African themed water park set

An indoor/outdoor water park built around an African theme is slated for Fredericksburg, where officials plan to formally announce the project today.

Company officials say the $200 million Kalahari Waterpark Resort would bring about 1,000 new jobs to the city.

Plans call for the park to be built on about 40 to 50 acres at the Celebrate Virginia tourism and commercial development off Interstate 95.

The park would join three other major water parks within an hour's drive of Richmond -- Water Country USA near Williamsburg, an outdoor park that also sits on about 40 acres; Great Wolf Lodge, an indoor water park near Williamsburg; and Kings Dominion, a theme park in Hanover County that has a large outdoor water park.

The Fredericksburg project would include a hotel, convention center, spa and resort experience, said Shannon McCarthy, a company spokeswoman. She described it as an "under-one-roof vacation getaway."

Fredericksburg City Manager Phil Rodenberg yesterday declined to name the project, saying he preferred to wait until this afternoon's formal announcement.

"On a scale from 1 to 10, I'd say it's a 10," he said. "It could generate some national interest."

Kevin Gullett, the city's economic director, said the company indicated it plans for 1,000 full-time jobs and about 300 more seasonal slots. He said most of the jobs would pay service-oriented wages but that about 40 to 50 positions would be salary and/or management.

Gullett said no zoning approvals are needed and that the only special-use exception that might arise could deal with height restrictions.

The company operates two other Kalahari Waterpark Resorts: a 125,000-square-foot park that opened in 2000 in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., and an 80,000-square-foot park in Sandusky, Ohio.

The Ohio park, which opened in 2005, is soon to more than double in size to 173,000 square feet. That park also features indoor surfing, a miniature-golf course, retail shops, a spa and more. The company also sells condominiums at its two existing sites.

By comparison, Great Wolf Lodge, which also started in Wisconsin Dells, consists of 79,000 square feet of indoor space. Great Wolf Lodge opened near Williamsburg in 2005, about 20 years after the 1984 debut of Water Country USA.

The Kalahari Waterpark would join other tourism ventures under way at or near Celebrate Virginia, which is being developed by the Silver Cos. Those efforts include golf courses and the United States National Slavery Museum, which is planned by former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, the current mayor of Richmond.

Gullett said Kalahari Waterpark officials were lured by the proximity to the Washington tourist market. He said the company hopes to break ground next summer and open a couple of years from now.

Construction of the slavery museum has been repeatedly pushed back, but organizers opened a memorial garden at the site this summer and say they plan to open the museum in 2009.

Gullett said he believes the water park could help boost attendance at the museum, thereby exposing more people to the museum and its mission. "It's a win-win," he said.

Contact Kiran Krishnamurthy at (804) 333-3461 or .