The First Tee Sea Coast

Updated: January 20, 2012 2:15AM

The Cook County Board would have the final say before granting tax exemptions for big-ticket events such as Lollapalooza under a plan introduced this week by County Commissioner Bridget Gainer in response to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times last year.

Currently, County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s revenue director decides whether a group such as a non-profit or event qualifies for an amusement-tax exemption. But if the board approves Gainer’s measure that authority would shift, at least on bigger deals, to the board.

The measure comes months after the Sun-Times reported the city and county have been granting amusement tax exemptions for Lollapalooza for the last seven years. In 2011, that meant promoters saved $1 million in taxes at the event.

Here’s how it works: Though Austin, Texas-based Lollapalooza promoter C3 Presents puts on and manages the festival, booking the acts, hiring the vendors, overseeing the entire operation and reaping the profits, the Chicago Park District, which owns Grant Park, doesn’t contract directly with C3.

Nor does C3 obtain the liquor licenses for the festival. Instead, that’s arranged through the Parkways Foundation, the park district’s not-for-profit fund-raising arm, which serves as a conduit between the promoters and the district — an arrangement that cost the county $350,000 in amusement tax revenues last year.

Gainer’s proposal — which fellow commissioners Earlean Collins, Deborah Sims, Joan Patricia Murphy, and Liz Doody Gorman agreed to co-sponsor — calls for a board vote on any amusement tax exemption in which the county would lose $150,000 or more.

The measure, introduced Wednesday, also states: The County Board “may deny the exemption application if it finds that the exemption is not in the best economic interest of the county.”

“When we are laying off people at the county who work at the hospital and provide vital services then we have to look carefully at who’s getting away with not paying taxes,” Gainer said.

Preckwinkle did not immediately comment on the measure. But Gainer did say that the revenue director and the state’s attorney’s office were consulted in crafting the measure.

The proposal could come up for a vote as early as Feb. 1.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has said he would ask the City Council to appoint a “third-party, independent” negotiator to broker talks with Lollapalooza and determine whether to eliminate the music festival’s multi-million dollar amusement tax exemption.

The hands-off stance is necessitated by the involvement of Emanuel’s brother, Hollywood super-agent Ari Emanuel. Ari Emanuel is the CEO of William Morris Endeavor, which co-owns Lollapalooza.

During the spring and summer, Lake Compounce is bustling with
families riding the theme parks roller coasters and splashing
around in the water park.

When the seasons change and the weather turns cold, the
amusement park on the Bristol-Southington town line closes down to
the public. But the business doesnt shut its doors, send its
employees home and wait until May to come back.

A crew of maintenance workers, including painters, carpenters
and mechanics work five days a week fixing up the park. Theyve
been busy maintaining rides and facilities since the park closed in
late October. Theyre making sure the appearance of the park is up
to par and the thrill rides are in good running condition for the
following season, said Lake Compounce General Manager Jerry
Brick.

On Tuesday, about an inch of slushy snow covered the theme
parks grounds. The boots of workers traveling back and forth from
buildings made indentations in the white slush. Inside a large
building, roller coaster cars from the Zoomerang rested on the
concrete. Mechanics were testing each cars wheels while they
listened to classic rock tunes on a nearby radio.

We take them apart and check for cracks, said Brian Cooney,
whos been working with thrill park rides since he was 19 years
old.

Cooney and other mechanics in the facility looked as if they
were in an automobile shop working on cars, but instead they were
taking apart and checking the theme park rides. Theyll look at all
40 of the parks rides before the park opens, Brick said.

The mechanics attend yearly seminars and classes hosted by the
roller coaster companies to learn about how the coasters are put
together, Brick said. The rides run 10 hours a day every day for
five months and therefore it is necessary to break them down and
make sure theyre tuned up for next year. Brick said if a person
ran their car for 10 hours straight every day, it would need work
too.

Cars that make up the Enterprise ride were worked on Tuesday as
well as the swings and pirate ship ride.

The carts and cars are important, but so are the tracks they run
on. Brick said loads of wood are hauled in every year to fix up
roller coaster tracks. The Wildcat ride was built in 1927. Its one
of the theme parks oldest rides, but wood wears out, warps and
splinters when a car carries about 10,000 pounds over the wooden
tracks dozens of times each day, Brick said.

Over in another building, rides that were fading in color
received a fresh coat of glossy paint. The kid swing ride wasnt as
bright as it once was and needed to be spruced up, Brick said.
Painters took pieces of the ride and painted them yellow, silver,
red and green.

You get to see the before and after, said Richard Gargas, a
painter at Lake Compounce.

Painter Jim Stevens said the swing ride is one of their bigger
projects and takes up a lot of time. When hes taking a break from
the swings, hes putting a coat of paint on the Boulderdash roller
coaster cars. Stevens also just finished painting a large water
raft ride bright green. The ride will also soon receive new
seating.

Besides keeping up with the rides, workers pay attention to the
general appearance of the park. Signs with directions, food
listings and games are touched up each year.

Ninety percent of our signs are made in house, Brick said.
Our carpenter cuts many of them out from plastics.

The weather plays a big role in deciding what materials the
signs are made of. Wood expands and breaks after a while and other
materials bend, Brick said.

All the signs are taken down for the winter, said safety and
training manager for the park Bryn Goldbeck. Shes also in charge
of designing and painting many of the signs. Were constantly
busy, she said.

Construction is also going on at the first aid building inside
the park. A larger area for people feeling sick is being developed.
Two nursing stations for mothers will also be available in the
coming season, Brick said.

Off-season maintenance work will continue until the park opens
in May.

With so much to accomplish, Red Tails has a lot on its plate dramatically speaking. One of the stars of the film, Cuba Gooding Jr., told MTV News recently that the film manages to find the right balance.

I think it strikes it in the subject matter, Gooding said. It didnt hurt that George Lucas spent the last quarter of a decade trying to get this story onto the big screen.

The fact that you have the story of these warriors, whose story has been suppressed up until this date except for smaller instances are finally getting their due, educating the audience of what African Americans did in the war effort in World War II … told by George Lucas, Star Wars, Gooding said. Youre going to see an amusement park ride.

Gooding concluded that all of those elements came together for a proper telling of the story. I think thats how you get the balance, he added. You get a filmmaker who is so passionate hes putting his own dough up to the tune of $100 million-plus. You see it on the screen.

 More Images »  Marie-France Coallier THE GAZETTE Jocelyne Pinard moved quickly to develop PI-O, her theme park for children with an undersea theme featuring rides and healthy food. Interacting with PI-O the octopus are Gabriel Leboeuf (front), Chloe Greig (bottom right) and Thomas Greig getting a lift from the owner.Photograph by: MARIE-FRANCE COALLIER THE GAZETTE, The Gazette

t wasn’t supposed to cost this much or open this quickly.

I But once Jocelyne Pinard took the plunge with PI-O, her water-themed amusement centre for children in Longueuil, there was no turning back.

Opened before Christmas in a strip mall near the intersection of Roland-Therrien and Curé Poirier Blvds., the centre represents an investment, to date, of more than $4 million.

“It’s about triple what I figured originally,” said Pinard, 50, owner of three South Shore daycare centres.

She’d originally foreseen opening about a year from now but put the project on fast-forward eight months ago when she discovered the vacant space, 30,000 square feet formerly occupied by the Société des Alcools that she’s transformed, with the help of Artea Design, into the undersea world of Jocelyne Pinard.

Most of the elaborate decor was built to her specifications in China. The rides – including an indoor train, bumper cars and mini pirate ships – primarily came from Europe.

Admission ($18.99 plus tax per person, less for families of four and groups) includes a meal that is prepared on-site, in a kitchen that also supplies Pinard’s three daycare centres.

No fried or trans-fat foods are on the menu. Diners eat their pasta, salads, chicken and sandwiches in seashell-shaped booths.

The lack of stimulating, year-round activities for children under age 10 was her major motivation for conceiving PI-O and bringing it to life, said Pinard, who opened her first daycare centre 21 years ago.

“I had three kids, and when they were younger, there weren’t a lot of places to go. Most attractions are outside,” she said. “You had to go to the U.S. for something like this.”

Schools, daycare centres and day camps are the target markets for weekdays at PI-O. On the weekends, families and birthday parties are the main clientele.

Named after the park’s mascot, an octopus, PI-O has been a labour of love.

“I’m here all the time, done every job so far except mascot. My husband, son and daughter work here as well, all without pay.”

The first few weeks, which included a couple of weekend days with more than 800 clients, have been a learning experience, Pinard said, and the park still is fine-tuning operations and pricing to be as customer-friendly and cost-efficient as possible.

“As long as we’re breaking even the first two or three months, we’ll do just fine,” she said.

Unexpectedly, the restaurant has proved a draw for local seniors, and Pinard is trying to find a way to more easily accommodate them.

She also has a French-language TV pilot near completion in which children interact with theme-park characters to promote healthy eating, exercise and environmental responsibility.

“I’m convinced there’s a place for this kind of attraction and that we’ll succeed,” she said. “I know families, I know they want something different. You can only go to the ballroom so many times. They need ‘wow’ experiences, and that’s what this is. It still impresses me every morning. The kids from my own daycares were the testers, and they love it. Some families we’ve already seen twice.

“Eventually, I would hope to see other centres open in places like Ottawa and Quebec City. We’ll have a better idea in 18 months what those prospects are.”

pdelean@ montrealgazette.com

© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette   

Gov. Chris Christie signed into law Tuesday a bill that exempts amusement parks and carnival rides from noise restriction rules.

Before the bill was signed, amusement parks and carnival rides were subject to the Noise Control Act of 1971, which empowers the state Department of Environmental Protection to set commercial noise limits at 50 decibels between 10 pm and 7 am and 65 decibels during the day. The act also allowed municipalities to adopt more stringent noise ordinances.

The bill, S-2850, which was sponsored by Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, and Sen. Jim Whelan, D-Atlantic, also exempts beach bars. The bill was co-sponsored by former Sen. Andrew Ciesla, R-Ocean.

Van Drew said he sponsored the bill to address the needs of older beachside amusement areas that have become surrounded by residential communities through more recent development booms. Many members of the newer communities then complain about the noise from existing establishments, he said.

Boardwalks and amusement parks are ?an integral part of the Shore,? Van Drew said. ?They shouldn?t be penalized (for residential encroachment.)?

The bill only applies to existing amusement parks, said Van Drew. New parks or additions would be subject to the 1971 act, he said.

Under the law, a carnival operator must continue to maintain and lubricate the rides to minimize noise.

Jenkinson?s Boardwalk at 300 Ocean Ave. in Point Pleasant Beach is a member of the New Jersey Amusement Association, which supported the bill.

?The association was in favor of the original bill, which included amusement parks (and carnivals). Beach bars were added in an amendment,?? Marilou Halvorsen, the director of marketing at Jenkinson?s said Tuesday afternoon.

?Our organization supports it,?? Halvorsen added.

Seaside Heights officials applauded the move.

?I think the governor is doing the right thing. We are dealing with a lot of businesses that are projecting out by the ocean so the noise is minimal,?? Police Chief Thomas Boyd said.

?The governor is trying to build up business in New Jersey so that we don?t lose any more people. He?s on the right track,?? Boyd added.

Borough Mayor William Akers agreed.

?It is definitely positive for Seaside Heights and helps the police department,?? Akers said.

?It puts our police in a better position to enforce our local noise ordinances because it exempts the amusement areas,?? Akers said. ?We fully support it.??

To the north, Keansburg Amusement Park and Runaway Rapids Water Park co-owner William Gehlhaus said the law will be beneficial.

?We try not to make too much noise, and so far it?s been pretty good,? Gehlhaus said.

Six Flags Great Adventure spokeswoman Kristin Siebeneicher said the Jackson-based park aims to end its firework displays, concerts and special events by 10 pm

In the past five years, ?we have not received any concerns regarding noise from our neighbors or the surrounding communities,? said Siebeneicher. ?We are extremely mindful of our neighbors.?

A farmer carries a shovel over his shoulder as he walks to tend his crops in a field that includes an abandoned building, that was to be part of an amusement park called Wonderland, on the outskirts of Beijing December 5, 2011. REUTERS/David Gray

The owners of an Indiana amusement park are expressing interest in operating Kentucky Kingdom, which closed more than two years ago.

A statement issued Monday night by the Koch family, which owns Holiday World in Santa Claus, Ind., said they have expressed interest in the future of the park, according to The Courier-Journal (http://bit.ly/z5l0g8). The statement said the family is considering the idea and finding answers to questions, but no decisions have been made.

The statement was issued after the website InsiderLouisville.com asked the family about their interest in the park.

Harold Workman, Kentucky State Fair Board president, has said that reopening the amusement park is the fair boards top priority.

——

Information from: The Courier-Journal, http://www.courier-journal.com

AP-WF-01-17-12 1356GMT

Rank shares are on the rise, up nearly 7% after a favourable ruling for the gaming company in the European Court of Justice.

The company has been in dispute with the UK tax authorities for some while about what it claimed was overpayment of VAT on certain amusement machines and bingo. It won various court cases in the UK and now, following an appeal by HMRC, the European courts have now backed Ranks stance, at least on bingo although it has reservations about the machines. Rank has made various bingo claims totalling £253m and is now considering what to do about an amusement machine claim for £30.8m.

Paul Leyland at Investec said:

The European Court has adjudged on Ranks first tranche of VAT reclaims (£280m). It recognises the validity of bingo claims (£253.4m) though has reservations on gaming machines (£30.8m; additional £275m plus). We therefore see Ranks deleveraged position affirmed, though visibility on further claims enhanced only marginally. Given Ranks operational momentum and longer-term ability to return cash and/or engage in Mamp;A, we see this as positive for shareholders. We reiterate buy, forecasts and target price under review (positively).

Writing before the announcement analyst Jeffery Harwood at Oriel Securities said:

We understand HMRCs case at the European Court of Justice was weak and based on the immorality of giving a windfall payment to a gaming company, rather than on the tax issue itself. If HMRC wins its appeal, which is most unlikely, then Rank will be required to repay £274m plus interest. If HMRC loses its appeal then Rank will submit further claims which are estimated to be in excess of a further £275m (70p per share).

Rank shares are currently 9.5p higher at 146.5p.

(PRWEB UK) 10 November 2011

Following a successful debut at the EAS show in London, Qendix will showcase CueHoo, a breakthrough Time Navigaton(TM) mobile app service, at the IAAPA Attractions Expo 2011, November 14-18, Orlando. Applying state of the art mathematical research in the mobile apps world, Qendix’s patented visit optimisation technology is set to revolutionise the theme park visitor experience.

“We were delighted with the response we received at the EAS, and, in line with our strategy, we have formed design partnerships and initiated the beta process with potential clients,” says Nir Zohar, founder and CEO of Qendix. “We are also happy to announce that Mr. Danny Siegel has accepted its offer and has chosen to join Qendix’s Advisory Board.”

Mr Siegel is the Founder and CEO of Comfy Edutainment Centers; Comfy Edutainment Centers is the IAAPA 2007 Impact Award winner in recognition of the first place product determined to be the ultimate new product for 2007 – The Comfyland Experience. Mr Siegel is also the Founder and CEO of Discovery Zone Ltd. He is a 20 year veteran in the world-wide Amusement and Entertainment industry with extensive experience in the Middle East and Eastern European markets in the conceptual design, planning and fitting of indoor Family Entertainment Centers.

Joining Qendix, Mr Siegel said, I am honored to join Qendixs board and believe that its innovative service has the potential to make a significant impact on the way visitors will walk around in an amusement park, wait less and derive the utmost from their day’s experience. Another noteworthy fact is that the entrance barrier for the park to operate Qendixs service is quite low and the service can be up and running fairly quickly without the hassle of purchasing additional capital equipment. The immediate result is improvement in the visitor’s experience and increase in the park’s revenue.

With Qendix’s innovative mobile app, theme park visitors can optimize their experience by simply choosing their preferred attractions. The app then uses a patented algorithm to create an optimized visit plan and real-time recommendations for the next attraction to visit, based on the visitor’s location and the current and forecasted crowd loads.

Qendix’s mobile app offers two significant advantages over similar technologies currently on offer. There is no queue virtualisation and therefore no “second class guests”; Qendix users are sharing the same queues as all the other visitors, it’s just that they are using their time so much more efficiently. In addition, the app does not require any operational changes for theme parks; Qendix technology is simply an add-on feature to the operator’s current mobile app offering.

Qendix plan to announce other revolutionary tools for attractions operators, including the world-first active crowd management system, in the near future. Please visit booth 4282 at IAAPA or contact us to find out more.

About Qendix

Qendix is a technological start up company dedicated to the development of revolutionary queue optimization and crowd steering services for the global attractions industry. The Qendix team have over 20 years of experience in Ramp;D, Product Management, Project Delivery, Operations and Sales.

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ORLANDO, Fla, Nov. 10, 2011 — /PRNewswire/ — Crystal Lagoons, the company that created the largest crystalline lagoons in the world, will be presenting its innovative concept and technology, which makes possible to build and maintain bodies of water of unlimited size in a crystalline state at very low cost, at the largest international event of touristic attractions.

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA)Expo 2011, to be held between November 15th and 18th in Orlando, Florida, will provide a special space to exhibit the Crystal Lagoons concept and technology, which is already present in 180 urban, recreational and public developments in 45 countries, with an associated investment of US$100 billion.

Crystal Lagoons is the only company in the world capable of offering this innovative technology, patented in 160 countries, that makes economically viable to develop huge crystalline lagoons suitable for swimming and practicing water sports. As a result, these immense bodies of water are becoming an indispensable amenity for real estate projects, adding a differentiating value that brings an idyllic beach life to places previously inconceivable such as the desert, or in the middle of a city, setting off a revolution in the global real estate and touristic attractions industry.

It is the same revolution that now is arriving to amusement parks and attractions industry. These giant crystalline and navigable lagoons surrounded by white sand beaches, palm trees, restaurants, pubs and stores is generating a new concept and an innovative attraction for amusement parks, adding an inestimable value.

These crystalline lagoons only need water to offset evaporation, allowing for approximately half the consumption of a park and up to ten times less than a golf course, and where recognized by UNESCO as a Green Technology in 2010.

Crystal Lagoons is known globally for its San Alfonso del Mar project, with a crystalline lagoon boasting 8 hectares of surface area and measuring 1 km long, certified by Guinness World Records as the largest in the world, as well as for Citystars Sharm el Sheikh megaproject in Egypt, which brings together in the middle of the desert 10 lagoons in 100 hectares of crystalline water. www.crystal-lagoons.com

SOURCE Crystal Lagoons