Kemah Boardwalk and Bullet Discussion Thread

[BeemerBoy]

On the subject of rebuilding amusement facilities after a major natural disaster, you guys should ask the folks in Miami how important it was to rebuild Miami Metro Zoo bigger and badder than ever. At the time the storm hit, the zoo was considered one of the best in the country, and South Florida was pretty proud of it. The storm virtually destroyed it.

 

I visited eight years later, in 2000, and although some attempts had been made to revitalize the zoo, it was merely a shell of its former self, and honestly, quite depressing. In fact, the incredible aviary, which had had a monorail running through it, looked like the storm had just passed through through the day before. It hadn't even been touched in the eight years following Andrew.

 

From my understanding, only recently has the zoo found the needed support and funding to seriously expand and restore it to what it had been. A large new exhibit will open in December, and I believe it was voted on by the public to create an adjacent water park (don't quote me on that though). Either way, it's 16 years since Andrew blew through, and things are just now starting to look brighter around there.

 

I understand most zoos are much different than private corporations when it comes to capital. But even though rebuilding the Boardwalk can help to aide in restoring some of the morale of the local population, it could take years before they even see the same kind of financial returns they had over the last year. Community should come first. Shame on any business occupying space on KB that doesn't turn its efforts to the community first.

[GuruGuys]

Kemah Boardwalk official website has been updated:

 

Kemah Boardwalk

 

 

45-60 days for the first restaurants and amusements to be reopened.

 

-GG

[DandAyr]

last time I had a business trip to Houston - I ended up with a weekend in the city. So I drove out to Space Centre and then needed to go somewhere for food - Kemah was the destination.

 

This was pre Bullet days - the rides were ok but it was the monster boat into the bay that had the big Q's.

 

If I find a future trip also has non work days - the boardwalk would be top of the list as it made a very refreshing break from the humidity of the city.

 

The owners know this is the attraction of the place for locals in Houston and visitors and why they will get the food places up and running and then look to the amusements.

[BeemerBoy]

^^ Ironic slogan of the year.

[coastercrazy216]

I actually go to school with Michael Fertida, the owner of the boardwalk's son. He said that the damage was not that bad and he said that his dad is looking into companies like Intamin. He says that the rides could have been better. I am going to get a call from Michael's dad about the boardwalk tonight. I'll keep yall posted.

[AllenA07]

I went to Dippin Dots' last night and was told that the Boardwalk will be open again by November.

 

In all reality however I think it will be a very long time before we see the boardwalk open again. Though I only know what I've been seeing on the news, Galveston was devastated, and basic infrastructure is far from being reestablished. I do fully believe that the Boardwalk will be rebuilt, not bigger or badder, but roughly the same as it was before. However I don't think we're going to see it operating again until next summer at the earliest. Galveston has a lot of work to do to get the basic needs of life back again, they have to rebuild a lot of their infrastructure, and my hunch tells me that Kemah is not priority #1 for the city at this time. I expect that next summer we will see the boardwalk reopen, but I'd be surprised if we see anything much before that.

[carolinacaniac]

Community should come first. Shame on any business occupying space on KB that doesn't turn its efforts to the community first.

 

Very much agreed. Worrying about fixing up the businesses first seems like a bit of a waste of time since you would still have people who are much more concerned about getting re-established than supporting the businesses. Once the community is set, then the people would more likely be ready to resume their normal lives, which includes the elective choices like shopping, entertainment, and other such things.

[terrancew_hod]

^While true, having a place to take your mind off the situation and bring this type a normality to their lives has it's advantages.

 

You won't know the advantages of having a restaurant open and serving a full menu until you've been through a hurricane, had no power, dealing with getting the necessities, getting reduced or "have it our way" fast food menus, then you find a place that's actually serving a good sit down meal.

 

After a few days of hurricane rations and having everyone stressing around you, this made me feel more like life was getting back to normal more than anything else.

 

I wouldn't knock 'em for getting their business back together.

 

Terry

[spaceace12]

I agree , while I haven't been through a hurricane, I have been through a flood. I didn't get to go to a park for 2 months(due to money, lack of) and would have loved to because I was living with family a park would have kept things going on back home off my mind for a couple hours.

[carolinacaniac]

^While true, having a place to take your mind off the situation and bring this type a normality to their lives has it's advantages.

 

You won't know the advantages of having a restaurant open and serving a full menu until you've been through a hurricane, had no power, dealing with getting the necessities, getting reduced or "have it our way" fast food menus, then you find a place that's actually serving a good sit down meal.

 

After a few days of hurricane rations and having everyone stressing around you, this made me feel more like life was getting back to normal more than anything else.

 

I wouldn't knock 'em for getting their business back together.

 

Terry

 

True, I have to give you that one as it was nice to be able to have a nice resturant meal once the water was deemed safe to use in food and beverages after Hurricane Floyd. At the same time, however, I think it was easier to enjoy that meal since we didn't have the same problems with damage to our home as others did.

 

I cannot and would not blame anyone who owns a resturant, shop, or other form of business for trying to get it up and going again as it is their source of income, but for me personally, I would have a hard time enjoying a nice resturant meal, or enjoy a movie if I knew my home was destroyed, but then again, it might provide a lot more comfort for others than it would for me.

[AllenA07]

So some memories of a little kid here (I was 8 when this story takes place), however I can tell you that after the Northridge earthquake we were thrilled to go eat out. Following the quake we didn't have power for a while (I believe where we were it was only 48 hours, but some parts of LA were down for weeks) and most of the food at my grandparents house (our place was destroyed) went bad during these days. So basically for about a week we ate nothing but peanut butter and jelly. It was a wonderful treat when one of the local restaurants opened again, because it meant that we got a real meal for a night. I'm sure that there are people right now in Galveston who would love to go get dinner out, yes there house will still be gone when they finish eating, however it is at least a small part of normalcy that they'll have back in their lives.

[terrancew_hod]

And you know the best part of having a restaurant opening back again?

 

Getting a ice cold beer, especially a draft.

 

I was in heaven. That beer lasted about 30 seconds before I ordered another one.

 

When Wilma struck, much of south florida didn't have power. Gas lines were long, people stood in line for ice and food. It was most of the people's fault because they didn't think the hurricane was going to be that bad and they didn't prepare. We were fine for a few days, but then my roommates and I managed to buy tickets to go to New York.

 

The day before we left, we found a Johnny Rockets open, but they had a limited menu of a hamburger with just catsup and mustard and a warm can of various sodas. Either you had that or you went hungry. I had to enlighten some lady of that fact when she was trying to customize the burger was getting mad and there was a long line of people waiting to eat. "Do you want it or not? People are waiting! I'm hungry! You can go over to Hooters... that's right they had storm damage and this is the only place that is open." She ended up quietly paying for it and leaving the store.

 

Anyway, once we landed in New York we found a restaurant in the airport and we sat down and order drinks. You would have thought they had gold flakes in that Bud Light and it was personally stirred by angels! It was that good... especially after rationing out warm water and soda to drink for the last three days.

 

Terry

[ginzo]

I had to enlighten some lady of that fact when she was trying to customize the burger was getting mad and there was a long line of people waiting to eat. "Do you want it or not? People are waiting! I'm hungry! You can go over to Hooters... that's right they had storm damage and this is the only place that is open." She ended up quietly paying for it and leaving the store.

 

If I ever get rich, I'm going to hire you to follow me around and yell at people who do stupid crap like that. There certainly would be no shortage of work for you.

[GuruGuys]

Community should come first. Shame on any business occupying space on KB that doesn't turn its efforts to the community first.

 

Very much agreed. Worrying about fixing up the businesses first seems like a bit of a waste of time since you would still have people who are much more concerned about getting re-established than supporting the businesses. Once the community is set, then the people would more likely be ready to resume their normal lives, which includes the elective choices like shopping, entertainment, and other such things.

 

Trust me, there are PLENTY of people to support the Boardwalk. I went to eat with my family tonight, we had to hit four restaurants before we found one without an hour long wait, and this is just a week after the Hurricane.

 

-GG

[carolinacaniac]

^I'm glad to hear that many people down there are being able to resume their normal lives. Sounds like it is possible that the Houston Area will recover pretty quickly.

 

I want to apologize if it sounded like I was trying to suggest that there was anything wrong with businesses getting things back together. That wasn't my intent. I just feel that people and their homes should be priority number one, as it is a basic need. I will agree though that sometimes it can get really bothersome when you "make do" for a while.

[coasterphotos]

I haven't read through all the posts but a few have caught my eye.

 

As far as people commenting that businesses shouldn't worry about opening and helping the community first...think about this.

 

Just for Landry's locations in Galveston and Kemah, 3,000 people are without jobs and not getting paid.....Not to mention all the other people without work across Houston because they don't have power. I lost 4 days of work and my girlfriend lost even more. Luckily I had vacation to cover it and still get paid but others may not be that lucky. Getting businesses back up and running is as important as getting peoples homes cleaned up so people can make money to repair their homes and replace lost belongings.

 

For those thinking that there will be this long process before if it is determined if Landry's rebuilds Kemah or not...they've already started. Quite a bit of progress has already been made over the last several days. 25% of the income for the entire Landry's chain comes from the Kemah and Galveston locations.

 

And GuruGuys is right...if you have a business and are open right now...especially somewhere that serves food...you are raking in the cash. Every place that is open in this area is packed...fast food, grocery stores, sit down restraunts, wal-mart, target, etc. And I live in an area where the majority of the people have had power back since Monday. I've never seen places around here this busy.

[almightyfire]

My 2 cents. Houston was not devestated. Galveston was. For people who live other places and watching the news they are mostly showing Galveston. Kemah Boardwalks revenue came from Houston residents mostly, not the surrounding areas of Kemah. I live in a place called Missouri City which is 35 miles from Kemah and 65 miles from Galveston. People who have never been to Houston have no idea on how big it is. Houston is bigger than a lot of states. from the south border to the north border of houston alone is probably 65 miles and that is just HOuston. Lets now count Woodlands, Spring, Conroe, Katy Brookshire, Missouri City, Sugarland, Stafford, Baytown, Crosby and so on add another 2 million to the 4 to 5 million people in Houston alone. Now all I had in my neighborhood was a few downed trees and fences, thats all. The Electricity was the problem here. Every darn store and movie house was completely packed 2 days after the storm. I am a hairstylist and the day of the storm i was so damn busy it was ridiculous and this week after I was even busier. Kemah is gonna be back with a vengence and Mr. Fertita said on the news himself, Kemah will be back ASAP. You have havent a clue how much money this man has. He is the next Donald Trump, trust me. He owns all of the Boardwalk and all he has to do is write a check. I went to the bowling alley 2 days ago and i had to wait 2 hrs for a lane. Baby please Houston is fine, we just need to sweep us the leaves. You all are seeing Galveston which sits not on but IN the Gulf. Houston is 60 miles inland and trust me if Kemah was open today, it would have been crowded.

[texcoaster]

It's only been a week since the hurricane, and I can't believe how much cleanup has been done on the Boardwalk. Streets are cleared, debris is piled up and waiting to be removed, workers are replacing siding and roofs...

 

No rides just yet, other than the Bullet. It (at least structurally) seems to have come through the storm just fine. I'm sure that the motors and brakes and such are ruined, but those are easier to replace than structure.

 

If they keep moving at this pace, I don't see any reason they couldn't have the Boardwalk up and running by Thanksgiving... and possibly even with rides by New Year's.

 

THAT would be cool.... to bring in the new year with a ride on a coaster, plus a nice package of brand new flats.

[PKI Jizzman]

Great, and our maze at KI is still filled with crap! Though the rest of the park looks fine; especially how they dealt with all the downed trees and lights. I'm sure our maze is an afterthought right now...

 

-JZ

[mike robinson]

Baby please Houston is fine, we just need to sweep us the leaves.

 

The Tree that was laying in my front yard and the tree in my Dad's living room might disagree with you.....

 

There are parts of Houston (and further North) that got hit VERY hard.

[texcoaster]

I have a friend who had to hire a crane to remove the tree from his garage. The tree was almost 3ft diameter and about 40ft tall. It squashed the garage flat, ripped the garage from the rest of the house (nice big hole in one of the bedroom walls now) and totalled the three cars that were in the garage at the time.

 

My mom lost the two big trees in her yard, but luckily they didn't hit the house. SOMETHING hit her storage shed in the back yard, though, but whatever it was tore up the door to the shed, then kept flying. All her fences are destroyed.

 

Almightyfire, you're out in Missouri City, which was pretty far from the eye and on the "clean side" of the storm. Folks farther east got hit a lot harder.

[almightyfire]

I was trying to make a point. I wasn't saying that people aren't effected. The point I was making was it wasn't devastation that would keep the boardwalk from reopening soon. I was just gearing that toward people who are only looking at Galveston. I apologize if someone took their situation as if i were minimizing it. I was just trying to convey to the people who live miles away that it wasn't so bad like Katrina in Houston because the media is focusing on Galveston.

 

Love You All!

[mike robinson]

Yeah, I understand. Houston did not take as hard a hit as Galveston and some places on the bay took a harder hit and are being ignored by the media. (Mostly on the East Side of Galveston Bay and Trinity Bay).

 

There is no doubt in my mind that Kemah will rebuild. The boardwalk is much to profitable, and it is one of the most popular destinations in the Houston area.

[GuruGuys]

A few pictures of Boardwalk Bullet post Hurricane Ike at Six Flags Houston Forums:

 

http://sixflagshouston.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2786&start=15

 

Thanks to Coasterphotos and Amusement Today for the update:

 

http://www.amusementtoday.com/index.html

 

 

Landry's Restaurants announces restaurant closures due to Hurricane Ike (Sept 25, 2008) Landry's Restaurants, Inc., announced that 14 Houston area restaurants remain closed as a result of Hurricane Ike and will re-open as soon as power is restored to each of the units. Moreover, all of the Company's Kemah and Galveston restaurants are closed. Only one restaurant in Galveston sustained significant damage, as did two restaurants at the Kemah Boardwalk. In addition, the amusement rides, the boardwalk itself and some infrastructure at the Kemah Boardwalk incurred significant damage. Once power and water are restored in Galveston, the Company anticipates that the majority of its Galveston restaurants will re-open, and that some of the restaurants at the Kemah Boardwalk may re-open within the next 45 to 60 days, with additional restaurants and some amusement rides opening monthly thereafter.

 

For the combined months of July and August 2008 and 2007, the Company's revenues were approximately $215.0 million and $213.0 million, respectively. Unit level cash flows for the two month periods in 2008 and 2007 were $48.0 million and $45.0 million, respectively.

 

Tilman J. Fertitta, chairman of the board, president and CEO said: "I am committed to reopening our operations in both Kemah and Galveston as soon as possible. After our rebuilding, we will have even newer and better facilities than before. The city officials of Galveston, Kemah and Houston, with the assistance of the federal government, are working diligently to restore utility services as soon as possible. We are very pleased with the progress made to date and are happy to be working closely with government officials to do our part to help our community rebound."

 

According to Rick Liem, executive VP and CFO, "While the final effect of the property damage and earnings impact resulting from the storm has not yet been finally determined, we are comfortable that the majority of our property losses and cash flow are expected to be covered by property and business interruption insurance."

.

 

 

-GG

[mike robinson]

Kemah Boardwalk is attempting to open in 2 weeks.

 

Probably not the rides but I would think some of the restaurants...

 

 

Kemah on Fast Pace to Recovery