Mérida, Yucatán — The city has yet to hash out a purchase agreement with the Aquaparque’s owners, two years after a municipal lease expired.
The manmade water park was offered to the city at its market value of MX$27 million, and although the draft municipal 2015 budget includes a line item to purchase the Aquaparque, a standoff remains between the owner and city officials.
The land owners stated that after receiving no concrete answer after two years, they have now opened the possibility for others interested in this unique parcel in the southeast of the city.
The Aquaparque, unusual in the region for its above-ground water formations, was the first public park in Mexico devoted to water plants. It was built from the remains of an abandoned quarry in the 1990s and is today a recreational park with a manmade lake and canals that contain wildlife, and on dry land, walking trails, tennis courts and palapas with picnic tables. But the land is privately owned. Until two years ago, the city had leased the property.
After considerable storm damage, in 2006, it was rehabilitated under a professionally developed master plan establishing 16 ponds for water gardens, adding suitable trees and plants for each area.
In a region with no natural lakes or streams, the 37-acre park includes 15 acres covered with water year round.
Source: Sipse
