 here
has been much anticipation about the opening of a new Amusement
Park in Council Bluffs. Original plans stated that the first phase
of this project would be open this past May, however several
factors are causing a delay for the developers.
According to
Steve Minard, president of Papa's Park LLC, the project's
management company in Omaha, the project has gotten bigger as
developers refined their plans. The indoor portion of the park has
now grown from 70,000 square-feet to a 9-story, 300,000
square-foot structure. It
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Initial drawings depict the layout of Council Bluff's new 77-acre 'Wild Escape' amusement park to be built by
Papa's Park LLC. |
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will include at least 20 rides, a
2-story carousel, a food court and an arcade. The outdoor portion
of the park will remain about the same as originally stated.Developers
need to meet a July 15th deadline for proving they have the
financing in place for the first phase. Minard said he expects the
developers to have full financing for the project by then which
will come from both private and institutional investors. They are
waiting until the entire package is finalized so they can lay out
details. New plans now call for the opening of the park to be
sometime in the Spring of 2004. In order to meet that goal,
developers still need to complete the land purchase, gain a second
street access through another property, design and build sewers,
streets and parking plus bring in the rides and other attractions.
They will need to file for permits from city and state agencies
before some of these tasks can be completed but most of the
outdoor rides have already been ordered. To meet the new opening
for the 77-acre park, developers will have to be very aggressive
as it usually takes 15 to 18 months to build an amusement park.
Building the indoor portion of the park first will allow the
developers to work inside during the winter. The amusement park
will officially be called 'Wild Escape'. When completed, it will
be larger than Adventureland in in Des Moines, IA. A preview
exhibit of the park is currently on display at the Omaha
Children's Museum. Expect to start
seeing progress along the South Omaha Bridge Rd. near South 24th
Street in the Buffs soon. 
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