The proposal is in the hands of the Millcreek Township Zoning Hearing Board because it would require a variance.

Two of the oldest and least popular water slides at Waldameer Park & Water World could soon get a big upgrade.

Park President Steve Gorman has proposed adding a colorful six-lane Rally Racer water slide to replace the two speed slides that now hold the spot along Peninsula Drive.

"The original-designed water slides were exciting back when water parks were pretty new, the late 1980s, but now they're not," Gorman said. "Many more slide designs have been developed that are much more exciting. It's just time to upgrade."

The total cost of removing the old slides and installing the new one is expected to top $2 million, Gorman said.

The project is in the hands of the Millcreek Township Zoning Hearing Board, which will hold a hearing on Gorman's proposal on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The new slide would require zoning variances to allow for a new 46-foot-tall tower, a 42-foot-tall segment of the slide and slide loops that would encroach 16 feet into the 30-foot setback requirement from the property line.

Gorman said he plans to attend Wednesday's meeting. He's waiting to start the project until he's sure the variances are approved.

"We understand the process and we think that we'll get approval," Gorman said.

If the project is approved, construction could begin in the fall of 2019, with the goal of having the slide ready for the 2020 season, he said.

As of now, there is only one Rally Racer slide in use worldwide, said John Collins, the marketing creative director at Proslide Technology Inc. Gorman said he has worked with Proslide, a Canadian company that designs and manufactures water rides, to fit the new slide in the available space at Water World.

The first Rally Racer slide was installed at Hersheypark for the 2018 season, Collins said. By 2020, he said, there will probably be a few more Rally Racer slides in use, but Waldameer will still be ahead of the curve.

"2018 is the debut of one (Rally Racer), 2019 is three to four, and 2020 we expect these things to start to go viral," he said.

The new Rally Racer slide would allow up to six people to slide headfirst on mats, racing through tubes and around curves. Riders will complete a full loop inside an enclosed portion of the slide before reaching an open section, which allows racers to see where they stand in the competition to reach the bottom of the slide.

The ride's capacity will help with the goal of keeping lines short, park owner Paul Nelson said.

"We want to perfect not having real long lines," Nelson said. "We have a big variety of water slides and we try to keep our waiting time never over 20 minutes."

The slide would be the latest addition to the park's Water World expansion, which included the construction of a massive wave pool that opened in 2015 and other attractions. A new CannonBowl waterslide was added to the offerings at Water World in 2018.

"It's been fantastic," Gorman said. "Our Water World attendance has grown significantly and we're drawing more people from farther away out of town."

In 2019, visitors can expect to see a larger relaxation pool that could hold as many as 130 people. Water World's current hot tub, located in the older area of the water park, can only hold 42 people, Gorman said.

And the amusement park will welcome Chaos, a new pendulum ride that will spin riders in several dizzying directions.

The additions are part of a 10-year plan to alternate improvements at the water park and the amusement park, with the eventual goal of doubling the park's capacity and growing Water World's footprint, Nelson said.

"We're not planning it for today or tomorrow or the next day," Nelson said. "We're doing a 10-year plan so that we know where we're going and why we're going."

Watch video of a live tour at Waldameer and Water World this summer:

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Madeleine O'Neill can be reached at 870-1728 or by email. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ETNoneill.