^^ If they really have no plan on opening it, why not trying to sell it to another park? If they really just want it gone but don't want to spend the cash taking it down, I can't see why they couldn't get another park to pay for the permits and moving it. I would imagine that to cost less then building a new ride from scratch.
Also thanks for answering robb, it really bugged me on my trip this year, and my tour guide new seemingly nothing about it.