Mustang Waterpark at Lopez Lake to reopen with new owners

Buying a waterpark during the state's worst-ever recorded drought might seem like a curious business decision, but Arroyo Grande residents Nick and Allison Duggan say they are looking forward to the challenge of their latest purchase — Mustang Waterpark at Lopez Lake.

"There's just an excitement to owning a water park, you know," said Nick Duggan, as he and his wife, Allison, sat in the front office of the rural Arroyo Grande attraction while a flurry of renovations went on throughout the 3-acre park. "It's been a learning curve for us, obviously. We've been in business all of our lives, but never a water park-type operation."

The Duggans are in escrow for the water park, and the purchase is scheduled to close Wednesday. They declined to disclose how much they are paying for the park.

The couple said they were looking for a business venture that would allow Nick time to be with his wife and two school-age daughters and recover from a prolonged illness. They previously owned supermarkets in Australia, where Nick is from.

Then roughly five weeks ago, they learned that the previous owner, Chris Simpson, was not planning to reopen Mustang Waterpark, which has been open at Lopez Lake since the 1970s, for the summer season.

Though they were initially concerned about buying a water park when surrounding areas have implemented strict water-conservation measures, after doing some research, Nick said he found that the Mustang Waterpark was not a "water-waster" as he would have assumed.

"The water is always being circulated," he said. "You're not ever actually dumping water. Apart from natural splash and evaporation, you actually don't lose a lot of water."

The Duggans said the park stores and circulates about 22,000 gallons of water throughout its attractions, roughly the amount of water in a 16-by-35 foot rectangular recreational pool. It replenishes that water through groundwater wells once the water levels get too low, they said, not from the nearby lake.

After researching the water use, the couple decided to make an offer on the park, Nick said.

In the past three weeks, the pair have begun an extensive renovation at the more than 40-year-old park.

"There is not an inch of the place that we have not touched by now," Allison Duggan said.

The checklist for what had to be fixed before opening day was long: Re-fiberglass and resurface the two main slides for improved safety and speed; build new shade coverings; add new non-slip pieces to the pool steps; create a new menu for the snack bar, including adding a separate "candy bar"; update the bathrooms; reconstruct the decks; recoat the pools; replace all broken tiles; add a new UV filtration system on top of the existing system; build cabanas in the old Jacuzzi area for parents to relax at; and slap a new coat of paint on everything.

"When you see the work that is involved, it can get overwhelming," Nick said. "We had that overwhelming phase, but then as we did each step, completed each task, it just re-energizes you. When the slides got done, it was like, 'Oh, look what we've done.' I think it was that feeling that kept us going to continue it through."

In total, Nick said he expects that he and his wife will have spent close to $100,000 on park upgrades by the time it opens for the season on May 23.

The Duggans also have big plans for the park in the future: Though this year was meant to just keep the park open for customers, Nick said he hopes to add more attractions in the future.

"Next year, we really want to launch the park again under a different theme," he said. "This year is all about getting our feet wet, making sure our visitors are happy. But we really want to add some attractions. We are going to get some customer feedback and see what they want."

For more information, visit http://mustangwaterpark.com.

This story was originally published May 19, 2015 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Mustang Waterpark at Lopez Lake to reopen with new owners."