Reopening Lake Dolores Water Park Is Only A Wet Dream

The Lake Dolores Water Park later operated as Rock-A-Hoola Water Park before its final three short seasons as the Discovery Water Park.

Proposed Oasis Theme Park is a mirage.

August 23, 2013

      The reopening of the former Lake Dolores Water Park northeast of Barstow, California, appears to be on the horizon in an article published last May 6 in the Desert Dispatch; and the day before in the Daily Press.

      The article titled 'Reviving Lake Delores' [sic] raised new public hope and expectation that the former water park would be reopening soon under the name Oasis Theme Park.  The park has operated in the past under the names of Lake Dolores Water Park, Rock-A-Hoola Water Park, and the Discovery Water Park.

      The Desert Dispatch's news article references the promoter's website that has a January update posting for "1/26/2013  Opening for business this year!  How is that for an update?"

Spike Lynch

      Of local involvement is Newberry Springs resident Spike Lynch, a regular to the park's location in recent years.  Lynch has had a jinxed relationship working for some of the park's wannabe saviors and their flopped projects; including a housing project that trusting investors lost hundreds of thousands of dollars on.

Aerial view of the late Lake Dolores Water Park.

      The May 2013 article in the Desert Dispatch is about an entrepreneur who wants to reopen the site as a water park.  The principle behind Oasis Theme Park is Christopher Jackiewicz.  Jackiewicz was living in the Seattle area a few years ago when he first learned about Lake Dolores.  The idea of reopening the water park became an obsession of his.

      Working for a major charter bus company allowed him to have his job reassigned to Las Vegas where he moved his family to, and where he has since lived.  His work has been with Coach America as a bus driver ferrying rail crews and others.  His young family has just had their second child this month.  Living within a couple of hours drive of the project site has enabled Jackiewicz to better focus on his proposal.

      Despite the hoopla over the reestablishment of a Rock-A-Hoola-type recreation water park, it has been clear to the Newberry Springs Community Alliance since 2011, when the Community Alliance worked some financial proforma numbers on the feasibility of the project, that the water park project will never happen.  Jackiewicz clearly has an awesome entrepreneurial spirit and has demonstrated amazing drive, but he lacks the wherewithal to make it happen.  Nor can it realistically ever happen.

      The original water park was right for its time, but its operation is no longer sustainable in today's market.  Lake Dolores originally opened in an era where it was the first.  There were no other commercial water parks competing anywhere in the country; Lake Dolores had a true monopoly.  Today, the California Southland and Las Vegas has dozens of water parks of various sizes competing next door to their market share.  The proposed remote Oasis Theme Park is no longer a financially viable project.

Property Title History Of The Land Click to enlarge in a separate window.

      In the last few years, the fluid property title has changed multiple times among investors and a bank.  As of June 13, 2013, the title is with a company called G & GF Enterprise, LLC; an enterprise of Om P. Garg based at a residence in Irvine, California.

The property site is being listed for an asinine price of $7.9 million for 276 acres.  Somehow nearly everyone who is associated with this property appears to be unrealistic.  For such a pricey listing, the realtor should at least get the park's name spelled right.

      Jackiewicz is attempting to peddle his dream to investors based upon nostalgia and photographs of a packed water park filled with people idyllically floating down a "Lazy River" of concrete canals shaded by groves of palm trees.  The photographs of the past however are not representative of today's market.

      This is not to say that Jackiewicz is trying to do anything intentionally deceptive.  He just doesn't have the personal ability to crunch numbers and prepare a proper business plan that encompasses the full financial costs of operating a part-time water park in the distant outskirts of Newberry Springs.

      A proper business plan would reveal to him that the investment required to build, and the cash flow necessary to operate and maintain his nostalgic dream, is not sustainable.  A renewed water park would be a financial sinkhole.  That is why the park is not operating today; the previous professional operators saw their market share vanish as new water parks opened.

The coma is over! Dreamers of the water park's revival need to wake up.

      Jackiewicz is expected to continue to dabble-along fishing his project with the hope of hooking that elusive big sugar-daddy investor.  However, without the bait of a stronger project and a proper business plan, it is extremely unlikely that he'll get a nibble.  Nor should any more people lose money on the property.

      The reality of the water park remaining closed might be finally dawning on Jackiewicz.  Jackiewicz says that he has temporarily turned matters over to Spike Lynch.  Such would be analogous to throwing-in the towel on the water park dream.

      The property last sold for about $1.5-million.  The property is currently being listed by various brokers for $2.5-million to $7.9-million according to Jackiewicz.  Some of the squirrelly listing prices may be rollovers from previous owners.  In 2010, the property was being listed for yet a different price.  (147KB PDF)

      The current owner appears to want to 'flip' the property or deal with anyone with a solid proposal.  One current thought, says Jackiewicz, is to bring the buildings up to code and hold concerts.  Such an operation would likely foster permit opposition from law enforcement and the neighboring community of Harvard.  Another idea is that of a RV park.

      The Daggett Triangle needs entrepreneurial spirited dreamers capable of materializing ideas into true full time jobs.  Not the publicizing of empty proposals that bring job starving people rising hope; and then to climax into another crushing disappointment.

      There are rock solid opportunities for large investments in entertainment inside and immediately outside of Newberry Springs that would bring the local communities benefit.  A water park is not one of them.

Related Youtube video: A visit to the park.

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