City Council approves new Castaway Cove attraction, airport hangers
Wichita Falls city councilors voted Tuesday to spend about $1.67 million for a new attraction at the Castaway Cove water park.
The attraction, which should be installed by the 2025 season, will be a multi-lane mat slide that descends from a tower. The project also includes a “timing light system.”
Most of the money for the project will come from the water park fund balance with another $211,000 coming from water park operations and $575,000 coming from the city’s general fund, which was included in the 2024 budget.
The park is now operated by H Two Management & Marketing.
Spokesman Jimmy Holmes said the park had workforce issues coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, but his company has increased pay and didn’t have a lot of staffing issues this past season.
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He said the park “looked a little haggard” when his company took over management, so they painted the slides and fixed things that weren’t working.
He said attendance and revenue were up this past season, and about 48 percent of the business is coming from outside Wichita Falls. He said the waterpark operated at a profit.
The city’s budget anticipates the park will bring in $1.17 million for ticket sales and rentals and $550,000 for refreshment sales, which would put it on par with the past couple of years.
The waterpark is set to open in mid-May this year and operate until early September.
Councilors signed off on applying to the Texas Department of Transportation for grants for $1.329 million to demolish some city-owned hangers at Kickapoo Downtown Airport, build new hangers, extend a sewer line and place a fire hydrant centrally on the field.
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City Transportation Director John Burrus said the city owns five to eight old hangers “that are not worth putting the money into them to repair them.”
If the city’s application is granted, it would have to match $147,000.
Burrus said he hopes to begin construction in the fall.
Councilors also approved a new contract to sell water to Holliday.
The new contract is for 20 years and would require Holliday to either follow or have more restrictive water conservation and drought contingency plans than Wichita Falls.
The rate to the Archer County community of 1,758 residents will be $5.67 per 1,000 gallons.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: City Council approves new Castaway Cove attraction, airport hangers
