Monday

October 2, 2009 - Proposed Water Park Leaves Emigrant Lake Waterslide Up In Air

By Damian Mann
Mail Tribune

A proposal to build a water park in Medford has cast a shadow over the fate of an aging county-owned waterslide at Emigrant Lake.

"We're resigned to the fact that a nice water park in Medford would have a negative attendance at the Emigrant Lake waterslide," said John Vial, director of the Jackson County Roads and Parks Department.

Medford City Council members gave final approval Thursday on spending $300,000 to study the feasibility of building a water park at Bear Creek Park.

If built as suggested in 2012, the city water park has the potential to draw visitors away from the 280-foot long slide that dates to 1984.

Over the past four years, the waterslide operation has struggled to remain profitable, failing to generate enough money to pay for itself in two of those years. The total profit is $32,156 over the four-year period.

"We're operating on some pretty slim margins," said Vial.

County officials already had been contemplating the slide's future because of its age and the cost to improve it, while watching attendance levels drop from 21,926 in 2005-06 to 14,883 in 2008-09. At the same time, the county hopes to make its parks financially self-sufficient.

"We're facing a decision on the waterslide no matter what the city of Medford does," said Vial.

Pricing at the slide also could be a problem. The county charges $6 during the week and $7 on the weekend for a 1.5-hour ticket.

Other water parks that feature extensive amenities cost anywhere from $5 to $20 a day — two water parks in Northern California are on the higher end of the scale.

The Medford water park could pay for itself and even generate a substantial profit for the city, depending on admission prices. Additional revenues could come from concessions and rentals.

Vial said the slide has been popular in past years, so the county will analyze whether it should upgrade the facility or find some other use for the space at Emigrant Lake, near Ashland.

"It has served the county very well," he said.

However, he doesn't expect to make a decision on the fate of the slide for two or three more years.

Despite the potential for a loss in attendance at the slide, Vial said a state-of-the-art water park in Medford would be a boost for the valley.

Brian Sjothun, Medford's parks and recreation director, said it's not fair to compare the waterslide with the water park.

"The facility we're talking about is much different," he said. "The waterslide is a totally different attraction that was built in the 1980s and the county never updated it.

The city water park could include slides, a lazy river, family beach areas, splash pads and a wave machine.

A proposed site for it is in Bear Creek Park, where an existing dog park and BMX track are located. The city would relocate those as part of the project.

The Hawthorne Park pool would be closed, while the more heavily used pool at Jackson Elementary would remain open.

Sjothun said if the county had updated the waterslide and added modern features, the city would have been more reluctant to look at building a water park.

Even so, he said, if the county made some improvements, it's possible that both facilities could be successful.

Sjothun said the city isn't trying to compete with the county, but is attempting to develop an attraction that would be beneficial to the largest urban center in the region.

"The last thing I want to do is have a negative impact on Jackson County parks because they need to be self-sufficient financially," he said.

Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail dmann@mailtribune.com.