1st step taken for Bradley water park

BRADLEY – When the finished product is complete and when Bradley will be home to an approximate 2-acre indoor water park hosting swimmers, Monday’s move will seem like a distant memory.

The Bradley Village Board, by a 5-0 vote, approved a resolution authorizing the administration to move forward on about $10.5-million purchase of the glass and aluminum structure for the $75 million to $80 million indoor water park.

The village soon will formalize the contract with OpenAire Sales, of Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

The village likely will finalize the purchase contract in short order as they are moving quickly to beat the setting of Canadian tariffs which could come into effect as early as March 12.

The water park will be built on Northfield Square Mall property recently purchased by the Bradley Village Board for $6.5 million.

Mayor Mike Watson explained Canadian products could be hit with a 25% tariff on aluminum and steel products. Bradley is seeking to get the order made prior to the tariff enforcement.

If the purchase was made after the tariff was set, the tax would result in about a $2.5-million increase in the purchase.

“It’s a significant amount of money,” village finance director Rob Romo said. “We want to get this order locked in pre-tariff.”

“That’s why we are moving quicker. But it also means the water park is a reality. It now off to the races,” Watson said.

There has been significant discussion among many nations regarding tariffs on exported products. The discussion sharply intensified when President Donald Trump took office.

Trump is seeking ways to make it more difficult for countries to ship products here. Tariffs are simply a form of tax applied on imported products, as a way of protecting domestic industries.

In addition, tariffs can raise revenue and negotiate trade deals.

The problem for Bradley is that the makers of the water park products it seeks, all come from Canada.

If the order is made within the next couple weeks as expected, it would likely be ready for the spring 2026 when water park construction can begin.

If all goes as planned, the complex could be completed by late 2027.

The planned water park development could be one of the most significant public developments within Kankakee County’s history.

The project has been described by consultants as transformative, not only to Bradley, but the region in general.

Assuming all pieces fall into place, construction of the year-round, glass-enclosed structure could begin in about a year.

If constructed as preliminary designs have illustrated, this water park would be in the top 20 in the U.S. in terms of size. The actual water park portion of the project would sit on about 2 acres.

The park would be about 100,000 square feet when all areas are factored in, meaning some areas not for water use.

Financing for the development – which the consultants described as being on the top 10 national water parks – would come through government bond sales to be financed through a combination of Tax Increment Financing revenues, hotel taxes and business district taxes.

The park could accommodate 1,700 to 2,000 people at a time and draw patrons from a four- to six-hour drive, according to previous data points.

That travel radius would include locations such as southwest Michigan, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Des Moines, Iowa.

The park’s first year of operation is projected to have attendance of 410,550, and by 2037, the park’s 10th year, attendance could reach 479,448.