With less than six months left until the planned opening day for a sprawling Montgomery whitewater park, the city and county have both agreed to commit more government money to the project — up to $20 million total — to cover the costs of an expanding scope as well as pandemic delays and inflation.

The Montgomery City Council on Tuesday approved up to $10 million in additional funding for the project. The county also recently committed to contribute up to an additional $10 million.

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed noted that the city is "not about to write a $10 million check," but the vote was important to show that there's unified local support for the project to other backers, particularly the state.

Council Vice President CC Calhoun and said he and others want to sit down with project managers soon and clarify a few things, but that pulling support could cause bigger problems. "You can’t be half pregnant," Calhoun said. "We’re at a point right now where we need to keep this project moving."

Originally budgeted at about $50 million, the park will include whitewater rafting along an Olympic-style competition channel and a more relaxed "adventure" channel. A pumping system will send filtered water through the man-made course, which winds around an amphitheater, a restaurant, a beer garden and more. Workers poured the last of the concrete Friday, and they'll turn on the water next month.

The project is controlled by a cooperative district created by Montgomery County. Leslie Sanders, who chairs the cooperative district board, said they've consistently taken helicopter flights over the site "for economic development reasons," then watched private investments roll into the city. "It's already served as a catalyst," Sanders said.

The park is next to Maxwell Air Force Base downtown, a fact that isn't lost on military members.

"We had a meeting with Maxwell this morning about a billion dollars worth of growth at the Air University campus, and the thing they’re most excited about is whitewater," said Anna Buckalew, president of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Montgomery Advertiser reported Dec. 5 that companies had invested more than $1.7 billion in new industrial projects within the city over the past year. Buckalew noted that surge of investment when speaking to council members Tuesday. "Every single one of those (investments), those companies wanted to come and see that whitewater project. It’s already getting national and global attention," she said.

Reed and council members both said they plan to meet with project managers to clarify some details, including how tax collections will work and the level of participation by local contractors and minority business owners. But they voted to approve the additional funding with no dissenting votes, though Councilor Ed Grimes abstained.

"It’s always significant when your elected officials come together to support a project that will change the landscape," Sanders said. "That is the secret sauce that moves these things forward."

Brad Harper covers business and local government for the Montgomery Advertiser. Contact him at bharper1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: City, county pledge additional money for Montgomery whitewater park