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A $25.3 million water park is under construction at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville.

The system development charges have been paid, the building permit has been issued and the support structure is currently under construction. Next up, the 190-ton, 225-foot-long Evergreen International Aviation 747-100 airliner will be lifted and placed in its new home as the centerpiece of the water park.

The museum paid $225,200 in system development charges for the water park, $150,700 of which is being ear marked for future sewer system improvements by the city, said Doug Montgomery, McMinnville planning director. The remaining $74,500 will go to future transportation infrastructure improvements, he said.

Hoffman Construction of Portland is the general contractor on the project. They hope to place the plane into its final resting spot by the end of May.

All of the water slides for the water park will be built around the plane once it is set. Each slide will start in the plane and end in a pool below. The pool will be surrounded by educational information and activities that deal with buoyancy and the differences between air and water.

In addition to the 60,000-square-foot water park, the museum will also be adding a new 90,000-square-foot lodge with 90 rooms, conference space, a wine bar, a restaurant and a gym. The water park is slated for completion in spring 2011.