Posted: Thu, 14 May 2009 01:13 PM - 10,909 Readers

By: Joseph M. de Leon

The owners of the Volente Beach Waterpark are worried news of an impending bankruptcy filing might hurt business.

On May 4, Volente Marina Real Estate LLC — the parent company of Volente VIP Marina and Volente Waterfront LLC — filed for Chapter 11 protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s Western District of Texas.

Mark Taylor, an attorney with the Austin firm Hohmann Taube & Summers LLP, is representing Volente Marina Real Estate in the bankruptcies. Taylor said his client plans to use the bankruptcy process to restructure debt, and hopes to continue to operate as usual during the process.

The water park sits on a portion of Volente Waterfront’s 20-acre holdings, but the two businesses are under different ownership. Volente Waterfront is Volente Beach Waterpark’s landlord.

Jill Redmond, who owns the water park with her husband Rick, said their business holds a six-year lease and will not be affected by the bankruptcy.

“We have people calling us asking if we’re still open,” she said. “It concerns me when I hear on the news that we’re bankrupt, and that’s just not the case.”

The couple bought five acres on Lake Travis about 15 years ago, then built the water park.

“Unless you owned a boat or property on Lake Travis, it was really hard for a family to enjoy the water,” Redmond said. “I consider Lake Travis one of the best assets in Central Texas.”

They used to own the marina and the land the park sits on, but sold them several years ago.

These days, the Redmonds focus their attention on operating the water park for the summer.

The Volente Beach Waterpark offers seven water-themed attractions, a summer camp, private parties, a five-acre park with picnic areas available and two restaurants — The Sundowner Grill and The Blu Parrot.

The water park opened April 18. Hours are Sat.-Sun. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. through May 22. The park will open daily 10 a.m.-8 p.m. May 23-Aug. 24. The Blu Parrot is open year-round Sat.-Sun. 6 p.m.-midnight. For details, call 258-5109 or visit www.volentebeach.com.