Residents of Adams County, home of the Gettysburg National Battlefield, were deeply divided last year over a plan to build a glitzy slots casino in Straban Township, about a mile north of the historic Civil War battlefield.

So how will people react to a plan to create a large indoor water park and hotel on open farmland in Cumberland Township, four miles south of the battlefield?

Developers Pete and Peg Califano, owners of Cali Entertainment, think they'll get a much better reaction than did the developer of the now-abandoned casino plan.

The project, to encompass about 164 acres, is still in the early stages and many details, such as the total cost and start of construction, aren't known yet, Mrs. Califano said yesterday. Plans call for an 85,000-square-foot indoor water park, similar to Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos and Splash Lagoon in Erie. The water park would be connected to a hotel with 400 suites, a 7,000-seat indoor theater for concerts and shows and eight acres of well-manicured gardens and fountains.

Cumberland Township would have to change its zoning law to permit an amusement park in the area, now zoned for mixed use.

One member of the township's planning commission, Jim Paddock, said he is glad the amusement park will be enclosed, which will to hold down noise, but he is concerned about a 30-acre site to be used for parking for water park guests.

"It would be a sea of parking," he said, which could increase congestion on local roads. He also is concerned that the project could lead to further development in the historic rural area. Mr. Paddock was against the proposed casino.

Mrs. Califano said she thinks most people will welcome the project. "We are not coming in with anything gaudy," she said. "It will be a beautiful facility where families can relax. They can take in history at Gettysburg and then come to our park. It will be a destination."

The planning commission will discuss the project further at a meeting Thursday.