Waldameer's new $9 million water ride likely to miss opening-day deadline
Paul Nelson, the owner of Waldameer Park and Water World, was in no hurry for the summer of 2022 to come to an end.
On the heels of two disappointing seasons, this past year was a record-breaker. The weather was good, the crowds were large and, for the most part, the park was able to find the staff it needed.
More:Waldameer Park opens with high hopes for a return to normal
But there was a silver lining to the end of the season.
It meant work could begin on Waldameer's new $9 million water coaster, a 67-foot-tall ride that will use water jets to blast riders uphill.
"It's going to be a very thrilling attraction," Steve Gorman, the park's president, said in August. "You can go up and down and you will be intertwined with other existing slides."
More:After a record season, Waldameer is looking to make a $7 million splash with new attraction
Plans called for truckloads of materials to begin arriving at the Millcreek Township amusement park shortly after it closed on Labor Day.
And Nelson had hoped to have the new ride — which goes by the name RocketBlast on the ride maker ProSlide's website — ready when the water park opens on Memorial Day weekend.
But that seems unlikely. Months later, construction remains stalled near the starting line.
The problem is a familiar one. Waldameer can't get its hands on the steel, fiberglass and countless pieces of hardware needed to build its newest attraction.
Shipments of materials were supposed to begin in September, but five months later, Nelson estimates the park has received only half of what it needs. Some concrete has been poured for the ride's foundation, but not much else has happened.
In what's been a mostly mild winter, "We expected to have it half done by now and we've got maybe 10%," Nelson said.
That means the park's plan to open the ride on Memorial Day weekend won't likely happen. While the rest of the water park is expected to open by that date, Nelson expects the new ride might not be ready until mid- to late June.
Nelson knows that supply-chain issues are everywhere. For more than two years now, the auto industry has struggled unsuccessfully to catch up with demand.
But that doesn't mean Waldameer's 89-year-old owner is OK with the delay.
"It would be nice if this was easier," he said. 'They (the ride company) promised us the world, but the world is not coming to us."
ProSlide did not respond to emailed questions about the delay.
The Ontario, Canada-based company did report on its website that 2023 was likely to be a record year.
According to the company, "By the end of 2023, ProSlide will be on pace to complete close to 50 projects and commission almost 200 attractions around the world."
After putting new attractions on hold for the past two years, Nelson said he's been looking forward to something new.
"I am not happy," Nelson "I have never missed a (scheduled) opening in all the years I've been here."
Gorman, the park's president, prefers to look on the bright side.
"The positive part of this is I think we will be very happy when this is done," he said. "I think it's going to be a great addition to the park."
Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie's Waldameer likely to miss deadline for opening new water ride
