Anoka County adding more slides, pools to water park

Anoka County is aiming to expand the splash factor at the Bunker Beach water park next year with a $3.5 million addition, now under construction.

The 5-acre addition, the first since 2003, will include a 900-foot-long lazy river, a pair of three-story tube slides, a leisure pool and an "activity" pool equipped with basketball hoops and an 8-foot-tall climbing wall, in addition to new restrooms, concessions and a lifeguard lounge.

One of the goals, say county parks officials, is to make the water park a more multigenerational family experience, a continuation of an effort that began with the addition of a gradual-entry pool and sand play area in 2003. The lazy river and added cabana space will offer more leisurely options for older folks.

"You could float the whole day away," said Anoka County Parks Director John Von de Linde, noting added appeal to all age ranges. "This makes it a truly 1 to 99 facility."

Construction will continue through November and resume in the spring. Opening Day is set for June 5, 2010.

With the addition, Bunker Beach will be the largest outdoor public water park in the state, Von de Linde said.

The new amenities were part of the long-term plan for the water park when it opened in 1988 in Bunker Hills Regional Park. The county plans to issue bonds to pay for the addition, as it did when it began its last park improvement six years ago. Von de Linde expects the county to be able to continue to make bond payments from gate receipts.

Last year, the attraction drew 95,605 visitors from just after Memorial Day to Labor Day. So far this year, the number is slightly more than 37,000. Anoka County Parks Golf and Aquatics director blames cool (and fairly unpredictable) July weather. Still, Von de Linde said, the county used a financial feasibility study to ensure that it will be able to make bond payments even under worst-case scenario attendance numbers.

The winning construction bid, from Pool Construction Inc., came in $900,000 under budget, at $2.6 million. Parks officials applied the difference to additional features that they originally planned to delay.

With the new features next year will come a hike in gate fees. The daytime adult fee will rise 27 percent, from $11 to $14, and a season pass will climb 45 percent, from $55 to $80.

Von de Linde said he knows folks don't like to pay more, but both he and Hinz said that Bunker Beach still is the best water park value in the metro area.

"We're still at the bottom of those fees," said Hinz.

"That was a strong design objective of the Bunker Beach Water Park," Von de Linde said, noting that many water parks are noisy, crowded, concrete structures. "When you come here, you know you're at a water park, but it's more of a park-like experience. ... You get the regional park experience at this water park."