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CLP Junction
Conneaut Lake Park Discussion
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pianotech1
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Joined: 22 May 2007
Posts: 88
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 Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 6:50 am Post subject: Park lease agreement reached. Plan involves condos, Hotel... |
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http://www.meadvilletribune.com/local/local_story_210235834.html
I'm wondering what the future of the rides is and where the condos will be put up. It looks like for now major cash will be put into the Hotel Conneaut, Beach Club, and an evaluation of the train and Devil's Den for possible use for a "haunted park" event in October, as well as the pumpkin fest. |
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Flyingscooter
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Joined: 18 Dec 2006
Posts: 105
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| Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 8:33 am Post subject: |
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Thank God!!!!
While the D Den was mentioned, what happened to the dark ride given to the park When Erieview closed? I hope that wasn't in the ballroom.
Perhaps sometime in late August, we can do an over-nighter at Camperland and hoist a few at the beachclub...
(my tent sleeps 9-12)
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pianotech1
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Joined: 22 May 2007
Posts: 88
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| Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 8:48 am Post subject: |
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| Could this be the start of a new era? A XXI's century renaissance for the park? |
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myself
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Joined: 09 Aug 2006
Posts: 126
Location: West Mifflin, PA
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| Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:15 am Post subject: |
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About time.
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myself, AKA andy_e219
Conneaut Lake Park 2009 |
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CLP Ride Op
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Joined: 05 Jun 2006
Posts: 280
Location: Sandusky, OH
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| Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 10:40 am Post subject: |
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[quote="Flyingscooter"]Thank God!!!!
While the D Den was mentioned, what happened to the dark ride given to the park When Erieview closed? I hope that wasn't in the ballroom.
quote]
I belive the ride is safe. It is ine the game building beside the Gift Shop so it just dodged a bullet during the fire. I belive the Spooks are still in Greg Sutterlins House.
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pianotech1
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Joined: 22 May 2007
Posts: 88
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| Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 4:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | "CONNEAUT LAKE — Businessman Greg Sutterlin is excited about the deal which will open parts of Conneaut Lake Park this year, including immediate work on the Beach Club.
Here are some of the key elements in the proposed deal:
- Money — Although not giving specific figures, Sutterlin said the deal involves a “substantial amount” of money which will help pay down debts of more than $2.7 million owed by the currently-closed park, including back taxes. “I believe the creditors will be very happy,” Sutterlin said Monday night.
- Water system — Sutterlin and his partners will seek a variance to allow them to build a water company building to house a new water filtration system. As soon as the variance is granted, work will begin and should be completed within 45 to 60 days.
- Beach Club —Work is to begin today and be completed for opening in about one month.
- Hotel Conneaut — Plans are to renovate Hotel Conneaut and open rooms as work is complete. The hotel has about 120 rooms and he hopes to open 60 to 80 of them soon. However, the hotel’s restaurant there will not open this year.
- Upcoming events — Besides the Haunted Park and Pumpkin Fest this fall, plans are also being made to have a wine fest, rib cookoff, hunting-fishing show and concerts next year at the park." |
Source: http://www.meadvilletribune.com/local/local_story_211000029.html
Well, so far it sound like it just might work. Lots of money is always a good thing. Getting the lakefront hotel up and running, as well as the Beach Club, is good. The wine fest, rib cook off, hunting/fishing show and concerts, will definitely draw.
This could finally be the plan that transforms the park into a resort with rides. This opens up multiple revenue streams...a brilliant idea, really. I'm optimistic! |
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RanHam335
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Joined: 13 Jan 2008
Posts: 76
Location: Florida
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| Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 6:33 pm Post subject: |
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FINALLY GOOD NEWS!!!!!!
With the right management clp will make it
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Randall
2006 Blue Streak Challenge Participant
Waiting to ride the backseat of the Blue Streak again. |
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fairylandforest dreams
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Joined: 15 Feb 2008
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:01 pm Post subject: thank you, o great rollercoaster gods!! |
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| Wow!!! I am so excited that I can't sit still!! My husband and I will have to buy that HI-LO we were looking at and set it up at Camperland next year! Wow!! Is there a rollercoaster god watching over our little park or what!! I can't wait for Pumpkinfest this year aaaaaaannnnnnd CLP up and running full tilt next year!!! YEE HAW!! But I can't help but ask...Is that other coaster from Geauga Lake still available for free? That would certainly be a plus for the revitalization of the park! Also, has anyone looked into some of the rides at Chippewa Lake (including the Bug) which are still standing despite 30 years of disuse? Just WONDERING!! See y'all at Pumpkinfest!!! |
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PK_OH
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Joined: 13 Apr 2008
Posts: 16
Location: NE, OH
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pianotech1
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Joined: 22 May 2007
Posts: 88
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:22 am Post subject: |
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More info and a timeline: http://www.meadvilletribune.com/local/local_story_211234624.html
| Quote: | Conneaut Lake Park's proposed renovation timeline
Beach Club, including Down Under Bar: Structural work and renovations started Tuesday. Hopes are to have it open by Labor Day weekend, or by Pumpkin Fest in mid-October.
French fry stand: Hopefully to be open at same time as Beach Club.
Hotel Conneaut: Renovation work would open about 60 rooms by Labor Day but, if that isn’t possible, by Pumpkin Fest in October. Renovations would continue throughout the winter with plans to be open by spring for weddings and other special events.
Restaurant at Hotel Conneaut: Plans are to renovate it and then lease it to someone to operate in 2009.
Rides: The Devil’s Den and the Miniature Train may be open for Haunted Park festivities in October. No plans are being made to open other rides at this time, but the new developers hope others will lease some of the rides soon. Greg Sutterlin said, however, that if no one else comes forward in a few years, they will look at that option.
Condominiums: A total of 12 to 16 units to be built, with three or six units to be ready next year, some in the McClure House and others added to Hotel Conneaut. All to be done within five years.
Docks: Some additional docks may be added for public and private use in the area south of the lawn at Hotel Conneaut.
Beach: The lease doesn’t include the beach which will continue to be under control of the trustees.
Boardwalk: It needs some structural support and some boards will be replaced or repaired.
Dockside and Flynn House property: Neither is included in the lease with the new group. |
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pianotech1
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Joined: 22 May 2007
Posts: 88
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:29 am Post subject: |
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And more:
| Quote: | Area businessmen want to see park thrive
By Jean Shanley
CONNEAUT LAKE — Four area businessmen who spent many hours at Conneaut Lake Park in their youth have entered into a lease agreement to bring new life to the park which has been closed for two years because of lack of funds to operate it.
Greg Sutterlin, Dick Williams, Steve Popovich and Mark Popovich have agreed to terms for a 49-year lease on some parts of the historic, 116-year-old amusement park, and a 30-year lease on Hotel Conneaut that sits on its waterfront.
The plan, announced Monday night after being in negotiations since last December, calls for reopening the park’s Beach Club bar and the hotel, as well as constructing residential condominiums in at least one location.
The plans have yet to be finanized, but some work on the Beach Club has already begun, as confidence in the new plan is strong, park officials and the business group both indicated.
In guiding the lease proposal, each of the four businessmen has a special interest in seeing the park not only survive but thrive in a rejuvenated yet traditional setting. Sutterlin, who toured the park with Tribune reporters on Tuesday, started going to the park as a boy with his family 35 years ago and thought it was a great “traditional amusement park.” When the park’s future was threatened by its financial problems in recent years, “I couldn’t let that happen,” he said. Two years ago he attempted to purchase three and one-half acres of land on which the Flynn property was located, but that deal fell through because the court couldn’t approve the sale of park assets.
Sutterlin’s connection to the historic park runs deep. He volunteered there for many years, doing jobs such as helping to paint the Blue Streak roller coaster, cleaning the Beach Club and other properties, and repairing docks.
A few years ago he purchased the former Fright Zone amusement ride from a park in Pittsburgh, hoping eventually to operate it at Conneaut Lake Park. The ride is still in his garage at home (across the lake from the park) and he hopes it will be used for Haunted Park events each fall at the park.
Steve Popovich said he and his brother, Mark, have been going to the park since they were very young.
And Williams’ memories of the park are similar to those of thousands of others: riding through the park years ago, stopping for french fries and visiting the Beach Club. He attended company picnics there both as a youth and in adult years, and he particularly enjoyed playing games on the midway.
All four men have wonderful memories of the park and wanted to keep it alive for others to enjoy.
Hotel and condos
The hotel, which has been closed for almost all of the past two years, has experienced numerous building code defiencies, making it unsafe for guests. It would be remodeled and brought up to code, and with an additional wing that will include an indoor pool. The hotel would also have an elevator as well as efficiency apartments including small kitchens and bathrooms which could be used for long-term rentals. Some units would remain in the traditional style, and there would be year-round events planned.
The McClure House (the park’s former women’s dormitory, about two blocks inland from the lakefront) will be remodeled to maintain some of its historic appearance and will be made larger. Condos at that site would include a 10-foot right of way for owners to have access to the lake by walking along a fenced area on the park’s far-north boundary.
Williams is confident the plans will be money-makers for both the park and for his investment group.
While none of the investors or the board of trustees would reveal the financial contributions, all have indicted it’s “a substantial investment.”
The leases don’t include the rides. George Deshner, general manager and a member of the board of trustees, s very pleased with the new agreement. “I think it’s just a great opportunity for the park. It’s something we’ve needed to have happen for along time,” he said.
Deshner said his role at the park is still to be determined, but believes he will still be involved with its operations. “I have a lot of hours invested in Conneaut Lake Park and don’t want to throw them away,” he said, noting that additional staff will be needed as plans move forward and parts of the park reopen.
Steve Popovich, who is currently doing remodeling work at Pelican Landing II, a restaurant-motel complex on the east side of the lake, said he expects to begin work at Hotel Conneaut soon.
He’s so enthused about the project that he plans to have his wife booking events and proms at the hotel facilities by next summer.
Power returning
The park had electricity problems in recent months, because of financial problems that led to most service being discontinued. But power has been restored in some areas, and currently the Beach Club, Camperland, the water department and Deshner’s office all have electricity. Deshner said he is looking into where the park is with its Penelec bills to determine when even more electricity can be restored.
As rides are restored, they will need to be inspected by a certified Pennsylvania ride inspector, he added.
The park has not been in operation since the close of the 2006 season. Built in 1892, it was deeded to the Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park in the late 1990s to be held in trust as a park for the citizens of northwestern Pennsylvania. In the past two years the park was unable to open because of lack of money, and it has been plagued recently by problems stemming from being nearly $3 million in debt. Several destructive incidents, including the loss of historic Dreamland Ballroom to fire last winter, have also complicated the once-thriving park’s fate.
Still, Deshner is very optimistic about the new plans.
“I think it’s going to be a really good thing for Conneaut Lake Park. I’ve been talking with these people for a long time, both individually and together as a group, and I feel they really want to see it come back as (an amusement) park. They want to see it grow — for people to come to.”
Jean Shanley can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at jshanley@meadvilletribune.com. |
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Flyingscooter
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Joined: 18 Dec 2006
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fairylandforest dreams
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Joined: 15 Feb 2008
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:33 pm Post subject: re: Chippewa Lake |
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| Hi PK; thanks for the info. Just this past weekend I'd been looking at new photos of Chippewa Lake which may be of interest to you or anyone who remembers that particular amusement park. I worked for GTE in Medina right after Chippewa Lake closed and my interest began through one of my co-workers, who was the last Miss Chippewa to reign over the amusement park. Very sad indeed! Anyway, for anyone who may be interested in Chippewa Lake - - a devotee who took pictures of the closed park back in 1978 went back earlier this year and recreated the same pictures again, but showing the 30 year progress of decay. Many of the pictures morph from then to now...very interesting but also very sad to see. There are many, many pictures to go through so make yourself comfortable, but it's worth the effort. I remember the Wild Mouse at Conneaut had the same cupola and cars that are shown at Chippewa Lake 1978. And the ride which still stands and is immediately recognizable is, of course, the Tumble Bug. A somber remembrance of what may have happened to our Conneaut Lake. |
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CLP Ride Op
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Joined: 05 Jun 2006
Posts: 280
Location: Sandusky, OH
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 1:21 pm Post subject: |
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Where can we find these Pictures at?
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RanHam335
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Joined: 13 Jan 2008
Posts: 76
Location: Florida
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 4:30 pm Post subject: |
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I just finished reading the new articles and now im very optimistic. These guys really know what clp is all about.
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Randall
2006 Blue Streak Challenge Participant
Waiting to ride the backseat of the Blue Streak again. |
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