 years ago, and it's only getting better. Hell, Texarkana itself is light years ahead of where it was back then.

[dimebag1980]

Yeah you're right. I don't understand why the Arkansas side is getting so upset since like you said wherever the convention center goes both sides of town will benefit. I'm glad the I-49 and loop project is moving ahead as well. One of my coworkers said Fuddruckers is coming to town. I keep hearing people say that Texarkana is really going to boom in the years ahead. I remember hearing that some folks with the Chamber of Commerce said that the growth Texarkana has seen is nothing compared with whats on the drawing board for the future. I'm really excited!

[bigboyz05]

Don't get TOO excited about Fuddruckers. While it's a well-known name, the quality at our two is really lacking. I was excited about getting them here since I often would eat at the one in Grapevine, TX, but even having one basically in Haughton (east Bossier) I never eat there because the quality isn't up to par with the ones I'm used to. I would have to assume the same Dallas-based franchisee who owns the ones here will own that one as well.

Restaurants with poor service and/or bad food don't last long. We recently lost our On the Border after more than a decade. It never was that great. Around the same time we lost Fatburger and Roadhouse Grill. I think the Roadhouse Grill building would make a great Hooters location for South Shreve, but I won't hold my breath.

Anyway now that photography and World of Warcraft no longer excite me, I've gotten back interested in architecture and development. I'm currently farting around with a 70-story condo tower concept I call L'Alta Vita, which means The Good Life in Italian. If you're interested, here's a screen shot of the current progress. I'm designing 2 and 3-bedroom units for the first residential floor now.

[dimebag1980]

Wow! That's cool. Is that in the Dallas area? I was out in Dallas in October and was amazed at the amount of new towers in downtown and uptown. Plus with all the advances with light rail Dallas will truly become world class if it isn't already.

[bigboyz05]

Dallas would work well, particularly Uptown, but I originally had this planned for my conceptual future Shreveport. It'll never happen, but that's why it's called an imagination, right?

[dimebag1980]

That's so cool. I actually thought it was a real project. Have you heard anything else about I-49 coming up from Louisiana or I-69 going through Shreveport?

[bigboyz05]

I heard that Shreveport is supposed to double in size from a massive boom they're expecting over the next 20 years.

[dimebag1980]

I heard that Shreveport is supposed to double in size from a massive boom they're expecting over the next 20 years.

[bigboyz05]

Yeah man I hear ya. This economy is in hell right now and I'm so glad that I have a job that is full time and has benefits. Texarkana is in a similar boat as well with uncertainty about Cooper Tire and Red River. Texarkana needs to diversify it's job market more. I believe we are getting a little better with that but we need more.

[dimebag1980]

Yeah man I hear ya. This economy is in hell right now and I'm so glad that I have a job that is full time and has benefits. Texarkana is in a similar boat as well with uncertainty about Cooper Tire and Red River. Texarkana needs to diversify it's job market more. I believe we are getting a little better with that but we need more.

[bigboyz05]

Red River is fine since we're at war. I know three people who work there and they have NO shortage of work out there. Cooper Tire is the one I'd worry about the most, since it deals directly with the auto industry.