The Pflugerville City Council agreed late Thursday to release management of Hawaiian Falls water and adventure park and will negotiate terms for Katy-based Typhoon Texas Waterpark to manage the park.

The council approved the action following nearly two hours of discussion behind closed doors at Pflugerville City Hall. The Pflugerville Community Development Corporation met with the council to discuss options on the future of the water park.

Amy Madison, PCDC executive director, said Typhoon has committed $4.5 million in renovations and other expenses related to managing the park. The park is expected to reopen in May 2017.

"With this agreement, we have successfully kept hundreds of seasonal jobs in our community and protected an asset that brings significant economic development benefits to Pflugerville," she said in a media release provided at the close of Thursday night’s meeting.

Mayor Victor Gonzales said the water park under management of Source Horizons LLC was not meeting the needs of the community. He cited the company’s inability to build a planned splash pad as one example.

"(Typhoon Texas) are going to bring new elements into the water park, some new and exciting rides that will be geared toward families and smaller kids," he said.

Gonzales said he was impressed by business partners representing Typhoon Texas. "I think they are very conservative; they’re very deliberate," he said. "They know what they’re doing in terms of development."

In terms of the viability of the water park, Gonzales said management played a role in the park’s inability to be a profitable enterprise.

"From my experience, with Hawaiian Falls in the past, is that I think that came down to operator experience and the fact that they didn’t involve a lot of things they said they would do," he said.

Madison said Source Horizons helped the city explore different management options for the water park.

"We’ve been looking at options throughout the year, and when Hawaiian Falls realized they wouldn’t have a profitable operation and we were unhappy, they teamed up with us to help," she said.

The company had failed to reneged on its monthly lease payments starting in October. Those payments go toward a loan by PCDC to Capital One bank for the property and facility.

Madison said Source Horizons had sent a private offering to Typhoon Texas, which became a catalyst for the city agreement. More details of the agreement will materialize as it is developed, she said.

The water park is set to offer new attractions, Gonzales said, and will include free parking. Fees for bringing in water coolers under Hawaiian Falls have yet to be determined under Typhoon’s management, a city official said.

On its website, Typhoon Texas said it will honor all season passes previously purchased through Hawaiian Falls. New season passes can be purchased for $69.99.

Typhoon Texas’ 25-acre water park next to Katy Mills Mall opened in May 2016, offering nine water rides and 30 slides, according to a Houston Chronicle report.

Editor’s note: This story was modified to state Typhoon has yet to decide whether to have fees for water coolers at the water park.