Construction has begun on a $2 million project to add an indoor water park to the Clarion Hotel on Park Road, Batavia.
Owner Chan Patel (above) said he is looking forward providing year-round recreation to the region. He expects to draw customs from Buffalo and Rochester, not just Genesee County.
"We have a big staff," Patel said. "Even in the winter, we have 60 people on staff. During the summer there's plenty of work, but in the winter I have to cut down their hours. It's not fair because they have to support their families, too."
The 12,000-square-foot facility -- Palm Island Indoor Water Park -- includes a 197-foot and a 169-foot water slide, a pool equipped with basketball hoops, a spa, a play lagoon with waterfalls, small slides and dumping buckets, as well as birthday party rooms, a food and beverage concession and an arcade room with 15 games.
Patel said he planned the park so that there would be activities that would appeal to all ages.
"This will bring more business into town," Patel said. "It will be a benefit to the whole community."
He's even partnering, he said, with local businesses to help ensure his guests patronize those businesses.
He's also using local or regional contractors. The design was completed by Smart Design, of Batavia. Whitney East, of Rochester, is the general contractor, and Batavia's Arctic Refrigeration is handling all of the mechanical work.
The project received tax abatements from the Genesee County Economic Development Center worth about $91,600. That includes partial abatement of property taxes for 10 years worth $18,800, a mortgage-tax abatement worth $12,800, and exemption from sales tax on materials for construction of the park worth $60,000.
GCEDC estimates the $91,600 in tax abatement will have more than a $5 million multiplier-effect benefit for the local economy.
Howard, You didn't mention
Howard,
You didn't mention the plumbing contractor, the electrical contractor, or the site contractor.
The rest of us wouldn't mind a free plug.
Batavia will probably drop
Batavia will probably drop the ball here too. With the construction of a water park and the debate about the Ice Rink, the City and ice rink management should take a hard look at getting more youth hockey tournaments here.
With some negotiation, a deal can be made with the Clarion for group rate packages that could help the hotel in the Winter. Take a look at Erie, PA's Splash Lagoon. There are youth tournaments in Erie every year because of the "lagoon".
That's a laudable idea but
That's a laudable idea but there's far more reasons for Youth Hockey Tournaments to be in Erie besides Splash Lagoon. Besides, I'm pretty sure Howard's head would explode if Batavia had it's own version of Peach Street.
Actualy Kevin , Greg is right
Actualy Kevin , Greg is right on . Yes there has always been Hockey tournaments in Erie because hockey is huge there . But sometime in the 90's there wasn't many choices for tournaments and then came an explosion of tournament choices goin into the 2000's . This was because many new rinks were built with multiple playing surfaces . Thus creating more tournaments choices . Now tournaments are competing against others for the teams to come . The teams research the city that have tournaments to see what else there is to do while they are there for a weekend and Erie makes out big time because of Splash Lagoon . I have been to over twenty tournaments and they have a good one with many things to do nearby . Detroit is good too with many rinks used for one tournamnet and its close to down town , Henry Ford museum is near by . Pittsburg has a good tournamnet with a lot of stuff to do also . The Batavia Tournamnet used to be huge till the 2000's came and now they get four teams per age group compared to twelve teams and two brackets of the ones I mentioned