The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA —
Wild Adventures’ $4 million expansion of two new water slides and cabanas is more than an investment in the park’s Splash Island.
It is an investment in Valdosta-Lowndes County and all of South Georgia.
Anyone who thinks only Wild Adventures will profit from this expansion isn’t seeing the whole picture.
When Wild Adventures adds new rides and attractions, it prompts more people to visit the park. This means more people coming into our area, spending money not only at Wild Adventures but buying gas, eating at area restaurants, staying in regional hotels and motels, shopping in local shops.
Wild Adventures not only brings out-of-town and out-of-state dollars into the registers of other area businesses and establishments, it increases the amount of money coming into regional tax coffers. These tax dollars pay for any number of projects and services in our region.
In the past few years, parent company Herschend Family Entertainment has invested more than $10 million into Wild Adventures. The money funded the Wahee Cyclone water ride, the planting of trees and water jets to cool park guests, a renovation of the Cheetah roller coaster, the addition of three new rides, and now the new water slides and VIP cabanas to open in 2011.
In this dour economy, Valdosta-Lowndes County is blessed with such investments.
Two weeks ago, Valdosta State University began construction on a Psychology and Counseling Building, the first academic facility built in nine years. This building will likely attract more students to VSU. It is another investment that will not only benefit the organization making the initial commitment, but also holds the promise of further stoking one of Valdosta-Lowndes County’s chief economic engines.
These investments do not alleviate economic hardships in the region, but they may ease the burden. These projects demonstrate that South Georgia is a place worth the investment, a place that can attract people and will benefit from dollars from other regions.
