Wipeout-style water attraction approved for City Park

KELOWNA – A new water park is coming soon to the shores of Okanagan Lake off City Park.

Consisting of interlocking inflatable modules with a maximum capacity of 60 people at a time, city property manager John Saufferer says the park will be similar to the inflatable obstacle courses used in the TV show Wipeout. No big red balls though.

Saufferer says course will be set up in an underutilized area of City Park "in close proximity to a number of other key demand drivers and facilities including the new public washroom building, the children’s water park and mobile food vendor stalls.”

On Monday, council voted to enter into a three-year agreement with Kelowna Wibit, who plan to open the park at the end of this month.

According to the agreement, the water park must be non-motorized and located at the north end of City Park. It must also operate seven days a week from May 15 to September 15 and pay for its own maintenance and security.

The operation would also include an inflatable kiosk where customers pay approximately $25 per person for entry and receive a life jacket. A minimum of two lifeguards will be on-site during operation and the site will be secured 24 hours a day to prevent vandalism and unsupervised use.

Kelowna Wibit has agreed to pay the city $27,000 for the three years after which they may renegotiate for a two-year extension.

Coun. Luke Stack praised the proposal, saying it reminds him of Kelowna’s historic Aquatic Centre that burned down in 1969.

“In many ways it’s like having an Aquatic Centre back at the same historic spot that we had our original one,” he says. “I think it’s a creative solution to bringing people back out onto the water in this part of the park.”

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To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.