Dollywood?

[djc311]

I appreciate all your support for an Omaha park. I wasn’t expecting any of you to cheer for RC.

In response to “Well in 2018, Omaha had 13.1 million visitors who spent a whopping $1.3 billion. 5.7 million stayed overnight, and 7.4 million spent the day”…those are good numbers and 13.1 visitors sounds good. The problem is that those figures show that visitors aren’t spending much time in the area. A lot of people still think of Omaha as a weekend trip or as a quick day trip. Yes, having a theme park in Omaha could lengthen the time visitors stay, but you have to remember that AL and WoF is not that far away. Many of Omaha’s visitors may have passed them on their trip. Yes, Omaha’s population is bigger than RC, but if a park was built in Omaha, some people would still visit the other parks because they like “getting out of Dodge”. I will explain why RC is currently favored by the developer, but I’ll have to do that later. I need to attend a meeting soon.

So Black Hills = Mt Rushmore, correct? And perhaps some "mountains" or hills to climb, a little wilderness to explore, etc. Although I went to Mt Rushmore as a kid, we spent a weekend in the area. I guess I don't see ppl traveling to Rapid City "to get away" from everything else, but maybe that's a generational thing. Also, if I travel to KC to go to WofF or Great Wolf Lodge, it's also a weekend excursion. I've never traveled to vacation in KC for a week. I see a destination such as Disney World, Universal Studios, etc as a week-long getaway and that's just so you can experience the majority of the attractions.

By no means am I travel expert, but with 4 girls and growing up in the area, we've spent at most a single weekend in KC at a time. That's including going to the speedway or the amusement attractions. If I'm going on vacation it's to a beach or somewhere significantly distant from our surroundings.

I also second the comment above about how Omaha has been in the running for things in the past and we do seem to take it in the shorts. I still remember the BMW hype we had going on for awhile. I wonder if Omaha is REALLY ever a strong candidate or it's simply paper trail BS to prove there are other areas under consideration.

Until it's a done deal and there's a sign along the highway and some golden shovels being used to break ground, I won't believe it's going to happen.

[Brad]

For Rapid City, I would include all these as attractions:

Badlands National Park (And Wall Drug)
Black Hills (Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Spearfish Canyon, Mickelson Trail, Black Hills Central Railroad, etc)
Devils Tower (Technically in Wyoming, but close enough)
Sturgis & Deadwood
Wind Cave National Park

I know lots of Nebraskan's that went up there for Vacation in 2020.

[ita]

The developer is willing to spend more to have more more of a theme at an Omaha location. There are several companies that are in the theming business that will pitch their ideas.

Reasons why RC is favored:

1. Several large properties available with varied terrains

2. Stronger theming possibilities

3. RC retail and entertainment portion would most likely generate more sales offering higher quality tourist shops, local artist shops, themed restaurants, seasonal festivals, etc. Places like Keystone and Hill City have got kind of old, run down, and trashy.

4. A RC theme park could drastically increase the tourist draw to the Black Hills region offering something new and exciting. A theme park would make it easier to attract families to the area.

5. RC area currently doesn’t offer much for visitors to do in the evening and a RC park would offer lots of options. Developer is even interested in building a large amphitheater that would feature an evening, Broadway quality production showcasing the Black Hills and it’s rich history.

6. The RC area offers a huge range of lodging options (camping, cabins, motels, hotels, resorts). One of the drawbacks of Omaha hosting big events, lodging options can be very limited at times.

Not to worry, Omaha is still not out of the running. If a strong, interesting theme can be established for Omaha, the developer may get more excited about building there instead.

Thanks for being open about the developer's logic for leaning towards RC. All good points. Omaha has a hard time competing with RC on the terrain and potential for theming. The most interesting terrain in the area, in my opinion, is around the Platte by Ashland and the Loess Hills in IA.

If it takes a good theme for Omaha to have a better chance, thinktank of eomahaforums, let's come up with some ideas!

[Uffda]

Being a native South Dakotan, Rapid City has never had a problem drawing tourist. They also just built a new arena for events.

And it is growing, I saw this article the other day

Rapid City surge attracts multiple Sioux Falls developers

Like Sioux Falls, Rapid City is on pace for a record building year. Its October economic indicators report showed more than $280 million in building permit valuation through August.

The city proper, which includes Rapid Valley, has a population of more than 100,000, and the metro area counts about 145,000. The projection is 7 percent annual growth for the next five years.

And that doesn’t factor in Ellsworth Air Force Base bringing in the B-21 Raider mission, which is estimated to result in 1,600 support personnel and create 3,500 direct and indirect jobs. At Elevate Rapid City, the community’s combined chamber of commerce and economic development corporation, leaders predict growing by up to 50,000 people in the metro area in the next decade.

https://www.siouxfalls.business/rapid-c ... evelopers/

[ita]

Being a native South Dakotan, Rapid City has never had a problem drawing tourist. They also just built a new arena for events.

And it is growing, I saw this article the other day

Rapid City surge attracts multiple Sioux Falls developers

Like Sioux Falls, Rapid City is on pace for a record building year. Its October economic indicators report showed more than $280 million in building permit valuation through August.

The city proper, which includes Rapid Valley, has a population of more than 100,000, and the metro area counts about 145,000. The projection is 7 percent annual growth for the next five years.

And that doesn’t factor in Ellsworth Air Force Base bringing in the B-21 Raider mission, which is estimated to result in 1,600 support personnel and create 3,500 direct and indirect jobs. At Elevate Rapid City, the community’s combined chamber of commerce and economic development corporation, leaders predict growing by up to 50,000 people in the metro area in the next decade.

https://www.siouxfalls.business/rapid-c ... evelopers/

SD cities like Rapid City and Sioux Falls have seen really great growth lately. The no income tax helps!

[Greg S]

One thing I have found with regards to hotels for the Rapid City area is the don't have the excess capacity that Omaha does. I've been coaching summer hockey for years. The team I coach in plays in tournaments for Northland Hockey Group. One of their longest running tournaments is the the Rushmore Cup in Rapid City.

Last summer we played in it and it was really hard to find lodging up there. We rented a cabin outside of Rapid City.. Our families did a mix of cabins, brought RV's and some stayed in hotels. Many families had a hard time finding rooms or cabins. A few didn't come and some families had to send players with other familes.

Sounds like this happened multiple weekends in a row (June). The league announced recently they won't be hositng this tournament up there anymore due to lack of available accommodations and the ensuing escalating rates to secure them.


Greg

[skinzfan23]

One thing I have found with regards to hotels for the Rapid City area is the don't have the excess capacity that Omaha does. I've been coaching summer hockey for years. The team I coach in plays in tournaments for Northland Hockey Group. One of their longest running tournaments is the the Rushmore Cup in Rapid City.

Last summer we played in it and it was really hard to find lodging up there. We rented a cabin outside of Rapid City.. Our families did a mix of cabins, brought RV's and some stayed in hotels. Many families had a hard time finding rooms or cabins. A few didn't come and some families had to send players with other familes.

Sounds like this happened multiple weekends in a row (June). The league announced recently they won't be hositng this tournament up there anymore due to lack of available accommodations and the ensuing escalating rates to secure them.


Greg

That is a good point. Think of somewhere like Adventureland of Worlds of Fun, they are both in large urban areas with many hotel rooms so if you want to stay, there are plenty of options for a reasonable price.

[Huskerfan1]

Adventureland is getting a new owner and more rides. This may hurt Omaha’s chance of getting a park. We’ll wait and see what’s exactly in the new owner’s plans. Several theme options were presented for Omaha, but more options will be presented after the new year. A theme involving history and time travel seems to be one of the most interesting and creative ideas so far. Latest goal is to make site selection by the end of the March. RC is much farther ahead in the development planning stage with a huge, beautiful location already selected that would have a ton of room for expansion. Developer has approached a large resort company about building a 200 room hotel and 400 unit RV camping resort with top notch amenities…pools, restaurants, bar, music venue, camp store, and more. If RC is selected, the land purchase will be done quickly and construction could start soon after. If Omaha is chosen, it could be another year before construction starts. There are two different locations being explored in the Omaha area and land acquisition could take some time as they’ll be dealing with multiple owners.

[nebugeater]

Here is some discussion about Adventureland

https://www.eomahaforums.com/viewtopic. ... nd#p342785

[Asten]

They also somewhat tried it with those big oversized arcades, DisneyQuest, in Chicago and Orlando.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DisneyQuest

Haha, I went to the Chicago one sometime in 2000 or 2001. Our department at work took us as a group outing.

It was interesting, but we clearly weren't the target audience.

[Guest]

Wonder if the potential new lake announced changes the calculus here

[PotatoeEatsFish]

Wonder if the potential new lake announced changes the calculus here

Some of the open space in the rendering made me curious if they left open space for a potential Dollywood. It would make a lot of sense to build here to rival Arnold's Park since the entire theme of Lake Ricketts is Okoboji but slightly larger.

[Erik]

Wonder if the potential new lake announced changes the calculus here

Some of the open space in the rendering made me curious if they left open space for a potential Dollywood. It would make a lot of sense to build here to rival Arnold's Park since the entire theme of Lake Ricketts is Okoboji but slightly larger.

If they name the lake, "Lake Ricketts," I'm done with this place

[djc311]

Wonder if the potential new lake announced changes the calculus here

Some of the open space in the rendering made me curious if they left open space for a potential Dollywood. It would make a lot of sense to build here to rival Arnold's Park since the entire theme of Lake Ricketts is Okoboji but slightly larger.

If they name the lake, "Lake Ricketts," I'm done with this place

LOL!!!

[Huskerfan1]

I have some bad news to report. After much consideration, the developer has decided to pull the plug on building an amusement park in either Omaha or RC.

Who would have thought so much would change in the course of a year. Infrastructure and construction costs have skyrocketed. Cost of rides shot up, and delivery of many rides can be delayed by six to nine months. Due to supply chain issues and shortages of building materials, it has been estimated that the length of park construction would increase by 12 to 18 months which effectively could mean the loss of one or two seasons.

Over the course of a year, the cost for building a park has shot up approximately 35 percent and it’s predicted that the cost will continue to rise at an accelerated rate with rising fuel prices driving up prices on everything. On top of that, we really don’t know how long this rising inflation trend is going to last, therefore we can’t predict how this will affect consumer spending and tourist numbers.

To sum things up, the developer has decided that building a park at this time is no longer feasible.

[TitosBuritoBarn]

[Bomaha]

lol. just lol

[almighty_tuna]

[Linkin5]

Did I get trolled? Yes.

Am I slightly upset? Also yes.

[Guest]

Did I get trolled? Yes.

Am I slightly upset? Also yes.

You were not trolled. The developer was very serious about building a park. The developer has been in the business for many years doing hundreds of big projects for the Universal and Disney.

About two years ago, the developer decided he wanted to open his own park and the process of looking for a location began. Having lived in South Dakota and Nebraska, he was definitely familiar with the area and it’s need for an amusement park. There were several other states being looked at though.

Unlike Steve Minard, this developer actually has the finances to build a high quality park. Minard is a guy who wants to be a Walt Disney, but doesn’t have the finances or the backing to do so.

I can tell you now, Omaha was pretty much out of the running when the decision was made to pull the plug. RC was the winner. The developer was in talks with a resort hotel company who has also recently started developing resort campgrounds with top notch amenities. The plan was to have them build a large hotel and a campground as part of this project. Things were coming along nicely with talks between the two when last week, that company said the construction costs have risen too much and they were hesitant to move forward on the project. That’s when the developer, who was also having increasing concerns about rising costs, decided to kill the project. It was the financially responsible thing to do in my opinion.

[We Don’t Coast]

Trolling? I’m not so sure. But we definitely got Minarded once again.

[WeDontCoaster]

I’m disappointed that we didn’t get our amusement park. We all know there is one person who made this project not feasible, but if we mentioned his name, we will quickly be silenced. I think we may see other projects dead before they get started if things keep going downhill, maybe even Mutual of Omaha tower.

[We Don’t Coast]

Highly doubtful Mutual of Omaha won’t build their tower. They’re a Fortune 500 company; not some random developer. But still, it is disappointing a metro area the size of Omaha doesn’t have an amusement park. Even one like Peony Park would be great. It doesn’t have to be over the top.

[WeDontCoaster]

Highly doubtful Mutual of Omaha won’t build their tower. They’re a Fortune 500 company; not some random developer. But still, it is disappointing a metro area the size of Omaha doesn’t have an amusement park. Even one like Peony Park would be great. It doesn’t have to be over the top.

After the final design is completed, what do you think is going to happen when Mutual of Omaha finds out just how much the price of steel and other building materials have gone up, not to mention everything needed to furnish the building gone up too. What are they going to do when they find out that supply chain problems are going to cause costly construction delays? Just because they’re a Fortune 500 company doesn’t mean they won’t make changes to their plan, especially when it makes financial sense. I predict they will decide to stay where they are or build a less costly campus out in West O. Of course, they will make this decision after the library is leveled.

[Guest]

Highly doubtful Mutual of Omaha won’t build their tower. They’re a Fortune 500 company; not some random developer. But still, it is disappointing a metro area the size of Omaha doesn’t have an amusement park. Even one like Peony Park would be great. It doesn’t have to be over the top.

After the final design is completed, what do you think is going to happen when Mutual of Omaha finds out just how much the price of steel and other building materials have gone up, not to mention everything needed to furnish the building gone up too. What are they going to do when they find out that supply chain problems are going to cause costly construction delays? Just because they’re a Fortune 500 company doesn’t mean they won’t make changes to their plan, especially when it makes financial sense. I predict they will decide to stay where they are or build a less costly campus out in West O. Of course, they will make this decision after the library is leveled.

Lol. No offense, but that is just an unrealistic comment. In following postings in this thread a bit, It seems to me, you’d be against the Mutual Tower even their wasn’t a price of steel or building materials “issue”. Mutual is going to build their HQ’s tower. It will be on the W Dale Clark site. And it will be 45-50 stories tall. Just come to grips with it.

[WeDontCoaster]

Highly doubtful Mutual of Omaha won’t build their tower. They’re a Fortune 500 company; not some random developer. But still, it is disappointing a metro area the size of Omaha doesn’t have an amusement park. Even one like Peony Park would be great. It doesn’t have to be over the top.

After the final design is completed, what do you think is going to happen when Mutual of Omaha finds out just how much the price of steel and other building materials have gone up, not to mention everything needed to furnish the building gone up too. What are they going to do when they find out that supply chain problems are going to cause costly construction delays? Just because they’re a Fortune 500 company doesn’t mean they won’t make changes to their plan, especially when it makes financial sense. I predict they will decide to stay where they are or build a less costly campus out in West O. Of course, they will make this decision after the library is leveled.

Lol. No offense, but that is just an unrealistic comment. In following postings in this thread a bit, It seems to me, you’d be against the Mutual Tower even their wasn’t a price of steel or building materials “issue”. Mutual is going to build their HQ’s tower. It will be on the W Dale Clark site. And it will be 45-50 stories tall. Just come to grips with it.

I have absolutely nothing against Mutual of Omaha building a skyscraper on the library site, but when the price tag on the skyscraper goes up 50 to 100 million, that might stop construction before it ever starts. They might look at staying put, moving out to West O, or scale back the size of their skyscraper drastically.

Working in the construction business, I don’t think you realize how fast the cost of materials is rising and what a huge problem it is just getting materials. Most companies in the industry don’t even want to give quotes because prices are rising so fast. Even some home builders aren’t selling homes until they are almost complete, because they don’t know how high the prices will rise during the construction process.

[Garrett]

I’m disappointed that we didn’t get our amusement park. We all know there is one person who made this project not feasible, but if we mentioned his name, we will quickly be silenced. I think we may see other projects dead before they get started if things keep going downhill, maybe even Mutual of Omaha tower.

If you think supply chain issues are to blame on one person, well, I have zero way to help you with that.

[Busguy2010]

I’m disappointed that we didn’t get our amusement park. We all know there is one person who made this project not feasible, but if we mentioned his name, we will quickly be silenced. I think we may see other projects dead before they get started if things keep going downhill, maybe even Mutual of Omaha tower.

If you think supply chain issues are to blame on one person, well, I have zero way to help you with that.

And I do believe the issue showed itself in 2020... Only now really starting to rear its head in other every-day products. I envy the man that could build a wooden coaster today, but it would have been about double the price almost two years ago.

[anonono]

Highly doubtful Mutual of Omaha won’t build their tower. They’re a Fortune 500 company; not some random developer. But still, it is disappointing a metro area the size of Omaha doesn’t have an amusement park. Even one like Peony Park would be great. It doesn’t have to be over the top.

After the final design is completed, what do you think is going to happen when Mutual of Omaha finds out just how much the price of steel and other building materials have gone up, not to mention everything needed to furnish the building gone up too. What are they going to do when they find out that supply chain problems are going to cause costly construction delays? Just because they’re a Fortune 500 company doesn’t mean they won’t make changes to their plan, especially when it makes financial sense. I predict they will decide to stay where they are or build a less costly campus out in West O. Of course, they will make this decision after the library is leveled.

Lol. No offense, but that is just an unrealistic comment. In following postings in this thread a bit, It seems to me, you’d be against the Mutual Tower even their wasn’t a price of steel or building materials “issue”. Mutual is going to build their HQ’s tower. It will be on the W Dale Clark site. And it will be 45-50 stories tall. Just come to grips with it.

I have absolutely nothing against Mutual of Omaha building a skyscraper on the library site, but when the price tag on the skyscraper goes up 50 to 100 million, that might stop construction before it ever starts. They might look at staying put, moving out to West O, or scale back the size of their skyscraper drastically.

Working in the construction business, I don’t think you realize how fast the cost of materials is rising and what a huge problem it is just getting materials. Most companies in the industry don’t even want to give quotes because prices are rising so fast. Even some home builders aren’t selling homes until they are almost complete, because they don’t know how high the prices will rise during the construction process.

Wouldn't you also think that a company of that size would run every financial figure to account for those sort of costs before EVER going public with this idea? Do you genuinely believe they are going into this without being advised on the cost of materials?

[Guest]

Highly doubtful Mutual of Omaha won’t build their tower. They’re a Fortune 500 company; not some random developer. But still, it is disappointing a metro area the size of Omaha doesn’t have an amusement park. Even one like Peony Park would be great. It doesn’t have to be over the top.

After the final design is completed, what do you think is going to happen when Mutual of Omaha finds out just how much the price of steel and other building materials have gone up, not to mention everything needed to furnish the building gone up too. What are they going to do when they find out that supply chain problems are going to cause costly construction delays? Just because they’re a Fortune 500 company doesn’t mean they won’t make changes to their plan, especially when it makes financial sense. I predict they will decide to stay where they are or build a less costly campus out in West O. Of course, they will make this decision after the library is leveled.

Lol. No offense, but that is just an unrealistic comment. In following postings in this thread a bit, It seems to me, you’d be against the Mutual Tower even their wasn’t a price of steel or building materials “issue”. Mutual is going to build their HQ’s tower. It will be on the W Dale Clark site. And it will be 45-50 stories tall. Just come to grips with it.

I have absolutely nothing against Mutual of Omaha building a skyscraper on the library site, but when the price tag on the skyscraper goes up 50 to 100 million, that might stop construction before it ever starts. They might look at staying put, moving out to West O, or scale back the size of their skyscraper drastically.

Working in the construction business, I don’t think you realize how fast the cost of materials is rising and what a huge problem it is just getting materials. Most companies in the industry don’t even want to give quotes because prices are rising so fast. Even some home builders aren’t selling homes until they are almost complete, because they don’t know how high the prices will rise during the construction process.

Wouldn't you also think that a company of that size would run every financial figure to account for those sort of costs before EVER going public with this idea? Do you genuinely believe they are going into this without being advised on the cost of materials?

Completely agree.

[InDaKnow]

M of O was informed that the cost of their headquarters is going up significantly. It was a shocker. Yes they knew prices were high when they went public, but they didn’t know that fuel prices would take off like they did. I don’t think anybody knew. The shipping costs for everything needed to build the tower went up significantly and if per gallon prices go up a few more dollars, that cost is only going to go up significantly more. A possibility would be a scaled down the tower and 1000 employees remain at current site.

M of O is also quite concerned with inflation rising so fast, they’re fearful that people will stop paying premiums. Credit card companies are already experiencing this problem.

“Worry some” was used often during discussions.

[Guest101]

M of O was informed that the cost of their headquarters is going up significantly. It was a shocker. Yes they knew prices were high when they went public, but they didn’t know that fuel prices would take off like they did. I don’t think anybody knew. The shipping costs for everything needed to build the tower went up significantly and if per gallon prices go up a few more dollars, that cost is only going to go up significantly more. A possibility would be a scaled down the tower and 1000 employees remain at current site.

M of O is also quite concerned with inflation rising so fast, they’re fearful that people will stop paying premiums. Credit card companies are already experiencing this problem.

“Worry some” was used often during discussions.

National average is up over 60 cents in one week. An increase like that is going to hurt. Since the city is moving the library, I think Mutual has to build now, no matter what the cost, or they’re going to get some bad press and reputation damage.

With all this inflation, I wonder just how much the street car costs will increase. Rising cost could slow down development along the street car line. I think the city is relying on development along the line to pay off construction costs. What if developments doesn’t happen along the line? That’s worry some.

[Rcola]

Did I get trolled? Yes.

Am I slightly upset? Also yes.

You were not trolled. The developer was very serious about building a park. The developer has been in the business for many years doing hundreds of big projects for the Universal and Disney.

About two years ago, the developer decided he wanted to open his own park and the process of looking for a location began. Having lived in South Dakota and Nebraska, he was definitely familiar with the area and it’s need for an amusement park. There were several other states being looked at though.

Unlike Steve Minard, this developer actually has the finances to build a high quality park. Minard is a guy who wants to be a Walt Disney, but doesn’t have the finances or the backing to do so.

I can tell you now, Omaha was pretty much out of the running when the decision was made to pull the plug. RC was the winner. The developer was in talks with a resort hotel company who has also recently started developing resort campgrounds with top notch amenities. The plan was to have them build a large hotel and a campground as part of this project. Things were coming along nicely with talks between the two when last week, that company said the construction costs have risen too much and they were hesitant to move forward on the project. That’s when the developer, who was also having increasing concerns about rising costs, decided to kill the project. It was the financially responsible thing to do in my opinion.

I’m more bummed about the loss of the Margaritaville Resort than the amusement park.

[Rcola]

I was told today that besides the canceled amusement park and the Margaritaville Resort Hotel and Campground, Stampede canceled their Gateway to the Black Hills location and two other hotels got canceled. With the high gas prices, most Black Hills area businesses are bracing themselves for much lower tourist numbers. Also heard RV sales are way down. Not good news.

[swgiust]

I don't want to hijack this thread, but one recreation opportunity that Nebraska ignores and South Dakota and Rapid City embrace is off road riding. Very little infrastructure is needed except space. Campers are over $ 60,000, my buggy is over $ 30,000, My truck was over $ 50,000. Eastern Nebraska want some of that money?? Just open a place I can ride.

[Brad]

I don't want to hijack this thread, but one recreation opportunity that Nebraska ignores and South Dakota and Rapid City embrace is off road riding. Very little infrastructure is needed except space. Campers are over $ 60,000, my buggy is over $ 30,000, My truck was over $ 50,000. Eastern Nebraska want some of that money?? Just open a place I can ride.

I think there is a place in Northwest Kansas like this were a lot of people from Omaha head with their Jeeps to do some offroading.

[Longlurker]

Did this project turn into the giant theme park that was just announced in Oklahoma?

[Tupac]

Came here wondering the same thing.

[OmahaOmaha]

This is Libertyland USA Theme Park and Resort. planned to open in 2030 in Rapid City. Plans include: amusement park, commercial district, residential village, indoor/outdoor amphitheater, indoor water park, hotel, and campground. Zoning already approved by the city. Groundbreaking in 2026.

https://youtu.be/HqVNR_rEN-A?si=_zJfZM0HGbRMzAlv

[CBJason]

Funny, the amusement park that Memphis used to have was also called Libertyland I think, so the locals have talked about previously.