Contractors have announced that work on a 10-acre water park next to Royal Cinemas in Pooler will begin this winter.
The estimated $10 million project will be the newest addition to the Pooler Towne Center, a rapidly growing area off Pooler Parkway near Interstate 95.
Construction teams are currently building a five-story IMAX addition to Royal Cinemas, and a separate roller-skating rink in the lot adjacent to Frames and Games bowling alley. Stefan Erkl, the contractor overseeing the projects, said the IMAX theater and rink will be completed in the next couple of months.
Two-and-a-half years ago, this land was a pine forest. Together with the owner of Royal Cinemas, Roy and Jay Patel are transforming the area into an entertainment complex filled with multiple attractions. The father and son own the 10-acre parcel where the new park will be built.
Erkl estimated the entire project is a $40 million investment, including the existing movie theater and bowling alley. Royal Cinemas’ IMAX addition is a $3 million dollar project and will feature a made-to-fit screen 40 feet wide by 70 feet tall.
The water park will be the “last piece in the puzzle” and “round out the project,” Erkl said. It will include a lazy river, waterslides and beach areas.
Erkl’s goal is to have the water park completed and opened for the public by April 2014. The plan also includes room for future expansion.
When the Pooler Towne Center is completed, visitors will be able to catch an IMAX movie, bowl and roller-skate and walk over to the water park.
“There are not too many places,” Erkl said, “that can offer all these attractions in one area.”