23 replies to this topic

[PKIDelirium]

Kentucky Kingdom reopening as Bluegrass Boardwalk in May 2013
http://www.wave3.com...alk-in-may-2013

Koch family approved to take over Kentucky Kingdom
http://www.wdrb.com/...entucky-kingdom

Holiday World Owners To Reopen Kentucky Kingdom
http://www.wlky.com/...108/detail.html

Kentucky Kingdom to become Bluegrass Boardwalk, reopen in May 2013
http://www.whas11.co...-140176113.html

Fair board approves lease of former Kentucky Kingdom, to be renamed Bluegrass Boardwalk
http://www.courier-j...grass-Boardwalk

[Mike Strobel]

That's great news to hear indeed. The only thing that worries me is how relationships between the Fair Board and the Kocks are going to hold up long term. Knowing how Holiday World has fared, I'm excited to see how Kentucky Kingdom can be spruced up with some TLC from the Kocks. I'm not too excited with the new name, but its not terrible either, so I'll live with it.

[PKIDelirium]

Lease Summary Points
http://www.wave3.com...-summary-points

We have a lease!
http://bluegrassboar...e-have-a-lease/

Press release:

Lease Approval moves Bluegrass Boardwalk closer to re-opening Louisville park in 2013
800 seasonal and 25 full-time jobs projected

Louisville, Kentucky (23 February, 2012) — This afternoon’s unanimous vote by the Kentucky State Fair Board to approve a lease with Bluegrass Boardwalk, Inc. moves the reopening of the 57-acre amusement and water park closer to reality.

“We can’t wait to get started!” says Bluegrass Boardwalk’s Dan Koch*. “We’ve got a lot of work to do to get the park reopened in just 15 months, but we’ll get it done. We’d like to thank the Fair Board for putting their faith in us and the community at large for their tremendous cheers of support.”

Following today’s lease approval, Bluegrass Boardwalk’s next steps are to secure financing and continue the application process for economic development incentives from Kentucky’s Tourism Cabinet. Bluegrass Boardwalk will not request public monies from the Kentucky Legislature.

Bluegrass Boardwalk’s plans are to invest $15-$20 million to reopen the park in May of 2013, with continued investment in future years.

“We’re bringing our business model of exceptional safety, cleanliness, friendliness and value for families,” says Natalie Koch. “That means free soft drinks, free sunscreen and free use of inner tubes.”

Bluegrass Boardwalk, Inc. is a partnership of four members of the Koch family in Santa Claus, Indiana: Holiday World president Dan Koch, his sister Natalie Koch, their cousin Kathy Kamp, and her husband, Michael Kamp, who is a General Manager at Holiday World. Dan, Natalie and Kathy are grandchildren of Holiday World’s founder, Louis J. Koch, who opened the park (originally called Santa Claus Land) in 1946.

Bluegrass Boardwalk updates will be posted online at http://BluegrassBoardwalk.com, on Facebook: http://Facebook.com/BluegrassBoardwalk and via Twitter: @BluegrassBwalk. (We use the hashtag #BB2013.)

[Tori Finlay]

I am seriously really excited for this. I love Holiday World, so much so as to make the 13 hour trek in some form there every summer for the last three years so I am extremely excited to see what they do with Kentucky Kingdom.

[Daniel Westfall]

Thanks for the info, PKIDelirium. We hope to give some really good coverage to this story, and hope that we get some good discussions going here.

[PKIDelirium]

Holiday World president talks about plans for KY Kingdom
http://www.wdrb.com/...-for-ky-kingdom

[steel-Rock]

I am looking foward to this. I already think I know where I am going next year,
but Ohio, southern Indiana, and Kentucky could fit into plans for 2014.

[PKIDelirium]

Photo tour of the park from last summer, photographed and written by a photojournalist friend of mine:

http://queencitydisc...walk-rises.html

[drachenfirebgw]

As many on other boards have stated, $15-20 doesn't seem like a lot, which makes me believe the goal at this point isn't to make many investments in rides and attractions, but simply clean up the park and get it running again. Though it'll be interesting to see what they do with the areas where rides and roller coasters were removed by Six Flags before the Fair Board really got involved in the the process of negociating terms of another lease with another operating firm other than Six Flags.

Interesting Holiday World put together a separate company to handle the financial operations of the park, and so on and so forth. I assume by this Holiday World is not jepordized and protected financially if the park flops. I'm sure there will be some transfer of money from Holiday World to the Bluegrass Boardwalk (hence the $15-20 million now). The park I think was really attractive to Holiday World because of it's location. It's location is close enough to make travel for management not too much of a hassle, it has a very strong water park, a huge draw in this day and age and that is something Holiday World definitely busy into, and not an overwhelming amount of thrills, which is good when promoting the park to families. Also, they have natural holes to fill after some of the ride departures, which gives expansion opportunities and the park isn't in horrible space for what they want to do with it.

Seeing those pictures leads me to believe there will be a lot of painting, brush work, and general clean-up before any attractions are installed or major plans are pushed through. I like that a level-headed, successful firm is managing and working with the not level-headed and absurd Fair Board. Should do the group well I assume to see how well the park can be run, well we hope at least. Excited to see what they will do to the wooden roller coasters with their track-record. I'm so glad they have their hands on Greased Lightnin' as well.

[steel-Rock]

Seeing those pictures leads me to believe there will be a lot of painting, brush work, and general clean-up before any attractions are installed or major plans are pushed through. I like that a level-headed, successful firm is managing and working with the not level-headed and absurd Fair Board. Should do the group well I assume to see how well the park can be run, well we hope at least. Excited to see what they will do to the wooden roller coasters with their track-record. I'm so glad they have their hands on Greased Lightnin' as well.

Yea, cleaning up seems to be the number one priority before anything new is added. I would like to see Twisted Twins up and running since I missed them in 2008.

[Vater]

Didn't miss much. Though I'm hopefully they'll be a bit more exciting once they reopen. On the other hand, while Holiday World does take ridiculously great care of their wooden coasters, I think a lot more than just retracking and other standard maintenance will be needed to make Twins a solid ride.

[Danny Miller]

Hey all, just posted a quick blog on this...feel free to check it out!

Enjoy

http://coaster-net.c...rass-boardwalk/

[Mike Strobel]

Well, Bluegrass Boardwalk is now dead.

http://bluegrassboardwalk.com/

It seems like a sad end to a park that was treated pretty bad since Ed Hart sold it to Six Flags. SF ran it into the ground and the board, who seems to know nothing about how amusement parks work, wouldn't let the Koch's work their magic with all the regulations and lawyers blocking them. If feel bad and good about this. Bad in how this ended and about the stubbornness of the Fair Board, plus in the Koch's failure seeing they were enthusiastic about this, but I feel good for the Koch's as well as they don't have to put up with the antics of the Fair Board any longer and can concentrate on making Holiday World even better.

Its a sad end to a park with so much going for it despite its faults. No one will touch this park now.

[Vater]

Just another example of how government control sucks the life out of private enterprise. Remember that this coming November.

[Mike Strobel]

Some more comments by Natalie Koch.

http://m.wdrb.com/default.aspx?pid=2705&wnfeedurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wdrb.com%2fstory%2f18805963%2fkoch-family-responds-to-bluegrass-boardwalk-decision%3fclienttype%3drssstory

So basically, the Koch's didn't want the hassle of working with government when making decisions that would take forever to get done while they can do things with more speed with a piece of land they actually own. While I applaud them for actually trying to make BB work, I do question their initial motive if they knew the weren't going to be able to own the land. They have been quoted as saying they do want to own a 2nd park.

[Tori Finlay]

I imagine that they thought it wouldn't be as much of a hassle as it had turned out to be. They probably were very optimistic going in.

[Daniel Westfall]

I've edited the topic title (hopefully things change and I'll be able to edit it again)

[SFMMCrazyPro]

That was a great Idea shattered into pieces... It's sad that it's still not open and so many great rides and attractions just rotting...

[MontagnaMagica]

Considering the huge boost it was to the city's economy, I don't understand the hesitence. It provided hundreds of jobs, a boost to the city's hotels and motels, and a boost to the surrounding business' popularity. Since the park is already (mostly) there, wouldn't it be more expensive to tear it all down, much less build something else that could even come close to replacing the lost jobs.

On the bright side, efforts to reopen the park are successfully making headlines, and hopefully swaying the city's officials. A recent rally held make the local headline news! Facebook users should "Like" the Save Kentucky Kingdom page, and also check out savemypark.com.

[Coasterholic14]

Because the Kentucky State Fair Board doesn't care about the jobs and boost to the economy, just the money they can make out of the deal. Anyone else realize that they keep saying they want "nothing more than to see the park open again" and yet they drove away Ed Hart AND the Koch family...some of the few people who have a proven track record and could likely revive the park. The Fair Board put so much red tape in front of them that both eventually got tired of it and gave up. Same thing nearly happened to the company that recently bought us out...the land and building were owned by someone else, and despite the huge benefit they'd get in selling it, they were making lease and selling terms astronomical to the point they nearly gave up (and we would have shut down). Even still they are only leasing and want to buy the land, who knows how long it will be before that happens. Bottom line is the Fair Board basically wants to reserve the right to change the terms of the lease whenever they want so they can make the most money possible...it's what drove Six Flags away, and has since halted Ed Hart and the Kochs efforts.

[Vater]

Exactly. The Fair Board wants someone else to pony up the cash and operate the park the way the Fair Board wants it operated. In other words, they want none of the responsibility. How is that a good deal for anyone but the board? Add to that the fact that everything in the park has been rapidly decaying for years and the deal is even worse. Honestly I'm not even sure why Ed Hart wants the place so bad. While it was disappointing to learn that the Kochs backed out of the deal, it was absolutely understandable.

[Mike Strobel]

Today is the deadline for operators to submit proposals to the Fair Board.

http://www.wdrb.com/...ngdom-operators

[Vater]

Here's a very interesting article with more specifics as to the dealings between Ed Hart and the Kentucky State Fair Board. It's a little lengthy, but it really brings to light not only the bureaucratic BS Hart has had to deal with, but a seemingly personal agenda against him having any part in reopening the park.

http://leoweekly.com/news/lost-kingdom

All of this leads one to wonder why the state has seemingly stonewalled Ed Hart and the Kentucky Kingdom Redevelopment Co. at every turn, preventing them from pursuing the amusement park’s reopening.

[Mike Strobel]

...and now the deadline has passed. (5 pm was the final time to submit)