The city of Pleasant Hill is looking into the feasibility of buying the White Water University recreation facility on University Avenue, which opened in 1980 but has been shut down for five years.

City Manager Don Sandor said the City Council on Sept. 14 will consider a proposal from New Mexico-based William Haralson & Associates for a market study. “The council decided (Aug. 31) that the first thing to do is see if it’s financially feasible, given the other water parks in the vicinity,” Sandor said. Aquatic centers opened this summer just up the road at Adventureland Park in Altoona and in nearby Ankeny.

Sandor said White Water owner Craig Smith of Pleasant Hill is asking $3.5 million for the property. The six-acre site includes water slides, a wave pool, miniature golf and a go-kart track.

If the market study looks positive, the city would likely engage the Snyder & Associates Inc. engineering firm to examine the facility’s condition. An appraisal of the property’s value would follow that.

“Initially, the council thought they would like to have it open for next season,” Sandor said, “but that’s probably not realistic at this point.”