City of Liberal Release

With demolition of the Adventure Bay Family Water Park nearly complete, the Liberal City Commission has approved contract negotiations for design and build services with Hutton Corporation in partnership with Water’s Edge Aquatic Design for the design and construction of a new water recreation facility inside Light Park.

“We’ve listened to resident feedback over the last six months, and we’re excited to enter the design phase with experts who can put those ideas into visual proposals for the community to consider,” City Manager, Scarlette Diseker, said. “Our goal with this new space is to create a place for residents of all ages to enjoy water recreation activities, so we’re getting creative to maximize features while keeping the budget in check.”

The proposed facility concept includes a free-entry, unstaffed splash park space which can open as soon as temperatures are consistently above freezing along with a seasonally-staffed, paid-entry recreational facility featuring a lazy river and multiple recreational zones found in a standard water park. Funding for the project will be paid from the 1-Percent Sales Tax fund, allowing the project to be completed without the need for property tax increases or new debt expenses.

Hutton Corporation and Water’s Edge Aquatic Design will oversee the design and build of the facility. Hutton Corporation has a local office in Garden City and has completed design and build services for a wide variety of industries across the state and beyond since 1992. Water’s Edge Aquatic Design is also based in Kansas and has designed and engineered indoor and outdoor recreation facilities for 26 years. Water’s Edge project examples include Parrot Cove Water Park in Garden City and Long Branch Lagoon Waterpark in Dodge City.

“We are excited about this opportunity and look forward to working with the City of Liberal and the project team to create an innovative aquatic facility for the community,” Water’s Edge operations and projects manager, Brian Hill, said. “Public feedback was informative, and we are ready to incorporate what we’ve learned into the designs.”

“We are thrilled to partner with the City of Liberal on this unique and exciting project,” Andy Fahrmeier, Team Leader for Hutton Corporation, added. “Our team is committed to designing and building a high-quality aquatics park facility that will serve the community for decades to come.”

The goal for opening the splash park portion of the project is set for late Summer 2027, with the full water park facility being opened and operational for the 2028 season.

“We all want a water park that’s ready to go tomorrow, but we also know we can’t afford to cut any corners.” Diseker said. “Residents deserve a new space that’s well thought out and constructed properly to last for many years. We are excited to start designing and sharing ideas so we can show the community what they have to look forward to in the future.”