Audio clip
Shawn Callahan
Developers of the Splash Valley Water Park in East Ridge again are searching for investors to help pay for the sprawling 15-acre development.
A key financial backer of the $12 million park died a month ago, and that has left the project’s fate in limbo, said David Mayes, who is a principal developer of the project with business partner Shawn Callahan.
“It’s unfortunate what happened, and it’s really sad,” Mr. Mayes said. “Besides myself and Shawn, he was the largest investor that we had, and it’s really hurt us right at this moment.”
Mr. Mayes said they are “in serious negotiations with two separate people at this point who are very interested, so I think it’s all going to work out here in the next 30 days.”
He said they now are projecting the park to open in May 2009.
Originally, Mr. Mayes and Mr. Callahan said the park would open with 20 rides by May 2008. That date was pushed back to mid-summer because of construction delays.
Then the developers announced the park wouldn’t open this summer because they had problems securing the proper clearance to build on wetlands at the Ringgold Road location.
Mr. Mayes insisted Tuesday the park is going to be built. He said he has turned to a group of people who originally expressed interest in investing in the park but were turned away because the group thought it had locked up financing.
East Ridge Mayor Mike Steele, who Mr. Callahan and Mr. Mayes said aggressively courted the park, said he still is confident the park is going to be built.
“I haven’t had any discussion with them in probably about 30 days and, as I recall, there was another investor that was coming in, but I haven’t talked to anybody in about a month,” Mayor Steele said. “From all indications, everything still seems to be a go.”
At least a few area residents are excited about the project, even though they are a little concerned that there doesn’t seem to be much progress.
“I was looking at the Web site every day to buy tickets for my nephew’s birthday in August,” said Tyler Pfluger, 28, of Hixson.
That was before the developers announced the construction was on hold. Much of Splash Valley’s Web site, splashvalley-tn.com, is listed as “coming soon.”
“I drive by every day, and I’m still excited, even though it seems like it’s going to be a while,” Mr. Pfluger said.
Adam Crisp covers education issues for the Times Free Press. He joined the paper's staff in 2007 and initially covered crime, public safety, courts and general assignment topics. Prior to Chattanooga, Crisp was a crime reporter at the Savannah Morning News and has been a reporter and editor at community newspapers in southeast Georgia. In college, he led his student paper to a first-place general excellence award from the Georgia College Press Association. He earned ...
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