Pez

Getting something in writing is a terrible idea for Kings Island. Why jump to a binding agreement? The man wrote an opinion piece in the local paper asking strangers to contact the Ohio department of agriculture on his behalf. From what I can tell, he's invested $0 in this. He has no appreciable leverage in the situation. Kings Island is doing exactly what they should be doing, ignoring him. If he manages to pull a rabbit out of his hat, deal with it at that time. Chances are this will all blow over and we'll have forgotten about it by next season.

The sound from tall coasters travel because it is above the foliage so the noise isn't baffeled. It will travel a lot farther because of that. Walls and trees probably wouldn't mitigate the noise very much. That said, Orion is a long way from any housing. There might be a handful of houses that could hear some rumbling. I heard faint rumbling when I kayaked the Little Miami so some of those houses with river frontage will probably hear it too. I would be amazed if they could hear anything inside their houses. In short, it seems Orion will inconvenience a few people in a very minor way. I find his call to action in his enquirer opinion piece distasteful. He is attempting to apply pressure to Kings Island because of something Kings Island paid his grandfather for. Kings Island would have almost certainly have paid a premium for the property very likely for the purpose of adding some distance to buffer sound. If his campaign is successful, it won't be good for us because it could mean restricting the rides operating hours. Mr. Taylor also complained that Cedar Fair didn't run their plans by the community. They don't have to. What if the community members said no? Then they would have a problem where none existed before. "We want to build a $30 million coaster that will greatly benefit our business and tourism in the Cincinnati area. Let's make sure Ken's on board!" Its absurd.

I have no sympathy for Mr. Taylor. His grandfather sold land for the park and could have negotiated for noise considerations. Concerns about noise would have been present 50 years ago. He apparently opted for the cash instead. Now a legatee two generations later bemoans he state of his inheritance. Kings Island is the only part of Mason east of the 71. All the surrounding residences are in Deerfield Township. Residents of Mason don't hear anything except fireworks. Orion won't change that. I am sure the Mason residents are more concerned with their own enjoyment of the park and it's tax, employment and tourism revenue than the noise concerns of a man who inherited what remained after his grandfather sold land to be used for the park's construction. Mason officials have every reason to accommodate Kings Island and no reason to do anything for Mr. Taylor. Mr. Taylor has an adequate remedy in court for a nuisance action. However, the fact he acquired the land from someone who sold a portion of the land knowing it was going to be used as an amusement park would seem to provide a formidable defense.

Wow Fryoj. You're one cynical lady.

I would like to see black supports with forest green track and orange trains for the section where it is going to run parallel to The Beast break run. That would really enhance the worst part of The Beast. Especially if they can make that section roar. I think that would really add to The Beast experience. Hearing an oncoming roar, looking over and through the trees catching a glimpse of something big and orange booking through the forest at 80-90 MPH.

The pedestals can rot in hell!!!

I saw them from Chipotle from about 8:45-8:50. I think they were just testing.

This is not legal advice, but recording a notice of commencement is required before the performance of labor or work. ORC 1311.04(A) (1). The notice expires after six years. ORC 1311.04(S). "2018, 2019 & 2020 Additions & Modifications to Kings Island Park" is a brief description of the improvement to be performed on the property. ORC 1311.04 (B) (2). It is supposed to contain sufficient specificity to permit lein claimants to identify the improvement. Id.

You might be right fryoj. My friend who works at the Warren County Department of Roller Coasters said if they don't have construction completed by midnight on December 31, 2020 ownership of the park reverts to Scooby Doo. I believe Kings Island has plans to build a Giga coaster because Mike Koontz made public the fact he asked the Cedar Fair Board for it. He wouldn't have mentioned it if he wasn't fairly certain it was going to happen. This is bolstered by the fact that they filed a notice of commencement with the county listing B&M as a contractor and B&M makes giga coasters. I don't think it will be a wing or dive coaster because Cedar Point has those. Holiday World also has a wing coaster. No other park in the region has a B&M giga so that would be the stand out addition. I am not convinced that Kings Island is committed to opening the prospective giga coaster in 2020 because of the filing of the notice of commencement. I don't know if that means the work of those contractors is expected to be complete by 2020 or if that was a list of contractors they planned to engage within the three year time frame even though their work may not be complete before the end of 2020. I am unaware of the legality present necessitating the filing. Personally, I give more weight to what Mike Koontz said.

GM Koontz told the crowd at coasterstock last year that he requested the Cedar Fair board invest in a Giga coaster for Kings Island in the next 3-4 years. That would put us at 2021-2022. The hype fence might not go up until next year. The soonest we could see land clearing is later this year. The markers would be out of sight so we might not be able to tell if anything is going on back there. I'm afraid the speculation will have to continue for some time. It does seem a bit out of character for Kings Island to rush the Firehawk demolition (complete with station removal), but taking this to mean construction is imminent is likely fallacious.

This article has me wondering if Cedar Fair has plans to get into the hotel game near Kings Island. The grass patch at the corner of Kings Island Drive and Western Row wold seem to be an ideal spot with easy freeway access with the new ramps. Other investors have already put up a new hotel off Kings Island Drive and then there is interest in putting in a campground so there must be data showing a demand for more rooms in the area. I expect the demand would not just be vacationers, but business travelers as well with the increasing investment in commercial facilities along Innovation Way. Something like what they are doing down at Carrowinds would seem a perfect fit.

I enjoyed the reds HOF grill when it first opened but it became less interesting over time. Sports bars have given way to breweries so this is a good direction. the ROHF grill predates both Chef Nate and Chef Major so its good to see them take "ownership" of the space. I expect the quality to improve as a result. I spend a lot of my free time at the local breweries and they are surprisingly family oriented and it is common to see kids in them. I never would have thought to take my kids to a brewhouse, but millennials think differently. Kid friendly is a requirement for Kings Island so there is definitely a pattern to follow to make it work.

I am not so concerned about the conference call. Missed second quarter earnings would not lead to the abandonment of a multi-million dollar asset within a few months. The removal is more likely related to the work Kings Island contracted with B&M to perform, maintaining the park at the right size considering the new addition and location of the new B&M coaster.

Doesn't the term "Flagship" imply that there can be only one? I don't see Kings Island overtaking Cedar Point in any key regard, so Kings Island does not have the ability to become a flagship park.

They could transform KillMart to support the ride. They could run a track right through it or use it as a garage. The cinderblock appearance of the building is a bit of an eyesore. Hopefully they will correct that somehow.