WEST WARWICK -- A Nebraska developer wants to build a $100-million family resort here that would include an indoor water park where overnight guests could tumble down high-speed water slides, float along a lazy river or hunker down in a water fort.

The resort, called Shipwreck Falls, would be located inside a local business park and less than a mile from the site of the proposed casino.

Michael L. Day, president of Dial Family Resorts, the Nebraska company spearheading the development, said the possibility of a casino nearby was not a factor in site selection.

"It has nothing to do with why we chose West Warwick," Day said. "I don't care if [the casino] goes or doesn't. We have a totally different clientele." In November, Rhode Islanders will vote on a state constitutional amendment that, if approved, would allow the construction of a privately owned and operated casino in West Warwick. The $1-billion project, financed by Harrah's Entertainment, would include a casino, a 500-room hotel, five restaurants and convention space.

Representatives of the Nebraska development company have been talking to town officials about building a water park resort for the past six months, according to Town Councilman Peter F. Calci, who represents the ward where both projects would be located.

"It seems an excellent match from both sides -- business and residential," he said, pointing to the additional property-tax revenue and increased traffic to local businesses. "From the noise and project standpoint, it'll create less traffic and much less noise than the casino would hope to. I'll take 10 indoor water projects opposed to one casino," said Calci, an outspoken opponent of the casino. Residents will have an opportunity to hear about the water park resort Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The town planner and developers will be at Greenbush School to answer questions before the plan goes to the Planning Board for master plan approval Sept. 11.

The "nautical-shipwreck-adventure" themed resort would feature a 65,000-square-foot indoor water park surrounded by 347 rooms that could accommodate groups of six or more. There would also be an additional 28,000 square feet of convention space, a restaurant, family dinner theater,and a spa and fitness center, according to the company.

The water park would include nine water slides, a wave pool, a tubing ride and a "lazy river" for floating, as well as forts with spray guns, fountains, hoses and water-dumping buckets. An outdoor pool and large deck would also be open during the summer.

The company's plan to invest $100 million speaks to the level of quality and the type of customer the park will bring to the area, Day said.

"We won't have business guys staying there; these aren't people passing through," he said. "We're a resort."

Construction on the project could begin as early as the spring of 2007, with completion slated for spring of 2009, according to Day.

Dial Family Resorts is a division of Dial Companies, a firm that builds and manages apartments, hotels, warehouses and shopping centers.

If the West Warwick project is approved, it would be the company's second resort. Its first resort, Coyote Falls Lodge, is set to open in Sandusky, Ohio, in the spring of 2008.

The Ocean State, with its proximity to other New England metropolitan areas, is a perfect spot for a venture like this, Mark G. Brodeur, director of operations for the state Tourism Division of the Rhode Island Economic Development Commission, said yesterday.

"Not only will the hotel have a lot to offer, but it's within a half-hour drive of any point in the state," Brodeur said. "You can have the Rhode Island experience as well."

The only indoor water park in New England is the Cape Codder, a small-scale resort in Hyannis, Mass.

Earlier this year, Six Flags opened an indoor water park across from its amusement park in Queensbury, N.Y. The new park helped bolster the local economy, according to Todd Shimkus, president and CEO of the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce.

"The tourism numbers are down this year because of weather, gas prices and economic uncertainty," he said. "But they would have probably been down more if we didn't have this new attraction generating curiosity among people who want to come here."

Additional hotels and restaurants have sprouted near the park and a Wal-Mart down the street expanded its selection to include groceries.

"It put us on a different map in terms of where tourists might tend to go year round," Shimkus said. "I've heard from folks in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, New York City and parts south of New Jersey looking for info about the new indoor water park that just opened."

Hearing about plans for a similar resort in Rhode Island, Shimkus said he hopes the project never materializes. "I like the exclusivity of having the indoor water park of the Northeast in our backyard. I want to discourage competition," he said jokingly.

tbuford@projo.com / (401) 277-7378