CoastersRZ

Yes, I agree. Xcelerator dryers all the way. Please remove the Dyson hand dryers. They are not as efficient as the Xcelerators, not to mention, how many kids I`ve seen wiping their hands ALL over the Dyson`s.

I agree. All the hype for this new attraction has been very reminiscent of the Jeff Siebert days. And it definitely gets people talking about the park and the new attractions.

Hmmm. $9 million seems like a lot of money to rehab a ride. How much are medium sized GCI rides going for these days? I'm sure a certain ride at a local park will surely be tossed out as a possibility for this...

Kind of disappointing in away. But I think they likely reached the point of no return. They had to make a decision, in order to have the ride ready for guests when they open for the season. And come 2012, they will have the latest Timberliner trains, instead of a prototype set. So all the bugs will have been worked out.

That article certainly paints a grave picture for Son of Beast. It makes me truly wonder if the ride will ever operate again.

How can they? They open for the season on Sunday, May 8th. Cedar Point opens on Saturday, May 14th. Kings Island is the first of the seasonal parks building WindSeekers to open for the season. And for those curious, there is also now a crane on site up at Cedar Point. Notice, the difference in concrete pouring for the ride area between Kings Island`s and Cedar Point`s version of WindSeeker. http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/fun/webcams/index.cfm

Well, for most cranes like the one that will likely be used for WindSeeker, smaller cranes and/or forklifts will lift the crane pieces into place. Once assembled the crane is on its own and needs no outside help. Tower cranes, can actually add pieces and lift them in place without any additional help from other cranes.

Because in 1986, The Bat was gone and The Vortex was not yet built. In short, it is very likely that picture was taken in 1986. An interesting thing to note with that Eiffel Tower diagram is that it lists the upper deck platform at 264' and the lower one at 252'. If I`m not mistaken, the elevator operators generally refer to the two platform levels as 275' and 265'.

So I wonder what the difference is between Western Row Properties, Inc. and Kings Island Company.

Yep. Certainly looks like a crane to me! Once the crane is assembled, it likely won`t be long before vertical construction begins. Especially with the nice weather we are supposed to have later in the week. High temperatures near 70! Bring on amusement park season!

For the lay person, what are we looking at at that link?

Actually, I`d say that control building is more like 7'-5" by 7'-5". And with sequencing of things, just because they have the parts in, does not mean that they are ready to start building the ride. Sometimes, they need to do other things first, before they can install the ride, due to certain logistical restrictions.

As always, it is not a black and white issue. It is more a degree of shades of gray and open to interpretation.

And technically, the KI drop off is part of KI property... I`m just stating a fact. Interpret it how you see fit...

That is certainly the way it reads. But some rides simply cannot be brought up to the new, or even the old compliance. Take for the instance the Flying Eagles ride, or any other ride with tubs that can rotate when guests are boarding. And technically, there should be handrails of some sort to assist people in transferring from a wheel chair to a ride vehicle. I think this will end up being decided by the courts. And the actual implementation date may end up being delayed while the courts decide.

Yes. But then there is the whole subject of water slides. How many water slides do you know that have wheel chair lifts or elevators up to the top of their slide towers? Or, how many water slides (with an obvious exception at Holiday World), have loading stations at ground level, for those with mobility issues? Then of course there are rides like the Giant Slide at Coney that utilize a very narrow set of stairs to get to the top, or rides like Round Up, that require guests to stand for the duration of the ride. (I once had someone in a wheelchair roll up to Round Up`s exit and ask if they could ride. I asked them if they could stand, and they said yes, so I let them on.) It certainly is a very intriguing issue as it relates to amusement parks. Even car and vehicle design needs to conform to ADA guidelines...

And think of the cost associated with updating current buildings that are not already ADA compliant? Who is expected to front the cost of those upgrades? Yep, the building owners. Fortunately, ADA has been around long enough, that most buildings that are used by the public have already been updated to include reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities.

If I had to guess, I`d say we are going to see one of the final concrete pours sometime tomorrow. The site certainly looks ready for a concrete pour with all the form work in place. It also looks like there is form work behind the tractor that is parked on the left side of the webcam image. I wonder if that is going to be the electrical room for the ride? Most modern flat rides have an electrical room of some time associated with them. Look at Delirium, which has the electrical room near one of its legs.

For new construction, the 2010 ADA guidelines go into effect next March for buildings that will have have occupancy by March 2012. As the statement reads "March 15, 2012, is also the compliance date for using the 2010 Standards for new construction, alterations, program accessibility, and barrier removal." Buildings that will be occupied prior to that still can use the old ADA. There are some changes, particularly in the area of restroom clear floor space. For those that have some free time on their hands and want to read the 2010 ADA guidelines, they are all available online at the following link: http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/2010ADAStandards/2010ADAstandards.htm

Yes, that is the restroom building. And yes, Coney Cafe is the present location of Jukebox Diner.

Actually, I`m fairly confident that that is actually an air compressor and NOT a generator for a welder. Why? First of all, what would they be welding at this stage in construction? They are only doing general site work right now. Any rebar that they are installing would be tied into place. (They don`t generally weld rebar). Secondly, air hoses are generally thicker than electrical lines (even for welding). And the line I saw in the webcam when it was daylight definitely looked like an air hose and not an electrical cord. While I don`t directly work in construction, I am quite knowledgeable on the construction process (as you may know by reading my various posts on here. My full time job is actually related to construction in the sense that I work at an architecture firm).

Have you ever visited a park like EPCOT, or even Dollywood, where they offer different styles of food? They sure seem to be popular in those places. And KI used to sell German food.

I believe that that is NOT a generator, but rather an air compressor. I saw an air hose coming away from that piece of equipment when the sun was still up...

Well, on the site with Don's teaser video, it does say (or at least it did say) "2011 teaser."

"Send in the cranes, there ought to be cranes."