On any given day, there are 1,000 construction workers at the OWA site, according to OWA Marketing and Public Relations Director Kristin Hellmich. That, alone, describes the magnitude of this …
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On any given day, there are 1,000 construction workers at the OWA site, according to OWA Marketing and Public Relations Director Kristin Hellmich. That, alone, describes the magnitude of this project.
So, what has happened since the name has been announced?
“We have started pouring foundations on the theme park for all 21 rides and those are pretty far along with completion,” Hellmich explained.
Construction has also started on the theme park support staff building and main entrance to the theme park.
The Downtown District in OWA is also taking shape with building frames up and buildings being enclosed.
“They have continued to work on the 14-acre lake, as far as excavation and lining the edges of the lake,” Hellmich said. “They have also continued building the structures on the island, which are all new: the amphitheater, boat house, and you can see the hotel is very close to completion and the city of Foley’s event center as well.”
The underground infrastructure for the roadways in is progress, as well.
The theme park is located on the south end of the Downtown District and is the only part of the project that will charge admission.
“That’s a question we’re getting a lot,” said Hellmich. “Everything else in the project has no charge, including parking. Other areas, like the shopping and dining venues are open to the public to come and enjoy as they please.”
As far as the timeline for construction and opening, everything remains on schedule and unchanged.
“The theme park and about 44,000 square feet out of the 154,000 square feet of retail, dining and entertainment area will be open with tenants, which equates to about seven to eight businesses of retailers, restaurants and entertainment venues that will be open summer 2017.”
The island will be open and accessible, and the amphitheater will be open for concerts and events. The hotel is still on track to open in May.
OWA has employed several contractors over different parts of the project: Rabren General Contractors of Auburn is building the theme park; Rolin Construction of Atmore is building the hotel; White-Spunner Construction Inc. of Mobile is building the retail, dining and entertainment area; Cunningham Delaney Construction of Summerdale is working on the road infrastructure; IC Thomasson Associates Inc. are the electrical/plumbing and mechanical engineers; Rotolo Consultants Inc. of Slidell, Louisiana, are landscaping; TSI Inc. is supplying the Wi-Fi systems; STOA Architects of Pensacola is the architectural firm; and Zamperla is the Italian manufacturer of the theme park rides.
Something of note in this project is the entire area will have lots of green space and landscaping.
“We have employed STOA Architects and they have master planners in the field to make sure we’re putting in plants and trees and shade structures that are natural to the area,” Hellmich explained. “It’s going to be very lush, lots of natural plants, and tree materials will be used to help regulate the temperatures.”
Hellmich explained the way this project was designed was to give visitors a new experience around every corner and down every path.
“We coordinated with our designers and architects to make sure each path you go down and the turns you take allow for different experiences, each area has very unique characteristics,” she said.
One of the frequent questions OWA gets about the project is about the hiring process. As far as construction, OWA only hired the general contractors, who then have their crews. Right now, only a few jobs are posted at VisitOWA.com, and applications are only being accepted online for those posted jobs.
“Mass hiring for positions will take place in late February/early March,” Hellmich said. “Our human resources department plans to host job fairs as well as go into the communities, colleges and high schools.”
Another question that comes to OWA a lot, is the price of ticket sales. The pricing for tickets won’t be rolled out until later in the spring.
Although there is a lot of dirt moving, rides coming in and going up and buildings taking shape, OWA is continuing to work together with the city and all city departments to ensure the project continues to improve the overall quality of life here in Foley.
