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Kentucky Kingdom (SFKK, KK) Discussion Thread


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Kentucky Kingdom has sent out a press release advising that construction on Kentucky Flyer has been halted due to an ongoing dispute with the Kentucky State Fair Board. If this matter goes unresolved, construction of the project could delay to the point that the coaster misses some or all of the 2019 season operation or it could ultimately be cancelled.

 

In preparation for installing a new roller coaster for the 2019 season, Kentucky Kingdom gave notice to its landlord, the Kentucky State Fair Board, that it was exercising its option to use one acre of the 20-acre tract to which the theme park is entitled, per the terms of its lease with the Fair Board, for the purpose of expanding and improving the park. Unfortunately, the Fair Board has yet to agree to transfer that additional acre to the park.

 

Ed Hart, President and CEO of Kentucky Kingdom said, “We don’t understand why the Fair Board is delaying this transfer. Since our lease with the Fair Board gives us the right to option up to 20 acres of additional property to expand Kentucky Kingdom, the Fair Board’s approval of the transfer is merely a formality. Not only has the Fair Board delayed its approval, it has prevented us from taking soil samples, which is an essential first step in installing any roller coaster, even though this work in no way disturbs the property. I have advised Mr. Beck, the President and CEO of the Fair Board, that we have waited almost two months to receive the Fair Board’s approval for use of this small portion of the expansion property. All that is required is routine paperwork in the form of a simple addendum to our lease, signed by the Fair Board and the other state agencies that are also parties to the lease. We have given Mr. Beck all the information he has requested about the new coaster, but still have not received the addendum. We planned on making our first payment on the coaster yesterday, in the amount of $786,000, but cannot do so without the addendum in place. The Fair Board was fully aware of this but apparently does not appear to be concerned about the success of its premier tenant. A continued delay jeopardizes our schedule for getting the new coaster built in time for the 2019 season, which regrettably, may force us to cancel the project. The new coaster, which we have named the Kentucky Flyer, is the centerpiece of Kentucky Kingdom’s 30th anniversary celebration in 2019 and the focus of our marketing campaign for next season. The Kentucky Flyer has already garnered a great deal of national attention, especially among coaster enthusiasts. Cancelling this marquee attraction would be very unfortunate.”

 

The Fair Board’s blockage of this new attraction may well be tied to a separate and long-standing disagreement about parking rights of Kentucky Kingdom’s guests. Ed Hart remarked, “Over the past four years, we have worked very patiently to resolve these parking problems with two Fair Board Presidents, two interim Fair Board Presidents, and the Fair Board’s Chairman, Mark Lynn, who has presided over the Board for the last four years. With the appointment of Mr. Beck as the fifth President of the Fair Board in five years, matters have only gotten worse, especially during the National Street Rod Association show and the State Fair, when so many parking lots are made off limits to Kentucky Kingdom guests. This year, thousands of additional parking spaces were denied to our guests, including all of the parking lots closest to the park’s entrance. To make matters worse, during the State Fair, our guests have to pay $10.00 for admission to the State Fair that they weren’t even going to, simply to gain entry to Kentucky Kingdom’s front gate, where they then have to pay admission to the park. These actions are a clear violation of our lease and certainly aren’t the way to treat a major tenant who pays over $1 million each year in rent - and is entitled to receive adequate access to parking in return for that rent. Making sure our guests have a great experience is the heart and soul of our business. Because we’ve made no progress in resolving the parking dispute, the only way for us to protect the interests of our guests was to resort to legal action.”

 

Three months ago, Kentucky Kingdom filed a lawsuit against the Fair Board for a “Declaration of Rights” with respect to the loss of thousands of parking spaces that, per the terms of the theme park’s lease, are supposed to be available for Kentucky Kingdom’s guests. Instead, the lack of availability of parking during certain major events at the Kentucky Expo Center, particularly the National Street Rod Association show and the Kentucky State Fair, has caused much dissatisfaction among the park’s guests, as evidenced by the hundreds of complaints received during guest surveys conducted by the park.

 

Ed Glasscock, a partner in Kentucky Kingdom, offered this explanation for the Fair Board’s delays: “The Fair Board cannot reasonably defend its violations of the lease with Kentucky Kingdom. Instead, its objective is to pressure the park to drop its lawsuit in Franklin Circuit Court in return for Fair Board’s approval of the park’s expansion. After all the time, energy, and money my partners and I have devoted to Kentucky Kingdom, we are very disappointed with the Fair Board’s obstruction of the park’s progress. After all, the option for expansion property was included in the lease for the express purpose of allowing Kentucky Kingdom to grow. Simply put, the Fair Board is acting in bad faith.”

 

Bruce Lunsford, also a partner in Kentucky Kingdom, added, “We have fulfilled all of our obligations to the Fair Board and the state. In fact, we’ve gone above and beyond those obligations. With the new coaster, our total investment in redeveloping Kentucky Kingdom exceeds $64 million, or $20 million more than required per the terms of our lease. We knew that bringing the park back wouldn’t be a sprint, but a marathon, especially with the competition we face from other theme parks in the region, coupled with the damage to the park’s reputation that was inflicted by its previous operator. We knew it would take money, time, patience, and a great partner and experienced operator like Ed Hart. It’s a shame the Fair Board is reneging on its obligations, jeopardizing the park’s continued success. The Fair Board apparently wants to collect our rent, yet deny our guests the parking lots they should be able to use. The Commonwealth has so much to gain in additional fiscal revenue from direct, indirect, and induced expenditures by visitors who are here because Kentucky Kingdom is here. Unfortunately, this is a textbook example of bureaucratic red tape thwarting business that is good for Kentucky.”

 

Bad news time. The fair board is not transferring a piece of land which was intended for the turn around on the new coaster and the park is threatening to cancel the construction. The park is stating this retaliation due to the lawsuit over parking.

 

In the image below the red shaded area is the space the park has for long term expansion according to the park. The yellow area is the section they need for the new ride. Nice to finally see the space the park has for expansion. Although the left side is directly in line with the runway so the height restrictions would be very limiting.

 

6e2e5f6d-2f6f-4c93-ba6b-f76cfa44f238-Kentucky-Kingdom-Expansion-Area.thumb.jpg.05f2e921dd85b121abe7f32ed8bc7a09.jpg

Kentucky-Flyer.thumb.jpg.8f8684c6ded5f9311f71d55481dd415f.jpg

Parking-Instructions.thumb.jpg.13139364cf6ae361b191c00d762794d9.jpg

Edited by jedimaster1227
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It seems that every time this park makes strides to become stable and to grow, the Fair Board finds a way to mess it up... How is it not in their best interest to yield the optioned land as per their agreement? This will only come back to bite them later when the ride misses the season due to construction delays (or an outright cancellation of the project).

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I give Ed Hart a lot of credit for turning this park around twice. I really enjoy this park and wish them nothing but the best. Hopefully the fair board gets there stuff in order and the flyer isn't put on hold

Edited by grsupercity
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I only posted the article because it shed some additional light on the "real" story. Ed Hart and Kentucky Kingdom are suing the State Board because they did not allow them enough Parking during the Fair as is specified in their lease. It appears that the State Board will not approve the coaster until there is a resolution of the lawsuit. This is how is looks to me anyway.

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^That makes sense... You would think the park and the Fair could play nice knowing they share this space but if the park is hindered from using its allotted parking (which impacts the ability for guests to actually go to the park) then they have the right to sue for a business impact. Could they come to terms in a better way? Most likely. But the fair board has consistently shown that their interests in the park's success take a backseat in favor of the Fair.

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I think it would have been better had Hart just built a new park elsewhere in the Louisville area rather than be under the Fair Boards thumb.

 

If this were Roller Coaster Tycoon and you could just open a trainer and press a button every time you needed more money to build your park then yeah, sure.

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I think it would have been better had Hart just built a new park elsewhere in the Louisville area rather than be under the Fair Boards thumb.

 

In an ideal scenario, building from scratch in a place where they had free reign would have been better... But the value in the existing Kentucky Kingdom site was that it required minimal work to reinstate the existing infrastructure and attractions, saving them millions in the typical upfront cost that goes into building a brand new park. I don't know that Ed Hart and his team could have brokered a land deal and gathered enough funds to start a new park from the ground up with as much relative ease as they had with bringing Kentucky Kingdom back to life.

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I'm hearing that the fair board has come to there senses, and agreeing to the terms to allow the park to expand.

 

Kentucky Kingdom is pleased to report that the Fair Board has granted the park its request for one acre of expansion property required for the installation of its newest and 6th coaster – the Kentucky Flyer. The park was advised of this development after Mr. Hart held a press conference yesterday at the park.

 

Ed Hart had this to say: “I want to thank Governor Bevin and Secretary Landrum of the Finance and Administration Cabinet for making arrangements to cut through the paperwork necessary for Kentucky Kingdom and the Fair Board to come to terms. Of course, Kentucky Kingdom will provide, if it hasn’t already, all the information the Fair Board has requested. With that assurance, we’ve been given the green light to proceed. I am happy to declare that the Kentucky Flyer is on track for a 2019 grand opening. Clearly, this is an example of Governor Bevin and his administration cutting through the type of “red tape” that can hinder economic development in the Commonwealth.”

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Following the negative publicity surrounding the dispute between the Kentucky State Fair Board and Kentucky Kingdom, the request for the acre of property needed for Kentucky Flyer has been granted, allowing for construction on the project to resume.

 

https://www.wave3.com/2018/10/17/state-approves-land-new-kentucky-kingdom-coaster/

 

Officials with Kentucky Kingdom plans for a new roller coaster are now a “go” after the Kentucky State Fair Board agreed to give the park the land it needed for the project.

 

Kentucky Kingdom said its request for one acre of property required to install its newest coaster, the Kentucky Flyer, has been granted by the Fair Board.

 

Park officials say the approval came after Ed Hart, President and CEO of Kentucky Kingdom, held a news conference yesterday to complain about the delay of the land transfer. According to Hart, the one acre was promised to him and he needed it to expand the park, but the State Fair Board wouldn’t agree to the transfer.

 

In a statement released today by Kentucky Kingdom spokesman, Hart said, “I want to thank Governor Bevin and Secretary Landrum of the Finance and Administration Cabinet for making arrangements to cut through the paperwork necessary for Kentucky Kingdom and the Fair Board to come to terms. Of course, Kentucky Kingdom will provide, if it hasn’t already, all the information the Fair Board has requested. With that assurance, we’ve been given the green light to proceed. I am happy to declare that the Kentucky Flyer is on track for a 2019 grand opening. Clearly, this is an example of Governor Bevin and his administration cutting through the type of ‘red tape’ that can hinder economic development in the Commonwealth.”

 

Kentucky Flyer, a wooden roller coaster, would be the 6th coaster at the park.

Edited by jedimaster1227
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^ Awesome! So do we know anything about the extra acreage that the park had said they have the right to expand on? Is that still the plan?

 

There was a map posted a few pages back. There are no plans at this time to expand into that area except for the tiny, tiny cutout necessary for this coaster.

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That's pretty sweet! And what a relief the project is back underway once again!

 

Definitely one of the brighter sides in the world of coaster enthusiasts when a bunch can push hard enough to get a coaster's opening back on track.

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