Silverwood Theme Park, in north Kootenai County, is on pace to complete the $15 million expansion of Boulder Beach before the waterpark section of Silverwood opens later this spring, says public relations manager Stephanie Sampson.

“It’s well on its way,” Sampson says. “Things are on schedule at the moment.”

The 4-acre development, which will expand Boulder Beach by 30%, is called Emerald Forest and will include several new attractions, the most visible of which will be the Eagle Hunt dueling waterslide, which is starting to take shape, she says.

StanCraft Construction Group, of Hayden, is the contractor on the project, and the Silverwood project team led the design with assistance of Architects West Inc., of Coeur d'Alene, she says.

Sampson claims that Eagle Hunt, with two lanes of riding chutes, will be the first “dueling watercoaster”” in the West, and at 925 feet in length, it’s already billed as the longest in the U.S.

Emerald Forest also will feature a kids waterslide attraction dubbed Salmon Run, which will have eight slides with twists and tunnels that range from 36 to 82 feet long, as well as a new splash pad.

A new food pavilion, Rapids Grill, will be a grab-and-go center capable of serving 1,200 guests per hour and is expected to reduce the time guests spend in food lines.

Emerald Forest also will have a quick-serve beverage outlet named Hook, Line, and Sippers.

The expansion will add 37 private cabanas to the park, including five group cabanas capable of accommodating up to 20 guests.

Silverwood officially announced the expansion in August after first hinting about it in a Journal of Business story last June in which park owner and founder Gary Norton described the investment in the upcoming project as more than the original cost of Boulder Beach water park. Boulder Beach debuted in 2003, about 15 years after Silverwood opened.