Jump to content

Good-Bye Coney? River Downs Racino Looming


pilotank
 Share

Recommended Posts

Atleast Coney will live for a while in Westchester, the memories of yesterday re-created loving it!

http://westchesterbuzz.com/2012/12/21/coney-island-being-built-in-west-chester/

I'm well-connected with a lot of the EJ folks (many are P/KI alum). I've actually gotten to see the Coney Island part from concept through the building stages. It's really astounding... as is everything there.

If you're looking for something fun to do in the offseason, EnterTrainMent Junction is certainly worth your visit.

Oh, and Coney ain't going anywhere. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

For those of you who have not been past River Downs recently, demolition is in full swing. Most of the grandstand is still standing, for now. Although, they have been slowly pecking away at the edges and tearing parts of the facade down. They also have torn down several of the stables that were located to the east of the track and grandstand, including the stables that were located directly adjacent to Kellogg. I wouldn`t be surprised if most of the demolition is finished in the next few weeks. I have seen some small renderings of the proposed new facility, but have not seen any site plans/large renderings of what the new buildings will look like. The new buildings are to be open by 2014, last I heard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Just want to pass along an update, since I drive by Riverdowns on my way into work. They have been quite busy, moving lots of dirt around, and piling it up in what used to be the parking lot in front of the old grandstand. They have been busy pouring foundations, and towards the end of the week, they started forming and pouring concrete columns. I presume these are for the parking garage that is going to be the "basement" of the new facility. They certainly have a ton of construction equipment on site, and aren`t wasting much time.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don`t know what you are speaking about savesonofbeastfb, but most of the rides look the same as they did at the end of last season. And there are no "cement" columns in Lake Como for Como Cruisers. There aren`t even concrete columns in Lake Como. They have places some pipes in the lake for the route of Como Cruisers, but not much work besides that has been done to the new attraction, other than the old Bumper Boat dock, has been slightly dis-assembled. I should grab some pictures when I`m down there again on Wednesday for interviews.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

This is probably farfetched, but could your tricks up the sleeve for coney be a new ride? I can always hope. Had some great times there when I was younger. would be neat to maybe see a full scale coaster, just 1, in the park. Heck what happened to Screechin' Eagle from Americana? That would be fantastic!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Screechin' Eagle stood rotting for years. Then it was demolished. Coney floods. Sometimes quite badly.

Does that flooding mean no way a coaster could ever be put in? Are ther other parks that deal with constant flooding but have found a way to combat the cost problem? (No one word answers:) Maybe throw out an example please :))

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Exactly. And keep in mind, Coney is really close to the Ohio River too, so flooding is a definite issue. Its not uncommon for Sunlite Pool to become filled with river water from flooding in the spring. (That water is drained and refilled with the well water before the pool opens for the season).

Well, Coney is getting a new ride this year, Como Cruisers, replacing the troublesome Bumper Boats. xJoshhyX, so it is not a coaster, but it is a new ride...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

New rides are always good! I usually visit Riverbend a couple times a year, and if the concert I am going to isn't an all day festival type thing, I usually make a point of getting there extra early to ride rides and enjoy the nostalgia.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

The new Cruisers are in the water (and were put in last week). They are still working on the dock for them. I actually have the ride manual on my desk right now. The boats are electrically powered, and do not run on gas. So hopefully they will be more reliable than the now defunct Bumper Boats.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

Just thought that I would update this thread given the news that came out yesterday. Starting in May of 2014, River Downs will officially be known as Belterra Park. I certainly am not pleased with the new name. Talk about generic and placeless since there is already Belterra Casino in southern Indiana. It will be interesting to see what kind of crowds this draws, and what impact it has on the traffic coming through Coney next season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...