Lakemont Park changes

[DirkFunkDon't make me kick you in the donkey!]

I only care that the coasters reopen. Literally nothing else. So great if that's the case and you can expect me back next year in the front seat of Skyliner (getting all that delicious airtime on the first turnaround).

[coasterbillWhy do I still have a donkey title???]

So basically they're upgrading a few things that they already have (like mini golf and go karts), removing a bunch of things (which were admittedly garbage) and promoting the fact that they're replacing them with nothing as exciting new green space. Aside from that they're adding volleyball courts and basketball courts?

If I'm understanding this correctly then I don't get it. Personally I don't care because Skyliner and Leap the Dips are the only things in the park that I have any interest in anyway but I mean... if Lakemont was having financial issues then how is this going to fix that? It's sort of the same thing it was before only with more grass.

I hope this works out for them but I don't totally get it.

Saving on staffing costs is the only thing I can think of. Maybe they think that removing a ride is better than seeing one still and non-operational.

[DirkFunkDon't make me kick you in the donkey!]

So basically they're upgrading a few things that they already have (like mini golf and go karts), removing a bunch of things (which were admittedly garbage) and promoting the fact that they're replacing them with nothing as exciting new green space. Aside from that they're adding volleyball courts and basketball courts?

If I'm understanding this correctly then I don't get it. Personally I don't care because Skyliner and Leap the Dips are the only things in the park that I have any interest in anyway but I mean... if Lakemont was having financial issues then how is this going to fix that? It's sort of the same thing it was before only with more grass.

I hope this works out for them but I don't totally get it.

Get rid of the stuff that isn't making you money but costs it to raise cash. Keep the stuff that isn't terrible. Go pay-per-attraction instead of POP. Add FEC stuff like bumper boats, mini golf, new go-karts, and batting cages. Makes sense to me rather than try to do the same thing as Delgrossos.

[coasterbillWhy do I still have a donkey title???]

I do like the pay per attraction model. They really need to piggyback off of the Curve crowds and families are probably a lot more likely to pop in and ride one or two rides than to pay for everyone in the family to get into the park for an hour (or whatever) before the game.

I actually forgot that they used to charge for admission since whenever we went there there was always some promotion where everything was free and you only had to pay for Leap the Dips. I think it was a holiday weekend promotion which (to me) seemed like the most asinine thing ever but... okay.

I think I got an all day wristband for under $10 the one day I went. That's incredibly cheap to have no crowds there.

[ShavethewhalesCan you see the donkey in my toast?]

Saving on staffing costs is the only thing I can think of. Maybe they think that removing a ride is better than seeing one still and non-operational.

Staffing, maintenance, insurance, utilities... It takes a lot to keep a ride going. Insurance especially is a cost that many enthusiasts don't even think of. In some states it can be ridiculous.

The stuff they got rid of wasn't the stuff that people came to the park for. Due to their staffing, some of those rides barely operated anyway, from what I hear. Maybe they sold a few extra tickets for those rides, but probably not enough to make a profit on. Removing those rides might cut their revenue by 10%, but I'm sure their costs will drop by over 50%.

Hopefully if they have some success they can focus on improving the park and adding new amenities that will also stand out on their own and pull a profit.

They are showing several "concert" spaces, which kind of seems like an out for justifying the empty green spaces. If they do come up with some events to utilize those spaces it will be a boon for the park though. A lot of successful park management these days hinges on programing, even for municipal parks.

[A.J.Counts I305 as 32 credits...]

So basically they're upgrading a few things that they already have (like mini golf and go karts), removing a bunch of things (which were admittedly garbage) and promoting the fact that they're replacing them with nothing as exciting new green space. Aside from that they're adding volleyball courts and basketball courts?

They're re-targeting themselves. Instead of trying to be an amusement park, they appear to be trying to position themselves as a traditional city park / public space that just so happens to have amusement rides. I would definitely agree with what you said about spending a few hours in the park before / after a Curves game, that sort of repeat business will probably be what continues to let them operate. Plus, now that a lot of their space is open park land, picnic areas and concert venues, they can continue to operate in at least some capacity all year.

You could draw comparisons to the Sustainable Playland project with this in my opinion. That never got off the ground, but if this does and it's successful, the "city park with rides" model could become a viable type of family entertainment center, or even as big as Tulsa's Gathering Place. I would LOVE that.

"We'll have roller coasters, we'll have the Skyliner and the world's oldest roller coaster, the Lead the Dips will still be there, we'll have the Tin Lizzy's," said Cohen.

I want to ride "Lead" the Dips. I would feel like the leader of the losers.

So basically they're upgrading a few things that they already have (like mini golf and go karts), removing a bunch of things (which were admittedly garbage) and promoting the fact that they're replacing them with nothing as exciting new green space. Aside from that they're adding volleyball courts and basketball courts?

If I'm understanding this correctly then I don't get it. Personally I don't care because Skyliner and Leap the Dips are the only things in the park that I have any interest in anyway but I mean... if Lakemont was having financial issues then how is this going to fix that? It's sort of the same thing it was before only with more grass.

I hope this works out for them but I don't totally get it.

The park makes a HUGE amount of their business on corporate picnics. Sounds to me like what they are doing is increasing that area of their business to have more amenities for that. It's not uncommon at all for businesses to come to a place like Lakemont, have their company picnic, softball games, etc. Even the company picnic areas at Six Flags Magic Mountain have Volleyball nets.

Even if they may be taking away some old and busted rides and replacing it with "green space" that is actually an overall improvement to the park.

I'm happy to see this park get a bit of a new breath of life and I hope it works out for them.