Lake Winnepesaukah officials announced Wednesday they will add a five-acre water park to the already 100-acre amusement park by next summer.

“People in our area have been bringing their families here for years, so we're excited about adding something to keep enticing people to our park,” said Talley Green, public relations director.

According to Green, admission to the water park will be included in the current $26 unlimited ride ticket price.

“Everyone will be able to enjoy two great parks for one great price,” she said.

Green and her sister Tennyson Dickinson currently assist their mother Adrienne White Rhodes with the day-to-day operations of the park, which is located in Catoosa County.

The family park was founded by Carl and Minette Dixon in 1925.

The expansion, which is slated to begin this winter with the hopes of being open by Memorial Day, will take place on the west side of the park near the Cannonball rollercoaster.

“We have looked for the right opportunity to expand Lake Winnie and give our guests even more reasons to come back and more ways to have fun,” said Green. “It's a very exciting day for the park and for the community in both Chattanooga and Catoosa County.”

The multi-million-dollar addition is expected to feature a lazy river, wave lagoon, flume body slides, enclosed tube slides, side-by-side racer slides, and a splash park for toddlers.

Green said the plans also include covered and uncovered lounge seating, as well as additional retail shops and concessions.

Georgia Sen. Jeff Mullis of Chickamauga said the new endeavor will not only enhance one of the community’s most popular attractions, but would also provide an economic boost for the area.

“Economically it's great,” Mullis said. “Many families have been coming here for generations, and some people even met their significant others here. It's a great way to enhance the park's entertainment value. It's a great place to come for safe, wholesome family fun.”

With the water park also comes the opportunity for new jobs, Green added.

“The expansion is expected to create more than 100 temporary construction jobs and approximately 50 to 60 seasonal park jobs once it's all completed,” Green said.

The park currently has 24 full-time employees and annually employees about 250 seasonal workers.

The park's last major expansion was in 1960, which included doubling the number of rides and adding two of the park's signature attractions: the antique Carousel and the wooden Cannonball rollercoaster.

Christopher M. Jones is serving as the architect for the project. His previous projects include the Rapids water park in West Palm Beach, Fla., and the Cool Runnings water park in Negril, Jamaica.

Jones will work in conjunction with the master planning, design, and engineering that will be provided by the Aquatic Development Group that has built parks such as Six Flags, Dollywood, Disney, and Paramount Parks.