With a close vote in both bodies, the Fort Smith Board of Directors and the Sebastian County Quorum Court voted to approve “Parrot Island Water Park” as the name of the aquatics park now under construction at Ben Geren Regional Park.
The $10.9 million facility will include three bodies of water, a 500 foot lazy river and four water slides for a total footprint of more than 20,000 square feet. It is on track for a Memorial Day 2015 opening, and should be a larger facility than those recently opened in Rogers and Clarksville, Ark.
The closest larger water parks are in Branson, Tulsa and Little Rock.
Erie, Pa.-based American Resort Management was hired by the city and county to operate the park. Company officials recommended the “Parrot Island” moniker, but it was not immediately welcomed by the city. Most social media commentary opposed the idea, and Quorum Court Member Danny Aldridge said he was overwhelmed by constituents who opposed the name.
Most opposition was based on the name not having a regional connection, he said.
Fort Smith city staff recommended the Fort Smith Board approve Parrot Island as the name. City Administrator Ray Gosack said the named would create a unique identity because no other water park has the name.
City Director Philip Merry Jr., said he also heard from citizens who mostly opposed Parrot Island. He said other names recommended to him included “Fort Splash,” “Frontier Falls,” and “Marshal Islands” – with Marshal being a reference to the U.S. Marshals Museum planned for downtown Fort Smith.
Also opposed to Parrot Island was City Director Pam Weber.
“Parrots don’t have a connection to this community,” she said, adding that the Board shouldn’t “name a $12 million investment” something that does not connect to the community.
City Directors André Good and Keith Lau said they did not like the name, but also did not want to slow the process to market the facility for an opening in May 2015. Director Kevin Settle said he didn’t like the name but the Board should trust the marketing experts, allow the process to move forward, and not get caught up in a naming contest that could go bad.
Weber countered that seeking a new name doesn’t slow the process. She said the naming process could generate interest and marketing right up to the opening day.
“I think we can turn this into a big positive ... and create a lot of excitement with (a naming contest),” Weber said.
Eventually, the Board voted 4-3 to approve the name, with City Directors George Catsavis, Merry and Weber voting no.
The Sebastian County Quorum Court, which needed seven votes to approve the measure, voted 6-4, with one abstention. However, the abstention, according to rules of the body, is a vote with the majority – in this case giving the Parrot Island name its needed vote.