June 11, 2003

Opening delayed for CB Amusement Park

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 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.