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Uploaded: Wednesday, January 9, 2013, 6:23 AM
Updated: Friday, January 11, 2013, 7:34 AM
Vendor submits proposals for waterslides
Park District has questions before presentation to directors
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by Dolores Fox Ciardelli
Pleasanton Weekly Staff
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 | East Bay Regional Park District needs a lot more information after receiving two proposals from one vendor to revitalize the waterslides at Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area.
"At this stage we have lots of questions that we're going to be asking the vendor," said Jim O'Connor, assistant general manager of the East Bay Regional Park District, on Tuesday.
He will report to the district operations committee next week that there were two proposals, but said he will need more information before submitting a complete report. Then the committee will vote to accept or modify the proposal.
"At that point it will go to the full board," O'Connor said. "We just have too many unanswered questions to have a presentation at this month's meeting."
The four-chute waterslides, which opened in 1981, were closed for the 2012 season after winter inspections showed the need for repairs. Public meetings brought out residents that supported the Pleasanton waterslides as a recreational facility and as a place for teen employment.
The Park District commissioned a study of the facility last summer by Water Ventures, which concluded the "site is an excellent venue for such a water park," and a request for proposals went out with a deadline of Dec. 20.
The concession area is about 3.5 acres and includes the four waterslides, a maintenance building, office, storage, separate men's and women's restrooms with dressing areas and lockers, and a picnic area with a shade structure, picnic tables and barbeques. Structures also must be made ADA compliant.
Water Ventures reported that in order to be successful, the waterslides facility should offer more opportunities for water play, such as wave pools, leisure pools and lazy rivers. But it said improvements needed before reopening the current facility would total $885,100.
"The cost estimate for the renovation work would be $1.4 million when you add up all the engineering costs, permitting, inspection," O'Connor said in September.
O'Connor was doubtful that the waterslides could reopen for the 2013 season since the developer would need to have funding in place to get permits, including a building permit from Pleasanton, health and safety permits as well as others from the county that would require inspections.Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.
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Posted by William Tell, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Jan 9, 2013 at 9:45 am I encourage everyone who wants the water slides to stay to "read between the facts" here and then email your city council person:
Pleasanton and East Bay Parks bureaucracy is the only thing standing in the way of the water slides.
1. The Parks District and Pleasanton are so unfriendly to do business with - only one company was brave enough to turn in a proposal.
2. The company needs approximately $900,000 to do the work and $500,000 to deal with permits, inspections, etc. What's wrong with this picture when more than half the cost of the actual work is required for permits, bureaucracy and no-value BS.
3. Why should it take over a year to get permits in place? This is for a facility that already existed - they are just going to augment it. Will the whole thing need to be "inspected" again - in order to make our local bureaucracy more money?
Please understand this could be streamlined and completed by summer - but too many bureaucrats need to stifle this to justify their jobs. Be thankful that you've voted liberal, union backed local politicians because this is the result.
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Posted by Inge, a resident of the Rosepointe neighborhood, on Jan 9, 2013 at 10:45 am As a mother of two (now grown) boys I hope that the water slides will be open again soon! Pleasanton offers many opportunities for younger children, but not much at all for our teenagers. The water slides were one of the few places for teenagers to have fun and enjoy healthy entertainment. It's also a great place for them to work.
Please, please - go fix them and open up the water slides!
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Posted by Grandma of teens, a resident of the Del Prado neighborhood, on Jan 10, 2013 at 1:39 am I sure hope that they can get this situation under control and start working on the slides soon. They are a great place to have fun with my grandkids. My children loved them also. I am just so happy that they are considering doing the work and getting the slides opened hopefully by 2014. I do wish that it could be 2013 but it looks like that is not going to happen. My grandkids were very disapointed that the slides are now closed but hope that they open soon. They really enjoy them.
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