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The Koch Family, initiators of Bluegrass Boardwalk (formerly Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom) located in Louisville, Kentucky, announced that the park's opening is delayed to 2014. The request was formalized to the Kentucky State Fair to modify the proposed lease.
The reason invoked by the Koch Family is the fact that after a preliminary study of the facilities and attractions with the help of the manufacturers, it appears that the work needed to restart the park will require more than 11 months, making an opening in 2013 highly unlikely.
“When the park was closed in 2009, needed winter maintenance was not been performed on the rides,” says Nathalie Koch, CEO of Bluegrass Boardwalk. “For example, pumps for the water rides were not removed for off-season winterization and inspection. Plumbing and structural infrastructure are in need of extensive repair. Buildings are damaged from leaky roofs. Rides are missing parts. The list goes on and on. We believe 75 percent of the rides will require significant overhaul following in-depth inspection by certified ride experts.”
The Koch Family can not work yet on the park facilities since the lease was not signed. It remains indeed some administrative steps to achieve, while a request for tourism tax credits is still pending approval of the local authorities.
Nathalie Koch adds : “We will begin work as soon as we have a signed lease. Until then, the clock is ticking and the park and its rides continue to deteriorate. Once a signed lease is in place, ride experts will begin detailed inspection. Only then will it be determined which rides will be open in 2014. We have not announced our ride line-up yet, but plan to do so in the fall.”
The Koch Family will invest $15-20 million in this project and plans to install several new attractions. They also project to hire 800 seasonal and 25 full-time jobs They are also the owners and operators of Holiday World & Splashin” Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana.
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Our Theme Park Supplier's News of the Week is a round-up of the latest news relative to companies supplying the theme park industry around the world. This weekly report covers topics such as corporate announcements, financial ...
The NewsParcs' Theme Park Supplier's News of the Week is a round-up of the latest news relative to companies supplying the theme park industry around the world. This weekly report covers topics such as corporate announcements, ...
Our Industry Roundup is a summary of the latest major news related to the theme park industry worldwide. We report news specifically on operators, owners, trade associations and related organizations, including trends, attendance...