808Freq Posted August 26, 2010 Share Posted August 26, 2010 (edited) I thought I'd give it a go with a park. It's my first attempt, and I'm kind of learning on the fly. My buildings still suck. 8/26/2010 from NaplesNews.com 3:10 p.m. EST The Naples City Zoo, a place with a history of cultivating the imaginations of children and adults alike since the 1940s, is in danger of having to close it's doors forever. The Zoo's attendance has declined over the last decade, and county commissioners are worried the zoo will have trouble paying the bills. For years the zoo's financial troubles have been buffered by revenue the zoo received from parking space for the Coastland Center Mall which sits aside the zoo. Those revenues are due to disappear as the mall's developer has built a large multi level parking structure rendering the parking space on the zoo's land useless. The Zoo's plan to attract visitors by installing a few fair style rides has proven unsuccessful. The city council met last night in an emergency meeting to discuss the Zoo's future, and several other important figures were in attendance. One of them being Rodney Stevens, a retired engineer, and owner of "Stevens Kingdom", the small family fun park located in Naples. Stevens' investment group is in talks with the city to purchase the Zoo and convert it to a full service theme park, featuring thrill and family style rides. While the council deliberates before the vote, we'll leave you with a few pictures from a recent outing to the Naples City Zoo. Stay linked for news concerning the future of the Naples City Zoo. A grizzly bear posing for the camera. Thank heavens for fences! Beautiful scenery. Ferris wheel gives guests a great aerial view of the park. Great shady areas make it easy for guests to get up close to the animals. Lots of room for shopping centers, strip malls, restaurants, etc. If the Stevens group doesn't take advantage of this parcel, someone else will. Edited September 24, 2010 by 808Freq Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davisal771 Posted August 27, 2010 Share Posted August 27, 2010 Looks cool! I'll be following this one for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calicoasters Posted August 27, 2010 Share Posted August 27, 2010 Looks good so far, and I really like the story line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
808Freq Posted August 30, 2010 Author Share Posted August 30, 2010 8/30/10 From naplesnews.com The BlackRock Group (BRG) has won the final round of the auction selling off the Naples City Zoo. With the decision comes a new round of accusations of backroom dealing among councilmen. An unnamed executive with Simon Malls, the competing bidder, accuses the Naples city council of practically "giving" the land to BlackRock. "They didn't want another mall competing with Coastland, which is partially owned by one of the chairmen of the city council. This is the last time Simon will ever attempt to invest in the city of Naples." The next step is to decide to what do with the land. One thing is for sure, the Zoo will be closing it's doors. Rodney Stevens, the CEO of the BlackRock Group L.L.C., sat down with Naplesnews.com "For years the Zoo hasn't been able to compete for consumers' entertainment dollar. Animals are cute, but cute doesn't pay the bills." When asked what the land will be used for, "That is under consideration. Naples commercial real estate market is shattered, and being so close to a well respected entity such as Coastland Center Mall, commercial property doesn't make sense. But there is a strong need for residential. Say, apartments. We are looking at all options in that regard. Then, of course, there is the family entertainment option." Publicly, that is the option that Stevens prefers, already being involved in the family entertainment industry. "Viability is the issue. High speed rail connecting Miami, Southwest Florida, and Tampa and central Florida make things like large scale theme parks viable in today's market. Things like overbearing city restrictions and regulations make that viability a bit bleaker." Currently there is a height restriction of one hundred feet for 'amusement rides' in the city of Naples. Such restrictions would make it hard for a theme park to compete in today's competitive family entertainment industry. "Time will tell." We leave you with some shots of closing day. A somber day for sure, but who knows what the future will bring! A good turnout for the last day. The crowd favorite giving it's fans a good ride. To add insult to injury, the Ferris Wheel broke, keeping riders stuck for over an hour. The crowd files out as the zoo closes it's gates for the final time. The animals were removed almost immediately after the last person left the zoo. Making the last rounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
808Freq Posted September 8, 2010 Author Share Posted September 8, 2010 From naplesnews.com's Online Entertainment Blog -- "Jimmy's Corner" First things first, a picture that I took just after the zoo closed. The first bulldozer at work at demolition. I post it now, because I was going to post it earlier (forgot I had taken it), plus it gives perspective (more on that in a moment). The very first dig into the ground. Beginning of the end for the zoo. Though there has been no official word on what the land for the zoo will be used for, there is activity on the site. Supplies being stockpiled. Vehicles are large piles of wood. More updates soon. I leave you with that 'perspective' shot. The same before, just fast forward a bit. Seems like they are building onto the old zoo ticket-house. No more Tilt a whirl. Construction crew parking lot added. Scaffolding galore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paradisecoaster Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 So, can this be the start of a new themepark? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
808Freq Posted September 11, 2010 Author Share Posted September 11, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paradisecoaster Posted September 11, 2010 Share Posted September 11, 2010 Just my thoughts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
808Freq Posted September 13, 2010 Author Share Posted September 13, 2010 Announcing Miccosukee Park, opening soon in beautiful Naples, Florida. Operated by the newly created Blackrock Seminiole Entertainment group, the park will offer fun for the whole family. Ranging from classic style flat rides to thrilling roller coasters, Miccosukee Park will be Southwest Florida's best place to relax, let loose, and have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djbrcace1234 Posted September 14, 2010 Share Posted September 14, 2010 Hopefully it will be a nice little park to visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
808Freq Posted September 14, 2010 Author Share Posted September 14, 2010 From naplesnews.com's Online Entertainment Blog -- "Jimmy's Corner" Miccosukee Park Update Some photos I've taken in the past week of construction week 1. Wood arriving on the scene. Construction crews arrived by the dozen on day one. More buildings going up. I wonder what these will become one day. Station house and coaster begin construction at the same time. Seminole will be a house built wooden coaster that "Blends exciting twists with classic wooden airtime." Supports arrive for the steel coaster. No word on the name for this coaster, as it's a late addition to the park's plans. In fact, it is nowhere on the parks formal plans, and to date is shrouded in mystery. When asked who is supplying the coaster, the park had no comment. More to come as it happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
808Freq Posted September 24, 2010 Author Share Posted September 24, 2010 From naplesnews.com's Online Entertainment Blog -- "Jimmy's Corner" Miccosukee Park Update Construction is moving right along, and Miccosukee's PR people dropped me this little glossy photo when I stopped by the site today. While it was long rumored, it has now been confirmed. Intamin is building Tomahawk, which will have the fastest 'standard' lift hill in the U.S. Below are some construction photos of Tomahawk and some previews of the park. The entrance of the park. This area is still under construction. One of the larger buildings completed so far. Spent a few hours on the job site. The guys hard at work building Tomahawk let me get some great pictures! A piece of track is positioned into place. The wind wasn't making it any easier on the workers. A few hours later, onto the next piece! That's all for now. Check back next week for more updates! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
808Freq Posted September 30, 2010 Author Share Posted September 30, 2010 From naplesnews.com's Online Entertainment Blog -- "Jimmy's Corner" Miccosukee Park Update While I can't get any of the crew to give exact details, I'm told the park is about three quarters complete. I'm getting a walk through hard hat tour next week. This week they wouldn't allow pictures from inside the park(as with most projects this large, the construction scene is getting hectic, and they don't want non workers on the site at this time). Here's one from just outside the gate. View from the parking lot (also currently under construction just behind me out of the picture). Also, this picture was mailed to me. Some guy who took it from his private prop plane four days ago. I must say it looks much different now that it's finished (Also, how low was this guy flying? Looks like he's lower than Tomahawk's peak.. which is under 100 ft !!).. One of the two coasters the park will open with. Next time I'll have much more to show you. Till then... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGuy Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 (edited) Looking good! I like the story of it being a former zoo and Tomahawk and its surroundings look nice in that last pic. Edited October 1, 2010 by RGuy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charles506 Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 this looks really nice. We gotta collab sometime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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