Whither Conneaut Lake Park Now?

[Hendrick]

Received the following email from GOCC. I just want to post so others can take action.

Conneaut Lake Park needs our help!!

Conneaut Lake Park is headed for either a tax or sheriffs sale unless the entities owed more than $900,000 in overdue real estate taxes decide to consider the EPACC (Economic Progress Alliance of Crawford County) proposal that would stop the sale.

At the GOCC Spring Fling event at CLP this past weekend, Lenny Adams (operator of Adams Amusements) stated CLP is in dire need of our help to convince the townships and county to go along with a reorganization plan for the park just submitted by their new board of trustees. Its not looking good, with the townships pushing for a sheriffs sale of the property on September 26th.

When Lenny Adams talked to us during our picnic, he stated that a letter to the township and county boards at this point is better than a $1000 donation. It was also stated that the townships and county do not think that people support the park.

I am sure that all of you have seen pictures of parks that have closed that you never got to go to wished that you could have went. Conneaut Lake Park has a classic wooden roller coaster and one of the last 2 remaining tumble bugs in the country. Here is your chance to support this park and help it not become just a memory.

The Summit Township board is meeting this evening (July 1) and is expected to push for the sale.So we are asking you to help Conneaut Lake Park and write a letter or send an email that you support the park. The contact information is below.

Cathy Schwab

GOCC President

The Summit Township contact info is:

Summit Township

Box 231

Harmonsburg PA 16422

(814) 382-8208

email: secretary Cynthia McCoy harmonsburg@zoominternet.net

------------

The Summerhill Township contact info is:

Summerhill Township

17665 McDowell Rd.

Conneautville PA 16406

(814) 587-2058

Email: Secretary Mary Ann Goodrich majk@windstream.net

-------------

The Crawford County Board of Commissioners

address is:

Crawford County Board of Commissioners

903 Diamond Park

Meadville, PA 16335

Commissioners:

Francis F. Weiderspahn, Jr

Jack P. Lynch

C. Sherman Allen

[Browntggrr]

This could be a VERY sad day.

http://www.yourerie.com/news/news-article/d/story/conneaut-lake-park-will-be-sold-for-overdue-taxes/16906/lZFLz45cGUW_NvdICEQgEg

[NoChickens]

Broken link.

[The Interpreter]

That site keeps free access only for 24 hours.

The three county commissioners voted not to stop a tax sale.

[Oldiesmann]

More info here... http://www.meadvilletribune.com/local/x197385225/County-moves-park-from-tax-sale-to-sheriffs-sale

[The Interpreter]

Really?

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/08/08/bankruptcy-mulled-to-stop-conneaut-lake-park-sale/

[IBEW_Sparky]

OK, you, I, or anyone else who is a private citizen would be hanged from the highest tree in the Nation if we ever came ANYWHERE NEAR being over $900k behind in taxes, and I wont even bring up not paying said taxes since 2007!! How on this green Earth does a company... be it amusement park or otherwise... get away with this garbage?

[The Interpreter]

And taxes cannot normally be discharged in bankruptcy without the debtor's nonexempt assets being sold.

My head hurts.

[LovinMeSomeBanshee]

That park needs to be shut down. What a Dumpster fire.

[coasterfanatic83]

One man's dumpster fire is another man's treasure...

[The Interpreter]

Dumpster, as a registered trademark, is always capitalized here.

Conneaut Lake Park is poorly capitalized. One of its many problems.

[TombRaiderFTW]

I'll say it again: give me $20 million to spend on amusement park stuff, and I'd put it all into Conneaut Lake Park.

The place is not positioned at all to become a destination location that could compete with Kennywood or Cedar Point, but with a LOT (underlined, italicized, and bolded) of love, that would be one of the most charming parks Pennsylvania has to offer. In decent condition, I'd easily see it catching the attention of the folks at Waldameer. It's got all the potential to become the Stricker's Grove (or even a smaller Knoebel's) of western PA, apart from the financial part of things. The architecture of several buildings feels more 1910-1930's-classic-amusement-park-ish than anything Kennywood has to offer, except no one's put any money into making it look nice in the last 20 years. In the right condition--namely, one where the track isn't filled with potholes and doesn't rely on Pepsi grants to be replaced--I feel pretty confident that Blue Streak, with its NAD trains, would offer airtime to rival Phoenix. Maybe someone here has ridden it in better condition and can offer some commentary on the experience. It just seems like it's meant for way more than hobbling over the multitude of bumps on the last few bunny hops on the way back.

As it stands, I can see where folks doubt Conneaut's ability to repay its debts and even maintain its rides, which seems to be why it can't get out of its current slump. In the course of my visit last year, I experienced:

-The roof on the Blue Streak tunnel very visibly partially caved in

-The (ballroom?) building remains after an apparent fire still sitting in a pile, surrounded by yellow tape (!)

-A carousel with a dreadfully out-of-tune band organ

-Literally the creepiest kids' area entrance sign ever (Okay, maybe that's irrelevant, but it was still creepy... Google "Conneaut Lake Kiddieland" if you don't mind not sleeping tonight.)

-An entrance gate with boards over one of three decorative lattice circles to apparently keep it attached to the building? And then you walk straight through them to buy your ticket at a temporary trailer

-Tons of faded, cracked paint, especially on their Flying Scooters

-Tons of midway asphalt cracked by overgrown trees that would make ADA-protected guests wish they were at Kentucky Kingdom

-A rusty Chance Toboggan ride all folded up adjacent to the area used as a concert venue, waiting for someone to take it away 10 years ago

-Entry signs for rides that aren't at the park anymore, but the sign still stands

And the list goes on and on.

Adams Amusements seems very concerned with getting the park on the right track, but it looks like the rest of the township has had enough. I can't say I blame them... but there's still a part of me that wishes the place would make it. I genuinely think it could be something. But that's how it goes sometimes, I guess.

[bkroz]

Hmm... I'd love to go check this park out. Google Maps tells me I'm not two hours from it, which I never took the time to notice.

They're only open Thursday through Monday, though, so my options are tomorrow (Sunday), Monday, or Thursday. I'm relocating for work on Friday. So wow, three days to try to convince someone to go with me. This should be fun...

EDIT: I have a friend free Tuesday. Conneaut's closed. I'm guessing you folks would recommend Waldameer, too? If only both were open on Tuesdays we could do a double-feature... Man.

[TombRaiderFTW]

^ Speaking as someone who's had to convince someone non-coastery to go with him to Conneaut, I'd say Waldameer is more than likely going to have to be part of the bargaining process, haha. Waldameer's a fun park with a great Gravity Group coaster in Ravine Flyer II, as well as a decent collection of other coasters and flat rides. It's not the most extravagant park in the universe, but it's a quaint classic and has several picturesque locations within the park.

Quite honestly, you could probably experience most everything Conneaut has to experience within an hour or two, and that's including rerides. It's not that big, and it obviously doesn't get too busy. If someone's just free for an afternoon, you could probably cover all that Conneaut has to offer within that timespan.

[bkroz]

Ideally I'd bundle them together. But Waldameer is closed Monday, Conneaut closed Tuesday.

And my friend (who is not a park enthusiast, and not a big coaster person at all) is only available Tuesday.

So just that fast, it looks like this became a trip to Waldameer! Which is fine, but man would I have loved a trip to Conneaut. I'd love to see their two dark rides. Though to be fair, a lot of what I'm seeing is that both are rarely open at the same time anyway. Yikes.

This feels like a bad decision and like maybe I should just suck it up and go to Conneaut alone on Monday. I know it won't even be worth the drive necessarily, but I'd like to see it... just in case.

[LoraX]

A lone trip to Conneaut will be ok. There are a handful of flats and Blue Streak. I am actually hoping to make another trip there before their season ends just to ride Blue Streak. There is something absolutely wonderful about that coaster. It's old and rickety, but fun.

Waldameer is a park I love. My fave woodie is there. I wholeheartedly think if you can go there, you need to go.

[The Interpreter]

If the park closes forever and you didn't go, how are you going to feel about that 40 years from now?

And Waldameer, God forbid, could burn to the ground after you visit, or be sold for condos.

There are no guarantees.

Somewhere there is someone who was gonna go to Geauga Lake...the next year.

Maybe that's important to them. Maybe, it's not.

You? I don't even have to aak.

Go.

[The Interpreter]

A 12 month cultural center?

Condos?

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2014/08/09/Conneaut-Lake-Park-faces-sheriff-s-sale-bankruptcy/stories/201408090084

[jcgoble3]

With what money?

I'm sorry, I like their ideas, but I just don't see it working. They plan to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but given how much they owe in taxes, I suspect (without knowing how much they have in assets) that creditors will move to force it into Chapter 7. (IANAL, of course.) I will be thoroughly surprised if this park ever operates again under the same owners after this season.

[The Interpreter]

You mean the ones who failed in their fiduciary duty to keep the park adequately insured, and, arguably, to invest in fire suppression?

[jcgoble3]

Yes. Those are exactly the ones I mean. I would argue that they are not fit to be the owners of that park.

[Creed Bratton]

Conneaut Lake Park was a neat little park. One thing I found out when visiting was that most if not all of the rides there are leased by owners that aren't a part of the board/trustees/people owning the park. So even if a sheriff's sale were to happen, court proceedings would take a long time.

I am still holding out hope for this park.

[XGatorHead 8904]

Somewhere there is someone who was gonna go to Geauga Lake...the next year.

I would be one of those someones. Mrs. Gator was a bridesmaid in a wedding just down the street from GL years ago, so we passed the park numerous times that weekend. GatorGirl at the time was too little to enjoy the park, so we didn't take the time to go. The following year was to be its last and I'm still kicking myself for not going.

The Gator family and Hydra went to Conneaut Monday of last week, and we were met there by Tom76257 and his friend. It hasn't changed much since we were there last year, except there were fewer bumper cars running, the haunted house (Hostile Hostel) was not open and appeared to have not opened at all this year, and the carousel organ was much more out of tune than before. The airtime in the back seat of Blue Streak was something else, I rode there numerous times in a row without getting out of the seat. I'm glad Hydra and Tom76257 finally got a chance to experience the park, which Mrs. Gator's cousin described as "a shell of its former self."

Luckily this time I was able to get a CLP shirt in my size ("I Got My Ride On at Conneaut Lake Park"), a shot glass, some other various knick-knacks for GatorGirl and a CD of the CLP carousel organ. I haven't listened to it yet, but presumably its from when it was in tune. I figured I should get it because who knows where that piece of history will end up.

The next day all six of us went to Waldameer, what a great little park (with the exception of the waterpark... I flipped out of my tube on Wild River and cracked my head hard on the slide, went down the rest of the way on my belly)! We loved Wacky Shack (rode 4 times), Pirate's Cove (5 times), Ravine Flyer II (4 times) and Steel Dragon (5 times).

[Creed Bratton]

Speaking of Geauga Lake, I did pick up some Geauga Lake Souvenirs at Conneaut, which was weird to me. I also picked up a PKI postcard!

Blue Streak honestly is amazing! I was surprised after all the stories I had heard about it. I even left a chunk of my skin on the restraints when my knee bumped into it on a hill while I was in a wheel seat. Lol.

[bkroz]

Visited today.

A whole table of "Geauga Lake Consignment Sale." Lots of shot glasses and key chains. Seeing them again made me remember how Cedar Fair inexplicably created merchandise with absolutely no consistency in park logos. A shot glass with "Geauga Lake" written in underlined Times New Roman. Another in some script. Another in blue Comic Sans. I so distinctly remember all their merchandise being mix-and-match logos now. Lost memories.

As for the park, it's sad to see any in the state it's in. There were many more people than I expected - probably 50 or 60 - and a surprising number had all-you-can-ride wristbands, which were $25.00. Including kiddie land, there were maybe 12 operating attractions.

I don't know stuff about taxes and arbitration and the park's current standing. Is the park worth saving? Obviously I'd rather it didn't close. It needs more than just to break even though. It needs serious TLC. Repaving, re-building, re-painting, re-growing, re-staffing... It might be hopeless. Not half of Kiddie Land's rides were open today. And why should they be? No one comes, so the rides aren't staffed. Rides aren't staffed because no one comes. Really a vicious cycle.

It may be too late. I just got that impression. Could be a cute park, and if someone with a few million to spare could come in and basically re-build it from scratch, I think it would be a nice family park for the local community. As it is, it does feel like a dead end. Under nearly a million dollars in debt? The place isn't worth that to begin with. How do you break even there while also financing the countless improvements that MUST be made just to meet the status quo?

If it were well-located along an interstate, I'd say a small time operator could work wonders with the park. For less than the price of a shiny new B&M, I think Parques could snatch the place, pay the debt, close it for a year, re-build, expand, build a ballroom, charge $17 for entry ($20 on concert nights) and it would be a nice little forested midway family park. So yeah, I do think that a reputable and financially stable owner could easily stabilize the park, grow it a teeny bit, and then coast with it. But... who would want to? :\ Yikes. I mean, maybe Parques would! They have Dutch Wonderland and Idlewild and Lake Compounce. Conneaut could easily be a small Idlewild with a year off to renovate.

[kblanken]

From about a year ago; I doubt it looks different now...

The legend lives on, from the Chippewa on down, of the big lake.................

[The Interpreter]

If ONLY the debt was just under a million.

It's not.

That's the property tax debt.

JUST the property tax debt.

The other creditors, which include the power company, water company, vendors of every kind, etc., are owed several million more.

This is why the idea that the park could reorganize in bankruptcy with the debtor in possession is sheer fantasy. The creditors would force a liquidation. Unless someone comes in and pays off virtually all the debt.

The park has been fundraising for years. For more than a decade, there's been contributed labor (including by ACErs and members of Western New York Coaster Club), funds appeals, pleas for debt forgiveness, grants from Pepsi, etc.

Then there's the fact, which Hydra was led to believe is a plus (in this circumstance, it isn't), that much of what you see is leased and can and will leave in a flash.

Conversely, what little remains that is historical is both a blessing and a curse. Many locals would raise up with pitchforks and fury should any proposal to modernize or gut any part of the park be made. (See the Hotel Conneaut).

Then you have the inset properties...homes, right in the park, some rented, most outright owned by others.

It was said a major operator might...the park has been quietly on the market off and on for years. There have been NO credible offers.

Gee, I wonder why.

And, I love Conneaut Lake Park, its history, its geography, the lake, the people.

It now comes down, coldly, to the real estate concept of highest and best use of the land. Is an amusement park the highest and best use of the land? If not, will a magnanimous owner forego that use for reasons of her own?

It appears the answer to Q1 is clearly no. Q2 has been answered, again and again, so far, with, "for now."

Now the question begs an owner who will answer Q2 with yes. That's going to be exceptionally difficult--finding an owner who will get to, and stay with, yes on Q2. Bankruptcy is seldom concerned with that, but rather with maximizing asset value for creditors...

[The Interpreter]

Found it:

$2,500,000.00 owed to other creditors. Tax debt goes back as far as 17 years ago...

http://m.insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/2014/08/10/county-moves-park-from-tax-sale-to-sheriffs-sale-a-542208.html

[XGatorHead 8904]

I don't know stuff about taxes and arbitration and the park's current standing. Is the park worth saving? Obviously I'd rather it didn't close. It needs more than just to break even though. It needs serious TLC. Repaving, re-building, re-painting, re-growing, re-staffing... It might be hopeless. Not half of Kiddie Land's rides were open today. And why should they be? No one comes, so the rides aren't staffed. Rides aren't staffed because no one comes. Really a vicious cycle.

The way the operate the rides may have given you the impression that some were closed, when they were actually probably not. They have one operator that covers several rides. In Kiddie Land when we were there last week, I believe they had two ride ops covering the rides. Those ride ops would rotate to the different rides as guests wanted to ride them. The only one that we know for certain that was not operating was the fire engines from Idora Park, which have not operated at all since they were purchased. We saw most of the other kiddie rides in action at some point.

Similarly, they had one ride op running Flying Scooters and Pratrooper. They also had two ride ops switching between Devil's Den, Witch's Stew & Trabant, and at various times they had one op rotating through all three if someone was on break. If you wanted to ride one that was not operating at the time, all you had to do was line up at that ride. We never really had to wait more than 5 minutes each time we did that.

It may be an unconventional way of doing things compared to other parks, but it seemed to work for them with the amount of guests that were there. Saved money on staffing, the guests seemed to be used to it because we didn't really hear anyone griping, and the wait times were minimal.

I also forgot to add that we were surprised by a wristband sale they were having the day we went. BOGO ride wristbands... so the park was a little busier than we had anticipated for a Monday. Whether any increase in attendance was enough to make up for what they would have gotten without the promo, I don't know.

Then there's the fact, which Hydra was led to believe is a plus (in this circumstance, it isn't), that much of what you see is leased and can and will leave in a flash.

I don't really think that the manager who told us that meant it as a plus, at least that's not the way I took it. It was more of a matter of fact tone, not a hopeful one. She realized the dire straits ahead for the park, and was very appreciative of our support.

[Creed Bratton]

From about a year ago; I doubt it looks different now...

The legend lives on, from the Chippewa on down, of the big lake.................

Unfortunately, it doesn't look the same. Paint is mostly gone, the midway is more broken up, etc. Hoping to get pictures uploaded soon. Working evenings have left me unmotivated to edit and upload.

Then there's the fact, which Hydra was led to believe is a plus (in this circumstance, it isn't), that much of what you see is leased and can and will leave in a flash.

As Gator had mentioned, I also took it, as a matter of fact. I took it as more legal talks than if the park were to own each and every ride there.