Today’s ribbon-cutting of the Lions Water Adventure Park is a total team effort.
But this much is true: Without the extraordinary vision of people like Bill Ellis and Danny Rice, there’d be nothing but a closed factory sitting on the land where tens of thousands of visitors will glide down waterslides and float on a lazy river over the next few months and years.
The water park is an extension of a vision Ellis had, which includes the state-of-the-art Woodmen Community Center. For years, Ellis, as the director of the Kinston/Lenoir County Parks and Recreation Department, has led the best recreation department in North Carolina — regardless of city size.
But he wanted more for the children of Kinston and Lenoir County. Ellis envisioned something Kinston didn’t have — a YMCA-type facility the masses could use to help them get into shape and something this community would be proud to call its own.
With the opening of the WCC (which former Free Presser Justin Hill says should be called “The Dub” in much the same way a YMCA is simply called “The Y”), Ellis achieved that goal. The Dub (thanks, Justin!) is miles ahead of schedule in paying back its loans as hundreds of Lenoir Countians have joined a facility that frankly has no peer in the Tar Heel state.
Somewhere along the line, the idea of adding a water park to The Dub’s campus came up — and like most of Ellis and Rice’s ideas, it was genius. Not only does Kinston have the best workout facility in the state in the Woodmen Center — which earned its name thanks to the hard work of Woodmen National Chairman Danny Rice — it now has the largest water park east of Greensboro, with the potential to grown exponentially if the demand calls for it.
As you know, you can’t make everyone happy, especially those who didn’t want The Dub and the water park built in the first place. “It uses public money!” some complained. “It’s going to drive other gym owners out of business,” whined others.
And while I’m a fiscal conservative, there’s nothing this town needs more than attractions to bring people to Kinston. In its first few months of business, the WCC has already been doing it, and — folks, get ready — the Lions Water Adventure Park is going to do the same. If my tax money has to support something, I’m all for it supporting entities that bring folks to Kinston, where they’ll spend their money.
Besides, those folks who like to whine (you know who you are!) need something new to complain about — like the traffic that’s going to be backed up getting into and out of the water park. You certainly can’t whine about how well this money was invested or that other gyms are losing business.
Bill Ellis and Danny Rice are arguably two of the most humble folks you’ll ever meet; like good coaches, both deflect all praise to others. And they should — without hard-working and community-minded folks like Sue Ellen Maddux, Joel Smith, Bill McMahon, Lynn Blake and Ray Amyette, it’d been almost impossible for us to be celebrating the ribbon-cutting of the Lions Water Adventure Park today.
But without Bill and Danny, it would never have happened … period.
Thank you, gentlemen.
You can reach Bryan at 252-559-1074 or at Bryan.Hanks@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at BCHanks.