A groundbreaking ceremony for the Lake of the Ozark’s newest $350-million project, Oasis at Lakeport, was held Thursday afternoon off of U.S. Highway 54.
Developers expect to open the first phase, an 11-ride theme park with a climate-controlled 200-foot-tall Ferris wheel, by May 2025. They will then complete a 402-room Marriott resort and conference center by May 2026. Other plans include an indoor waterpark with a retractable roof, an amphitheater, and 200 new public boat slips.
Skyview Partners, Tegethoff Development and Brinkman Construction are the companies working together on the project. They expect to bring in 600,000 people yearly to the Lake of the Ozarks for more than just seasonal vacations.
“Our city typically is a season tourist area. This is going to be year-round, this is going to bring people down here in the Winter months,” Osage Beach Mayor Michael Harmison said.
Harmison said the project is based on values of “pro-growth, pro-economic development, pro-tourism, pro-community,” and expressed his excitement for what the project will mean to the community and the state of Missouri.
"Ongoing we will have 350 employees with over 20 million dollars in payroll that will in turn spend money in the local community. But obviously from real state taxes, personal property taxes, sales tax, hotel tax, the real biennial factors is the City of Osage Beach, Camden county, the entire lake of the Ozarks region and the state of Missouri."
Full buyouts of the hotel are already reserved by 25 conference groups, representing more than 150,000 overnight stays, according to Jeff Tegethoff, CEO of Tegethoff Development.
The attractions that Oasis at Lakeport offers are designed to appeal to ages “8 to 88,” Tegethoff said. He spoke about the importance of family and how coming to Lake of the Ozarks is a tradition for many.
“I think family focused entertainment at the lake and revitalizing the entire lake community with fulltime jobs, year around employment and to continue to see economic development happen here is really the inspiration.”
Harmison said the project, which is expected to create at least 300 jobs, is based on values of “pro-growth, pro-economic development, pro-tourism, pro-community,” and expressed his excitement for what the project will mean to the community and the state of Missouri.
Team members have already started some friendly competition with other attractions based in Missouri. The Oasis at Lakeport Ferris wheel will not only be 200 feet tall but will also be illuminated across the lake by 1,000,001 lightbulbs — one more lightbulb than the Ferris wheel in Branson.
