Bennetts back water park plunge

EAST COUNTY — Some of Richard “Rick” Bennett Jr.’s fondest memories were made on 180 acres of land off State Road 64.

He would sleep in tents with his friends and wake up to the sound of his grandfather, Tom, driving across the stretch of landscape in his “80-something” Cadillac, with a McDonald’s breakfast for everyone on the passenger’s seat.

Although Bennett spent his childhood on the quiet piece of property behind what’s now the Toyota of Lakewood car dealership, he is excited for a recent proposal that would turn some of the land into a water park.

The Manatee County Board of Commissioners received the first proposal for a plan to bring an estimated $20 million aquatic center to East County on Sept. 9, when the Central Economic Development Center pitched a water park proposal to commissioners.

Commissioners liked the concept and will soon accept proposals from other companies to place a water park at the property known today as Tom Bennett Park.

If a proposal is selected, a water park would likely sit on the 20 acres of land located next to the park’s playground and sand volleyball courts, Bennett said. Because of conservation easements that protect the majority of the land surrounding the park, the county can only offer the 20 acres for the project, Richard Bennett said.

“He would have loved to see this idea come about,” Rick Bennett said, while also adding that Tom Bennett hoped the county would create an area to house family activities after it bought the park in 2003.
To Commissioners Vanessa Baugh and Robin DiSabatino, the park means more jobs for East County residents, as well as pulling out-of-town residents to the area to work at the attraction or to visit Bradenton’s first water park.

“My husband said he wants to be the first in line,” DiSabatino said. “I think it would be a great tourist destination.”

Alison Hewitt, the executive director of the CEDC, the Bradenton nonprofit organization that proposed the first draft of a water park for the Cypress Creek Boulevard land, guarantees such a park would create more than 200 jobs.

“We (CEDC) have been talking to folks and have heard stories about being laid off and having a hard time finding work,” Hewitt said. “When we were looking at this area, we didn’t see jobs for those folks who had motivation and energy, but who didn’t have college degrees. There also weren’t a lot of options for companies that hire large groups of people. The CEDC was looking to see what kind of business would employ those people in this area.”

Hewitt also believes the project, regardless of the company that receives the go-ahead, will also help boost the revenue of local business owners near the area — a boost she believes the community needs in that State Road 64 sector of East County.

The CEDC plans to partner with Mims Construction and Austin Commercial on the project. Austin Commercial has worked with theme parks such as Walt Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando.

Funding has already been secured through partnerships for the project, Hewitt said.

If selected, the proposed park would feature a roller coaster, slides, child and teen activity zones and a wave pool and lazy river — two features currently offered at Adventure Island in Tampa.

The idea to bring a water park to Manatee County isn’t a new concept.

Over the last 10 years, the county has received several proposals for parks, but none materialized into anything tangible.

Should the county move forward, this RFP process would mark the first for a project of this type at the park.

A water park and sports facilities are etched on the master plan for the park the county drafted years ago, Richard Bennett said. The plan still hangs in Bennett’s office at Bennett Realty, located across the street from the park.

To Richard Bennett, who takes his own 10 grandchildren to the park, the water park is in line with his father, Tom’s, vision for the land he bought 35 years ago.

“He was big into family,” Bennett said. “He fell in love with this area and he would have really loved this project.”