City, Splash Down Water Park negotiate new lease agreement

By John McCallum Current correspondent

A Spokane Valley aquatic activities fixture is poised to make a return — even if it is only for a short time this year.

Splash Down Family Water Park has been drained of water and customers for over three years now, but new owners F.W. Holdings, LLC are hoping to change that soon. FW Holdings principal Brandin Olson purchased the 41-year-old water park in May, and since then has been busy trying to check-off all the requirements needed for opening — which are many.

Not least of these was entering into a new lease agreement with the city of Spokane Valley, who owns the land the water park sits on. The City Council unanimously approved the new agreement at its June 20 meeting, making some changes to an agreement signed in 2018 with the previous owners, New Splash-Down Concessions, that could prove more favorable to the long-term viability of the park.

“There’s a little bit of flexibility built in to try to allow him (Olson) to grow the business as best as possible, and of course keeping the privilege with the city to determine what’s appropriate and protect our interests,” Parks & Recreation Director John Bottelli told the council.

The park, which is located just north of the pool and splash pad at Valley Mission Park, originally opened in 1982 and was owned and operated by The Bleasner Group. Primary contact and shareholder Bill Bleasner originally entered into a contract to lease the land from Spokane County, renewing the lease in 2002 for another 10 years.

When Spokane Valley incorporated in 2003, the lease was turned over to the city, with Bleasner eventually selling the operation to

Geoff and Melissa Kellogg in 2005. In 2009 the city entered into a new lease agreement with the Kellogg’s that simplified payment terms, and in 2012 an amended lease agreement that reduced the annual fee from $43,000 to $20,000 due to changes in “local market conditions which neither party had anticipated.”

The Kelloggs eventually sold the operation back to Bleasner in 2018, who renamed the entity New Splash-Down Concessions. A new agreement with the city dropped the annual fee to $15,000.

The park was not able to operate in 2020 due to health restrictions imposed as part of combating the Covid-19 pandemic. The council waived payment of the annual fee because of the closure in 2020, and in 2021.

The park was not able to open in 2022 due to a number of factors, including vandalism to the facility, declining operating conditions and the death of the primary owner in 2020. As such, the council waived the annual fee while the surviving owners decided what to do with the park — eventually selling it to Olson and FW Holdings, LLC.

Olson was born and raised in Spokane Valley, and spent many hot summer afternoons with friends at Splash Down. Having relocated back to the area with his family, he said every time he drove by the shuttered facility he was reminded of those times and the role the water park could play in providing safe, healthy physical activities for kids.

He made some inquiries about purchasing the park, at first meeting with little results. He was finally able to contact and meet Bleasner’s daughter, Heidi Shutts, who was one of the principals in New Splash-Down Concessions, and a purchase agreement was eventually hammered out between the parties.

“It would be sad to see that place go away,” Olson told the council. “I think the Valley needs it.”

The new lease agreement provides several conditions that could help the park become profitable, and thus capable of remaining in business for a long period of time. First, it sets a scaled annual fee payment schedule of $1,000 in 2023, $3,000 in 2024, $7,000 in 2025, $10,000 in 2026 and $15,000 in both 2027 and 2028.

“If the business is doing well, of course we would look at taking a closer look at those numbers and potentially bring back a different base rental amount for the second (lease) term,” Bottelli said.

The agreement also allows F.W.

Holdings to provide services beyond those related to recreational water slide operations, after first seeking and receiving approval by the city. It would also allow Olson to request the city provide water service to Splash Down even if it has turned off such service to Valley Mission’s pool, allowing the water park to operate outside of the normal pool season.

Olson said when he took possession of the facility, he found it was in worse condition than the previous owners had anticipated. A lot of work has been done to repair the slide operations, including cleaning up graffiti and providing additional security.

“One night, we caught 20 people in the park,” he said.

Preparations to hopefully open the park later this summer continue. Olson said in a recent phone interview the repair work to the facility had passed inspection by city officials, and that arrangements for insurance were pending finalization of contracts.

While the summer swimming season is nearing its end, Olson said they were still hoping for the possibility the water park could still open, even if for a short period of time.