Quassy announces proposal for new wooden roller coaster (Jan 8, 2009)

Quassy Amusement Park, Middlebury, Conn., will be proposing the

construction of a new wooden roller coaster at the February meeting of

the Town of Middlebury Planning & Zoning Commission.

The proposed 1,200-foot-long coaster would stand 35-feet-tall and be

constructed by The Gravity Group of Cincinnati.

This is the first step in the process to build the coaster with a

construction start date to be determined should the town approve the

project....

http://www.amusementtoday.com

http://www.amusementtoday.com/image/Quassy...erRendering.jpg

Note this would be a very small coaster...about the height of Fairly Odd Coaster and not as long...

Hearing to be held:

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=...57533&rfi=6

Residents Raise Noise Concerns:

...In a letter to the commission, Dean and Linda Yimoyines, who have been living on Lake Quassapaug since 1984, told commissioners, "The park is an eyesore, an unwanted neighbor which continues to interfere with our right to quiet enjoyment... We implore you to stop inch-by-inch expansion of the park and to protect the rights and interests of the many adjoining and surrounding property owners." ...

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=...57533&rfi=6

It really drives me crazy when people move in next to something that was there and then whine and cry about it after the fact. If you move in next to an amusement park/fair grounds/mall/airport, etc. you better expect it to grow and have traffic, people and noise. If you don't like it, don't move in next to it. The park was there 76 years before the Yimoyines, did they think it would up and leave just because they moved in and didn't like it?

The park I grew up had to close their wooden coaster at 9pm every night because of the "noise." And the neighbors kept it from ever growing.

/rant

Grrr, I used to live somewhat next to this park but never visited it in the 3 years I lived there.

Hmmm let's see here, A 35 foot tall Gravity Group or a 230 foot high B&M Hypercoaster.....I'll go with the B&M.

Commissioners Close Quassy Public Hearing:

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=...57533&rfi=6

http://www.courant.com/business/hc-quassy0...0,5846579.story

I hope this happens...The coaster doesn't look all that bad.

Gravity Group's virtual ride animation of the new coaster:

MIDDLEBURY -As Korey Kiepert drove a series of wooden stakes into the ground with a small hammer, his face beamed with excitement as he was taking the first step in seeing one of his latest creations become a reality.

He walked the uneven terrain, stooping down occasionally to set another marker, in what was becoming the centerline for the first all-wooden roller coaster to be constructed at 101-year-old Quassy Amusement Park on Route 64.

After pouring over a number of designs submitted by various manufacturers from throughout the world, Quassy's owners decided that Mr. Kiepert and his team from The Gravity Group, of Cincinnati, Ohio, would be awarded the contract to build the new marquee attraction.

"We considered a number of proposals, including all steel, a combination of steel and wood, and an all wooden coaster," said Eric Anderson, a Quassy co-owner. "This process had been going on for a couple of years, because it became apparent that we needed to consider investing in the future of the property with a roller coaster."...

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=...57525&rfi=6

Now that is a very interesting and nice article!

Note the comment on the article at the end. I wonder . . .

That coaster isn't tall or long, but it doesn't look bad at all. The airtime looks great.

It really drives me crazy when people move in next to something that was there and then whine and cry about it after the fact. If you move in next to an amusement park/fair grounds/mall/airport, etc. you better expect it to grow and have traffic, people and noise. If you don't like it, don't move in next to it. The park was there 76 years before the Yimoyines, did they think it would up and leave just because they moved in and didn't like it?

The park I grew up had to close their wooden coaster at 9pm every night because of the "noise." And the neighbors kept it from ever growing.

/rant

Can't agree with you more. A good example of that around here is the high-speed train they're proposing going from Cincinnati to Cleveland. But some residents don't want it because of the noise on the railroad tracks. But the tracks (and station) have been there for years! If you don't want to deal with the noise of a train, don't move next to railroad tracks.

Quassy Coaster Now Back On Track For 2011 After Litigation By Neighbor:

..."Our intentions were to break ground in 2009 after we announced our multi-year improvement plan last May," he added. "The legal action prevented us from doing that, but now we can honestly say that the coaster will be built for the 2011 season."

"We'll break ground most likely in September," Frantzis said. "This allows us to concentrate on getting the heart of our season in before we put our combined efforts into the coaster's construction."

Even with a late summer or fall start, the coaster will be ready for Quassy's 2011 season....

Much more to read there, too:

http://www.your-stor...n-track-115257/

This looks like its gonna be one of those rollercoasters that dont have to be big to be good.