Street Considers Water Park in Fairmount Park

by KYW’s Mike Dunn

KYW Newsradio has learned that the Street Administration is quietly exploring the idea of building a water park with tube slides and surfing machines in Fairmount Park. Spearheading the idea is an investor who was acquitted in the City Hall corruption probe.

Mayor Street held a private meeting this week with the local investment firm J.P. McGowan, which wants to build a 13-acre water park in Fairmount Park:

“The idea is an urban water park.”

City Councilman Jim Kenney was among those attending that meeting:

“A water park is a place where families can go, and enjoy slides and water sports and lazy river pools, to lay on inner tubes.  It’s just basically family fun.”

Park Commission chairman Robert Nix says much more study is needed:

“To do something like this we would hold public hearings because it is a big change.  It’s a big impact.”

The investor pushing the idea in the meeting with the mayor was Denis Carlson.  He was tried and acquitted last year of lying to the FBI, part of the feds’ probe of City Hall corruption.