Some local businessmen are leading the effort to look into bringing a theme park to the City of Sanford.

H. Allen Mapes, owner of H.A. Mapes Inc. motor fuels in the city, is throwing his support behind funding a study that would look into the possibility of siting a theme park in Sanford. He is joined by Bill Underwood, who retired to Sanford but previously worked in travel and tourism in Pennsylvania. Underwood is a member of the Sanford Downtown Legacy economic restructuring committee.

In a recent interview, Underwood said that he had been thinking more and more about the idea, and contacted Fred Cochrane and Larry Wyatt, both consultants in the theme park industry. Wyatt has been involved with projects like Six Flags, Lego Parks and Daytona Speedway, while Cochrane has worked with Disney and in golf, ski and water-oriented resorts in the United States and Canada.

The study will cost $35,000, of which the city has contributed $5,000. Mapes and others have also made contributions, putting the study fund at $30,000. We hope the additional $5,000 will be raised soon to kick off the study, and hopefully bring a park to the city.

Anyone who has visited Funtown Splashtown USA or Aquaboggan, both in Saco, knows that the water parks are packed all summer long, and the businesses contribute to the tax base while also providing jobs to local youth and students on summer break, as well as those with summer work visas.

A theme park in Sanford would likely be a great draw to those who live in the western and southern part of county as well as New Hampshire, not to mention tourists.

And surprisingly enough, theme park revenue is on the rise nationwide. In a May 30 Bloomberg Businessweek article by reporter Christopher Palmeri, he wrote that the theme park business has recovered from the recession much faster than other leisure pursuits, citing that revenue for U.S. parks is expected to break another record this year, at $13.4 billion, a 2.8 percent increase from 2012. Palmeri wrote that revenue is expected to climb an additional 2.4 percent annually through 2017.

This makes sense because a day at the theme park ”“ although costly for a family or four or five ”“ is certainly cheaper than a week-long vacation with hotel stay and travel. Many people have cut their vacation destinations to shorter distances to save on gasoline costs while also doing more day trips and long weekends. A day at a water park or Six Flags-type of park will keep children busy from open to close, and after the cost of admission, children are free to take as many trips down the water slide or turns on the roller coaster as they’d like.

A theme park in Sanford would likely be a destination for many area residents as well as tourists, and could help the city increase its appeal, as other cities in the county are also working diligently to grow their piece of the tourism pie. Sanford needs to get on board and work to draw more people to spend their time and money in the new city.