The most unique part of the project is the indoor ski park, Dooner says. There are 40 "snow domes" worldwide, mostly in Europe and Asia, and no such facility in the US, though one is planned as part of Mills Corp.'s Meadowlands Xanadu development in New Jersey. Dooner says the one in Vegas likely will be in partnership with X-Leisure, a UK-based company run by a former Disney alum that has developed Xscape-branded facilities in Milton Keynes; Castleford, Leeds; and Braehead, Glascow.

As for the location, Dooner isn't being too specific until he closes on the land, most of which is already under contract. All he's willing to say now is that the land is located along Las Vegas Boulevard, south of I-215 and north of St. Rose Parkway.

The investor group spent a year analyzing the needs of Las Vegas both from a tourist perspective and a local's perspective. "Wet-N-Wild, because it was on the Strip, only drew 13% locals, the rest were tourists," Dooner says. "Having our facility somewhat away from the Strip but close to I-215" will make it more accessible to the region's 1.8 million locals, he says, and having hotels on site will help attract the tourists along with cooperative deals with resort casinos that don't have major water features.

The resort's atmosphere will be Disney-like, with characters, musical bands and other entertainers roaming the grounds. Retail and restaurants will be spread throughout the park. The arena will seat 5,000 for concerts and sporting events. The casino will have a tropical theme. The water park and indoor skiing and snow play area, called "Snow Dome," each will have its own themed, 600-room hotel. Dooner says one of the cool technology features of the resort will be radio frequency wrist bands tied to a credit card or hotel so guests don't have to carry cash or credit cards around with them at the park to purchase food.

The water park will cover 30 acres and have several different themed areas. Luxe lagoon, the main entry and central hub, will include a giant wave pool and indoor beach, water slides and rivers wherein guests can float to other areas, such as Painted Desert Oasis, which will mimic Bryce Canyon National Park and include water slides, swirling pools and private cabanas; Survivor Island, a South Seas-themed area with beaches, pools, and water adventures; Glacier Bay, a family area with cold geyser fountains, mini slides, a pint-sized inner tube river, and squirt gun stations; and Riviera, a 21-and-over area with a beach, pools and hot tubs, a fine restaurant, bar and dance club.

In addition to Dooner, project participants include:

• Las Vegas Wet LLC co-founder Greg Stevens, the founder of S&G Management Group LLC, a consulting and management company focused on the entertainment business.
• Kelly Horton, co-founder Proteus Creative, a 20-year veteran of the high-tech industry, managing customers, projects, and programs for such firms as Sun Microsystems and Mentor Graphics.
• Harrison Price, retired founder of Economic Research Associates, performed the original feasibility study for Disneyland and has advised on many major theme parks developed over the past 50 years including all those of Disney and Universal Studio.
• Fred Cochrane, the financial analyst performing the feasibility study, co-founded ERA with Price and has been providing financial advice to theme parks since 1962.
• Thinkwell Design and Production, a Burbank, CA-based company that specializes in the turnkey design and production of experience-based attractions, exhibits, live shows and environments for the likes of Harrah's, MGM, Nike, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Universal Studios, MasterCard and Sesame Workshop.