A report on a proposed floating inflatable water park will head to Essex Council Monday night.
Council could approve entering into a lease agreement with Aqua City at Colchester Beach for a term of one-year.
Talks began back in October 2022, when Aqua City floated the idea to the town.
The Town of Essex contacted the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) to see if a permit was needed for this type of activity. The MNRF approved the idea and said in order to proceed, a land use permission must be registered with the province.
Ward 3 councillor Jason Matyi says the town also required Aqua City to undertake a safety audit by the life saving society.
"That's like Canada's life guarding expert to make sure that everything was going to be safe and well placed for the users," says Matyi. "The people that are going to be able to enjoy this park."
He says Aqua City would pay the town 10% of sales for the first year of operation and the town would cover 50% of the Safety Audit including the initial land use permit through the Ministry of Natural Resources.
"We don't have a facility like this to compare what the actual revenue is going to be from it," he says. "So we're accepting a little bit of risk in paying for half of the safety audit, the application. It's expected to be less than $3000. I think it's well worth the amenity we'll be receiving from it."
Matyi adds while this is a great opportunity, he does have a few more questions that need answers.
"Parking in this area is a concern and a top priority," says Matyi. "I know we're working on some creative solutions for parking, so I would like to have these answers. And how it's going to look on our waterway. A lot of people like to come down to our beach as a gem and we don't want to clutter it too much."
If approved, all participants would be required to wear lifejackets, regardless of age and size, and no children under 5 years of age would be permitted.