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| Ground breaking ceremony with Mayor David Tate extreme left and Justin Gage at etreme right. |
The Feb. 29 groundbreaking ceremony for Hollister’s Wilderness in the Ozarks Waterpark Resort is the first major step in the development of the Hollister Interchange Entertainment District (The Interchange). Another major step will be the building of a 60,000 square foot entertainment center containing a movie complex, bowling alley, food court, and a restaurant.
The Interchange’s centerpiece will be the Waterpark Resort containing southwest Missouri’s largest indoor/outdoor waterpark. The resort is designed and operated by the Wisconsin Dells based Wilderness Resorts which has helped develop the Wisconsin Dells into the Waterpark Capital of the World. Its first resort property, the “Wilderness Territory in Wisconsin,” has grown into the “Number One Waterpark Resort in America.” Pete and Pat Helland, of the Wilderness Resorts, attended the ground breaking. Hellend said, “Over the course of the last 15 years we have created and refined the indoor waterpark resort concept. It’s a concept that works and it’s a concept that we love to be bringing to this area.”
The resort will consist of two major interrelated components, waterpark and residential. The waterpark component will have 75,000 square feet of indoor space and four acres of outdoor space featuring different water play areas, the latest innovative thrill rides such as Surf Rider and Tornado, a Wave Pool, four large family tube rides, spray features, and all the other amenities of a resort waterpark. The indoor portion of the waterpark will be covered with a special “foil-tec” roof giving guests the feel of being outdoors even on the most inclement days.
The residential component, which will surround the waterpark, includes 400 two-bedroom condominium residences. Current plans call for 200 of the residences to be whole ownership condominiums and 200 to be time share. The condominiums are designed for families and come in a variety of floor plans including a lock-off capability. The full ownership residences are currently priced in the high $100 to the low $500 thousand range. All owners may elect to participate in the Resort’s optional on-site rental program. In its normal day to day operation the facilities of the waterpark will only be open to those staying at the resort, either owners or those renting on a nightly basis through the resorts on-site rental program.
In his opening remarks Justin Gage, one of the principals in the Hollister Interchange Development Company, shared the Gage family’s dream for the development of a family entertainment complex at the interchange. In a very touching and poignant, yet dignified moment, he dedicated the development to his father, Albert Steve Gage, who went to be with his Lord earlier this year.
Hollister’s past City Administrator, John Lewis, attended the groundbreaking and said that he feels great about the development of the interchange area and that they are “Absolutely heading in the right direction.” Branson Mayor Raeanne Presley also attended the ground breaking and said “Hollister’s success will be Branson’s success” and that it’s the entire area working together that will pay off “big time down the road.” Dennis Woods, State Representative for District 62, said that he was excited about the jobs the development is bringing to the area and the expansion of the areas tourism base.
When asked what the plans were for the 60,000 square foot entertainment complex to be located in the area immediately to the west of the waterpark, Gage said, “We are proud to announce that we are going to do a beautiful cinema, probably a ten screen cinema, a ultramodern high end bowling alley, a food court, and a restaurant.” He went on to say that it would be a really nice family entertainment center designed, not only to entertain the guests at the waterpark resort but to be a blessing for the people in the surrounding area.
Furnished courtesy of the Branson Daily Independent.
