More:

http://m.sharonherald.com/news/local_news/conneaut-lake-park-files-for-bankruptcy/article_740311ac-7c3b-11e4-a57b-63da5bffd7d4.html?mode=jqm

The first rational account I've seen post-filing, from a legal standpoint...

Terp, who is not engaged in the private practice of law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, or any United State. There is no legal advice meant for a particular client contained herein. Consult a competent attorney in your jurisdiction should you have, or think you may have, a legal problem. Legal outcomes cannot be predicted with certainty. This is a disclaimer.

(Numerous posts were lost)

Et tu, Hotel?

http://triblive.com/mobile/7315809-96/park-hotel-sutterlin

Sigh.

And the hits just keep coming.......

The park owes $676,281.38 to its 20 largest creditors, according to an amended accounting filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Erie this week. That's up almost $320,375 from an initial accounting filed with the court in December.

http://www.goerie.com/new-debts-added-to-conneaut-lake-parks-top-20#

It now being Saturday, that article has been greatly expanded:

http://www.goerie.com/new-debts-added-to-conneaut-lake-parks-top-20

"Volunteers were selected for their commitment to the park rather than for any business acumen and were overwhelmed year after year," he said.

(Note: "he" is Mark Turner, executive director of a redevelopment committee now managing the park).

So whose idea was it to appoint these volunteers in the first place? Just because you're committed doesn't mean you are capable of running/managing the place. And if they were so overwhelmed, why didn't they speak up and ask for help when problems first arose?

Beach Club Insurance Settlement Could Be Taken For Tax Debt:

http://www.goerie.com/attorneys-seek-insurance-settlement-to-pay-part-of-conneaut-lake-park-debt

To take $611,000 off their debt, seems to make sense. I'd rather have the put toward the debt, so the amount owed is much smaller than originally and the park could continue to function.

Get the debt paid off (even if it's not the whole amount right up front), keep the park going and raise funds to bring back the Beach Club.

Better have a look at bankruptcy law. The creditors and judges get to decide how the debts will be liquidated, not the debtor-in-possession.

Right, I understand that....I'm just saying I'd much rather that $ go toward the debt of the park.

Sorry for the double post.

I decided today to check out www.newconneautlakepark.com and was greeted with a generic page that gives the email address to the park and a little section that says:

"Look for the NEW Conneaut Lake Park Website at www.newconneautlakepark.com"

Went to check out the new page, www.newconneautlakepark.com, and was greeted with a www.godaddy.com generic page saying I could purchase the page.

Interesting.

It's not officially for sale though. The page simply says they've "parked" the domain, meaning they've linked it to their GoDaddy hosting account but don't actually have a website associated with it. If you click the link to buy it, you get taken to a page for a "domain agent" service - you pay $70 to have them try to negotiate the sale of the domain for you.

I didn't go that far.

Some of the poorest reporting I have ever seen:

http://www.erietvnews.com/story/28104810/bankruptcy-judge-takes-control-of-conneaut-lake-park-insurance-dispute

I THINK this means that the fire insurance settlement now becomes another debtor asset to be parceled out during the bankruptcy. But, if that's the case, what is that mediation to come about? Just the typical one amongst all the creditors and the debtor in an attempt to avoid trial? If so, that reporting sure wouldn't tell the average viewer. Watch the video. Sad. I suspect the reporter didn't really have a clue what's really going on.

VERY poor reporting.

I await more clarity from other media sources.

The hiccup with the insurance payout is the operator of the club paid for the insurance.

He not only covered the building but also all the items in the building he provided & paid for.

A much clearer article:

http://www.erietvnews.com/story/28104810/bankruptcy-judge-takes-control-of-conneaut-lake-park-insurance-dispute

(They fixed that mess--same source)

Sorry for the double post.

I decided today to check out www.newconneautlakepark.com and was greeted with a generic page that gives the email address to the park and a little section that says:

"Look for the NEW Conneaut Lake Park Website at www.newconneautlakepark.com"

Went to check out the new page, www.newconneautlakepark.com, and was greeted with a www.godaddy.com generic page saying I could purchase the page.

Interesting.

The website is now live. It looks quite nice, at least the mobile view.

A few notes (I don't know if information is new, but...)

-Season passes are $50

-All day wrist bands are $10 (I thought this was more two years ago)

-Park is opened Friday-Sunday (I believe this is shorter then years passed)

-Opening day is scheduled for May 22nd (we'll see.)

And none of that, at all, can happen without the approval of the bankruptcy judge or a discharge of the debt. The simple truth is the park is no longer in control of its destiny. At all.

The new website, looks pretty nice!

A couple of notes on the website.

-The mobile and desktop version of the website are the same, there are simply media queries to rearrange things for a smaller screen

-It was designed by an outside company that looks like they have created a number of websites for Cedar Fair

-They used Bootstrap

I still hate the URL change. Everyone who linked to the old Conneaut Lake Park will have to change their website, and (assuming the park makes it), how long can you keep the "New" on a website?

It's also interesting that the two domains are not owned by the same person. However, why they wouldn't just put the new site at the old domain, or at least automatically redirect it (like how pki.com redirects to visitkingsisland.com) is beyond me.

Perhaps it is not the same they. . .

Someone had to update the original site to have the park's email address and new web address added. At that point someone had to know who owned the new site, and they could have figured out a better way to do things...

I was looking at an archived version of CLP's website (here), and there are a few differences:

1.) Season passes were $75.00 if purchased in Spring

2.) All day wristbands were $15/$20 (depending if it included Blue Streak and the Train)

3.) They used to be opened on Friday (I think? I'm having a hard time making any sense out of the hours.)

Either way, the new website is a huge change from where they were. Let's hope it wasn't all for nothing.

Many of the rides were owned by others and were at the park as concessions. Some have since been sold.

The 2014 Conneaut Lake Park will not be present in 2015, if any at all is.

I'm not sure how I feel about their strategy of calling themselves the "New" Conneaut Lake Park. After all, we must never forget...

(image from http://behindthethrills.com/2013/06/kentucky-kingdom-to-re-open-in-2014-with-new-attractions/ )

^ At least they didn't change the website URL promoting the fact that it was "new". (I know it changed from the Six Flag days, but it wasn't thenewkentuckykingdom.com)

Interpreter, I know 4 rides got removed (Music Express, Kiddie Carousel, Witch's Stew, and Toboggan), but am I missing anything else? Only 2 of those rides even operated (well, according to the article. I could have sworn Music Express was running when I visited in 2013).

Those are the only ones I know of, so far.

I have to get there in 2015. There are two rides that I really care about, and they're both still there so far.

Besides, then I can drive to Waldameer and experience an amusement park much more on-par with what I'm used to.

Coincidentally, I have little doubt that the mentality expressed in this post contributes, in some part, to the state of things at Conneaut now...

I hope to get back to Conneaut at some point this year if it stays open. There's something about the park that just draws me to it.

Hendrick, when did Witch's Stew get removed?

The three best rides at the park: Blue Streak (absolutely loved it), The Flying Scooters and Paratrooper.

Don't forget Devil's Den!