CANTON, Ohio — Those looking forward to diving into the Gameday Bay Waterpark at the Hall of Fame Village in Canton, which had been slated to open this year, will have to wait a little longer.
During a conference call with investors on Thursday, Hall of Fame Village President and CEO Michael Crawford announced that construction on the waterpark and the Hilton Tapestry Hotel has "slowed," with the opening now projected to be in 2025.
"Why has it slowed? Because as we've always said, we will not overextend ourselves. As we complete the financial capital stack raise, we will continue to more aggressively pursue construction." Crawford explained.
While foundation and site work for the hotel has been done, Crawford says equipment is sitting in the water park's parking lot, preparing to be installed. The Hall of Fame Village has also released photos of some of the progress inside Gameday Bay Waterpark.
In December, Hall of Fame Village announced that the 144,000 square foot waterpark would be called Gameday Bay, bringing together "the exhilarating elements of sport alongside all the fun of a waterpark.”
“The waterpark is being built with the latest state-of-the-art technology and will include sports-themed ‘zones’ as well as very large jumbotrons that will be within all views, placed so fans never are far from watching their favorite team," according to a press release.
Some of the attractions include a water slide tower, lazy river, wave pool and a family friendly “fun zone” for young fans. There will also be an adult swim-up bar “with TVs galore for gameday fun with friends and family.”
Resort officials said at the time that the waterpark would make its public debut at the end of 2024.
"While disappointing that I don't believe we'll have it open by the end of the year, a few months later in '25, we hope to have this asset open, ready to roll, and having a great experience for our guests," Crawford stated.
Other Hall of Fame Village news
Despite the construction setback, Crawford still had other positive things to report to shareholders during the conference call.
Hall of Fame Village welcomed 3.1 million visitors in 2023, with Crawford adding that the projection is for that number to increase to between 3.5 and 3.7 million this year.
Also, Hall of Fame Village has settled a bitter, multi-year dispute with former naming rights holder Johnson Controls.
In 2022, Johnson Controls claimed the resort was in breach of its payment obligations for their technology and service agreement and owed $4.75 million.
Crawford told shareholders that the two sides went to binding arbitration after an unsuccessful mediation. "Our team did a very good job laying out our case," he explained.
In the end, the resort was awarded $2.87 million, covering fees and costs of the arbitration.
According to Crawford, not only did the arbitrator's decision prove that "we were right," it also eliminated a significant financial obligation of "hundreds of millions of dollars" that the resort would have had to provide Johnson Controls over the course of its multi-year deal.
Previous Reporting:
- Big changes coming to Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton: A closer look at the expansion
- Pro Football Hall of Fame planning multimillion-dollar upgrade in Canton
- New details revealed for football-themed water park coming to Pro Football Hall of Fame Village in Canton: Name announced as Gameday Bay
- New football-themed waterpark coming to Canton: First look at new image renderings amid groundbreaking ceremony at Hall of Fame Village
