I hate when I’m right.

In my last post about the waterpark, I hinted that the state might not be too keen on funding something eerily similar to WonderFalls.

Well, it appears I was right.

According to DiCienzo, the state won’t give him money since they want to build a waterpark.

What is odd is the fact that these two waterpark plans are very similar.

If you don’t know, both projects call for a waterpark with attractions named after local geography, like Devil’s Hole. 

Now, WonderFalls has been “in development” since August 2014.

DiCienzo says he can put shovels in the ground right now. He also says that waterparks to well when placed close to each other (which is debatable).

On one hand, Empire State Development is taking a very long time to make this WonderFalls project. The hotel tower and geologic surveys take forever, but the parts in the existing structure should have been done already.

On DiCienzo’s part, poaching the waterpark idea was not the best idea. That being said, DiCienzo is the most likely to get this done. He is a businessman, but if he expected roaring success, he wouldn’t be asking for aid.

I don’t know how to feel about this. If we want to see this done, we need to put pressure on the state (and the city). If we think that WonderFalls is enough, we need to push harder for an actual deadline on that.

Niagara Falls has had a history of dragging heels on projects. We practically torpedoed a mall project in the 90s, and the Niagara Experience Center has yet to come to fruition. 

Coming back to the waterpark debate, it’s fun to remember why the city might be resistant to funding this.

We had a waterpark. The city physically owned a waterpark they took over unpaid tax and water bills in the 90s. It cost the city a fortune. That leaves a pretty bad taste in one’s mouth.

What do you think about this debacle? Leave your opinion in the comments, I’d love to hear from you.

-Sheepie ❤