The Interpreter Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 Developers eye Fairmont for $87 million water park resort October 30, 2006 FAIRMONT, W.Va. (AP) — Three Morgantown businessmen have big plans for Fairmont — $87 million worth of water slides and roller coasters, movie screens, retail stores, restaurants and a resort and conference center. David Rees, who owns the Vintage Room and Bent Willey’s in Morgantown, and Michael Vecchio and Mark Tampoya, who are in the real estate business, have joined to create The Water Works LLC. They plan to break ground in April on the first phase of Volcano Island Resort at a 107-acre site of a former steel Coke plant and hope to have it open by November 2008. The first phase includes a 50,000-square-foot indoor water park with a surfing machine and water roller coaster and a 300-room hotel and conference center. Eventually, the developers want to add as many as 20 movie screens, 80,000 square feet of retail space for stores and restaurants, a 60-slip marina, recreational lake and RV park. American Resort Management, based in Erie, Pa., will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the hotel, conference center and water park that are expected to create 350 permanent and 125 seasonal jobs. Richard Coleman, senior vice president of development and operations for American Resort Management, said the park could draw visitors primarily from Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Columbus, Ohio, and Harrisburg, Pa. http://www.herald-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.d...NEWS01/61030013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubaman Posted October 30, 2006 Share Posted October 30, 2006 That's interesting... Anymore news on the Theme Park/Resort in Wheeling? It seems there are a lot of plans in place for WVa. Unfortunetly, a lot of them will never get carried out... Its good to see at our local power plan (Amos), which happens to also be one of the largest power plants on the east coast, is getting a new scrubber tower added to it, that is suppose to reduce pollution by a large amount. Yay for coal power! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted October 30, 2006 Author Share Posted October 30, 2006 No news at all out of Wheeling. I put that one in the category of: "I'll believe it when I see it. And not one minute before." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubaman Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 No news at all out of Wheeling. I put that one in the category of: "I'll believe it when I see it. And not one minute before." I think I am agreeing with you on this one too. I just don't think that WV has the business to support amuesment parks of a very large size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIBeast Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 Not holding my breath, but I hope it happens. As much as I love Camden Park, I'd like to see something on a larger scale for West Virginia. Believe me, it wouldn't draw only from West V. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reon Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 I'm thinking that they might either do this or the Wheeling deal. Either one works for me =D And I fully agree with you, Beast. Camden is fun and all, but it's more like a Coney Island then a Kings Island, if you know what I mean... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailRider Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 Holding Breath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted November 1, 2006 Author Share Posted November 1, 2006 Don't be fooled. The Fairmont project is much closer to Great Wolf Lodge than to Cedar Fair's Kings Island's Boomerang Bay in scope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzarley Posted November 1, 2006 Share Posted November 1, 2006 Its good to see at our local power plan (Amos), which happens to also be one of the largest power plants on the east coast, is getting a new scrubber tower added to it, that is suppose to reduce pollution by a large amount. Yay for coal power! I'm a big believer in clean coal...there's a lot of promise there. (Of course, I also work for the parent company of Amos, so maybe I'm a little predjudiced <G>) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted November 7, 2006 Author Share Posted November 7, 2006 Volcano Island Poses No Threat to Wheeling Amusement Park Project: Volcano Island Poses No Threat Tuesday, November 7, 2006 By MICHELLE BLUM WHEELING �" Fairmont’s Volcano Island resort isn’t causing much of an eruption in the Northern Panhandle. When it was announced last week, news of the planned 25-acre, $87 million resort caused barely a ripple among Ohio County commissioners and developers of the 100-acre, $200 million Wild Escape theme park and resort planned for The Highlands near Dallas Pike. The owners of the Volcano Island property, David Rees, Michael Vecchio and Mark Tamoya, all of Morgantown, and the developers, American Resort Management, and Waterworks, could not be reached for comment on the proposal. Gov. Joe Manchin, a Marion County native, joined Fairmont officials and the developers last week in announcing the project on a site along the Monongahela River near Interstate 79. The site is on 107 acres of land, which once housed Exxon Fairmont Coke Works and Sharon Steel Corp. Two of Ohio County’s commissioners, Tim McCormick and Randy Wharton, said they were unaware of the Fairmont project. “I wish them the best of success,†Wharton said. “It sounds like a nice little development.†But Wharton said he believed there will be more than enough business for both parks to be successful. Commission President David Sims said he “had heard something about it†but felt the Fairmont project would have no impact on development and operation of Wild Escape. “It’s going to be about one-tenth of the size of Wild Escape,†Sims said. Steve Minard, developer of the Wild Escape project, said while he had heard of the Volcano Island project, its focus is very different from his. “Wild Escape will be a year-round destination operation with retail, a water park and a concert facility,†he said, referring to plans for the park. “It will serve a completely different market.†But together, Volcano Island and Wild Escape can make West Virginia a tourism destination, he said. Tom Hunter, press aide for Manchin, described the two projects as being “very unique in their own right,†attracting different customers. But together, they can provide “tremendous economic benefits†as well as employment to northern West Virginia residents. While Wild Escape was announced earlier this year, Hunter said the governor became aware of Volcano Island after financing for that project was in place. He could not say when that occurred. Developed by Waterworks and designed by Ormitt & Associates, Volcano Island will feature a 30,000-square-foot indoor water park, a 30,000-square-foot conference center, a five-acre outdoor water park, marina and recreational lake with paddle boats, a recreational vehicle park, several restaurants, a full-service day spa and 300 suites overlooking the Monongahela River. In comparison, Wild Escape will feature concerts, celebrity appearances, seasonal festivals, craft fairs, antique fairs and other activities. The adjoining hotels will have spas, restaurants and other amenities and will be attached to an indoor water park and restaurants. The indoor offerings at Wild Escape will include Aspen Heights shopping and dining and the Islands indoor park and waterpark. Outdoor offerings includes Classic Nostalgia Park, Alpine Fantasy and Wild Child. A news release provided by Manchin’s office describes Volcano Island as the largest private development project in Marion County history and one of the largest in the state’s history. Portions of the 107-acre site have been remediated under an agreement between Exxon Mobil, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. Hunter pointed out the 25-acre plot where Volcano Island will be situated, however, did not require soil remediation. http://www.news-register.net/community/art...articleID=12559 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubaman Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 Sounds like they are really planning on building both. Too bad that they can't be closer to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIBeast Posted November 7, 2006 Share Posted November 7, 2006 No kidding. This wouldn't be any closer than KI to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Picard Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 I went for a drive up to where the new Wheeling park is to be and there is nothing going on. It didn't look to me that there is a place to build a 100-acre park. There are good size places though they just don't look like they are for a 100-acre park. By the looks of it if they was going to build there it will be a year before the land is ready for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted January 16, 2008 Author Share Posted January 16, 2008 Corps Permit Next Hurdle for Ohio County (WV) Theme Park (Wild Escape): http://www.wvmetronews.com/index.cfm?func=...p;storyid=23006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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