Fun-Plex Waterpark & Rides (7003 Q St)

TitosBuritoBarn · Post by **TitosBuritoBarn** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 6:26 am

My girlfriend, who holds a supervisor position at Fun Plex, told me tonight that they plan to construct a roller coaster for the park next year. It is supposed to be 90 feet high and is to be constructed somewhere on the west side of the park. That is all she told me as I guess she wasn't to interested in it. Hopefully this goes through as it should make Fun Plex a little more worthwhile to go to.

loyalomahan · Post by **loyalomahan** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 1:09 pm

You have to like what Fun Plex has done for the metro. Here you have a proprietor who has created a basic product, and steadily refined and added to it over the years, no big requests for public money or speculative financing called upon.

Ralston has been doing some nice things nearby this area, if a little cleanup/rezoning of some of these surrounding light industrial properties could be accomplished, this could create a nice little 'destination' area in its own right.

It's no World's of Fun or Adventureland to be sure, but Fun Plex could become the romantic little Peony Park some of miss so badly.

Post by **Brad** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 5:13 pm

90' thats about 7 stories! Funplex should have moved across the street several years ago when all that land north of them was vacant. They are now land locked and a rollercoaster is going to eat up the little land they have left.

loyalomahan · Post by **loyalomahan** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 6:13 pm

Although with some money in hand, I don't think Fun Plex would have much trouble buying out the locally owned, service type businesses which separate them from 72nd Street.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 11:01 pm

There has been a lot of grating and dirt moving done west of the park. I wonder if they have bought it.

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 11:16 pm

Having driven by the park on the way home this evening... I noticed the only thing keeping Fun Plex from having a really nice 'front door' to 72nd... are a couple of corrugated metal building based businesses on it's northwest corner. In some regards I think we should spend a little less time looking for a new amusement park... and start embracing/supporting what we have.

CountOfMC · Post by **CountOfMC** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 1:00 am

70th & Q, dude! Ha. Spaceball was definitely the best thing they had goin there when I was a young lad. Nearing 24 now, and I'm still missing that game. I'm still holding out to kick the tires and light the fires with an I-80 amusement park tho. Whatever happened to... good things come to those who wait? Reminds of the phrase, "If I'm not back in an hour, just wait longer..." Keep your fingers crossed.

Post by **Brad** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 10:17 pm

I was told they are building another strip mall where the grading is.

Uffda · Post by **Uffda** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 5:39 pm

Fun Plex Wants To Build Roller Coaster

http://www.theomahachannel.com/news/4741741/detail.html

The conventional steel, six-seat coaster is nearly 90 feet tall with 2,300 feet of track, according to a news release. It will stand more than twice as tall as the one that dotted the Peony Park skyline until 1992. The coaster features steep drops that create a weightless sensation, and has camel-backs and fast-banked turns.

papiostud · Post by **papiostud** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 6:16 pm

How does that stand to a Roller coast at Wolds of Fun or Adventure Land? I've never even been to Fun Plex but this looks pretty cool.

loyalomahan · Post by **loyalomahan** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 6:21 pm

We'll take it!

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 7:05 pm

papiostud wrote:How does that stand to a Roller coast at Wolds of Fun or Adventure Land? I've never even been to Fun Plex but this looks pretty cool.

From the Adventureland website....

The Tornado Acclaimed as one of the "10 Best" wooden roller coasters in North America, the Tornado winds it's way around a quarter mile of treacherous track thrilling riders by plummeting down hills over 100 feet at speeds of more than 60 miles per hour.

Length: 3,200 Feet Built: 1978

Height: Over 90 Feet Maximum Speed: Over 60 MPH

and

The Dragon

This double looping roller coaster take you upside down through two consecutive loops 10 stories high just before you're catapulted into two high seed banked spirals.

Length: 2,620 Feet Built: 1990

Height: Over 90 Feet Cost: 2.1 Million Dollars

Weight: 2.000 Tons of Steel & Concrete Maximum G Force: 4.5

And from the Worlds of Fun website...

Named for one of the fastest and most feared snakes in Africa, MAMBA® is one of the tallest, longest and fastest roller coasters in the world. The addition of MAMBA® was the biggest expansion in the park's history and placed Worlds of Fun in an elite class of roller coaster parks. MAMBA® is a state-of-the-art scream machine whose first hill takes riders over 200 feet above the ground and flings them toward the earth at 75 miles per hour.

Timberwolf - 100 feet

Boomerange is a 12-story-tall, steel roller coaster that rockets riders -- forwards and backwards -- through a disorienting trip of corkscrew turns and upside-down loops. A thrilling roller coaster that catapults riders forwards, backwards and within the course of one minute, flips riders upside down six times.

So in short, not too far short of the Adventureland roller coasters, but not in the same class as Worlds of Fun coasters.

Linkin5 · Post by **Linkin5** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 9:15 pm

Well not to impressive of a rollercoaster, but I didn't really expect much. Nice early call on the coaster though, its nice to have a rumor actually be true!

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 9:53 pm

I'm glad it doesn't have any scary loops, or really steep, scary drops.

Why haven't they been doing this kind of expansion in their whole 30 years of existance. Too little too late.

Here's to the "Port of Nebraska" taking off.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 11:24 pm

The Mamba in KC is 212' tall. The same as Central Park Plaza. This one will probably be more like the Timberwolf.

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 11:57 pm

Why haven't they been doing this kind of expansion in their whole 30 years of existance. Too little too late.

I don't know of too many go kart operations that have grown into a respectable water park (heck, it's basically Oceans of Fun but on a smaller scale)... and now are proposing a fairly significant roller coaster. In fact, most of the go kart operations I've been familiar with went out of business.

Once again, you some how think people can just snap their fingers and produce a World of Fun amusement park (an 800 foot skyscraper... a light rail line... a professional sports franchise... a 50% population boom...

)

Before you become mayor... why don't you take some time off along the way to build us an amusement park which is up to your standards as well.

In the meantime, I'm going to be looking forward to this latest advancement in the local entertainment offerings.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 12:44 am

Jeff, I'm not saying I won't enjoy it. It's like five blocks from my parent's house.

I'm just saying, this is what they should have been building in the 80's. They've been around for 30 years! It's a joke that Omaha doesn't have a major amusment park. At this point, with how OVERDUE some of these things are, it's easy to get frustrated when things CONTINUE to take FOREVER to develop.

Thanks for "bringing me back to reality" though, Jeff. Where would I be without you?

DMRyan · Post by **DMRyan** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 2:07 am

Probably in Quebec, taking trips to capture photos of sperm whales.

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 2:17 am

Hey, complain that Omaha doesn't have a nice big amusement park all you want. But it's pretty silly to criticize the owner of Funplex, the one entrepreneur who has stuck his neck out in an attempt to provide entertainment of this kind, for not expanding earlier, when we have absolutely no understanding of the business.

Anyway, here's a couple of photos of the coaster which Anderson wants to bring to Funplex... looks like a big version of the Peony Park coaster... nothing spectacular... but a welcome addition.

OmahaChef · Post by **OmahaChef** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 2:22 am

Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Jeff. Thanks for that one! Ironic that today the 2006 budget was released. Note that we don't have a lot of cash borrowing to do anymore. It would be great if the city could build all kinds of things we wanted, but we actually did that in the 90's and early 2000's, Now it's time to pay for it all, and if we loose the AAA borrowing rating, we won't be able to afford much at all.

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 2:37 am

An eOmaha.com exclusive... experience the prototype coaster first hand...

http://www.eomaha.com/coaster.wmv

(requires Windows media player)

jsheets · Post by **jsheets** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 3:03 am

I'd rather drive to Des Moines then spend my money at Fun Plex. That place sucks.

eomaha · Post by **eomaha** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 3:17 am

Brilliant observation there... and I'd rather drive to Funplex than the Chuckie Cheese game arcade too (by the way... be sure to make a stop at White Water University too... because Adventureland doesn't have any 'swimming suit' amusements).

Please recognize Funplex for what it is... a water park... which also happens to have a few rides, including a pretty decent forthcoming roller coaster.

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 5:17 am

That reminds me of the old Zambeezee Zinger from back in the day at Worlds of Fun!

papiostud · Post by **papiostud** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 6:23 am

Awesome video Jeff...I'm glad Omaha is finally gettin a real rollercoaster. Even tho it's a lil dinky.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 3:49 pm

jhuston wrote:Please recognize Funplex for what it is... a water park... which also happens to have a few rides, including a pretty decent forthcoming roller coaster.

I don't think any of us have failed to recognize it for what it is. We're just criticizing it for what it is

.

Uffda · Post by **Uffda** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 4:02 pm

Please recognize Funplex for what it is... a water park... which also happens to have a few rides,

I took my 14 year old daughter to the water park for the first time last week. I will say I was disappointed on what exactly they had there for a water park: 2 slides, the lazy river, the wave pool and then the kiddie pool. What I found interesting is you pay an admission cost that doesnt cover an inner tube that you really need to float the river or sit in the wave pool -- that's 3 bucks more.

Now we can't compare FunPlex to Worlds of Fun as that is supported by a national company but how about this one --- Wild Water West in Sioux Falls. What Wild Water West did several years ago was get outside the city so they had room to expand and they just keep growing.

http://www.wildwaterwest.com/Pages/WtrprkPage.html

Metro Sioux Falls is maybe half the population of Omaha. This is what FunPlex should be or maybe what it should have been by now.

Linkin5 · Post by **Linkin5** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 5:58 pm

Wow, seeing what Sioux Falls angers me!!!! None of you should be criticizing FunPlex though, the owner is trying his hardest to make it the best park he can with the money he has. What we SHOULD be criticizing is no major funders or developers stepping up to make a LEGITIMATE attempt (yes that includes wild escape, and port nebraska) to make a Water/amusement park for a combined metro of 1.2 million people (Omaha/Lincoln.) It just seems ridiculous that the two best waterparks in the state are in Grand Island, a community of around 45,000, and in Hastings (pop. 24,000.)

TitosBuritoBarn · Post by **TitosBuritoBarn** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 5:58 pm

EDIT: Linkin beat me to it, but here is the Grand Island park web-site:

http://www.grand-island.com/oasis/

loyalomahan · Post by **loyalomahan** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 6:05 pm

Does anyone see anything in common among these towns? Which might explain why a water park (which, I'm sorry... are little better if any than what Funplex provides) would be that much more popular to their residents, than those of a city like Omaha?

jsheets · Post by **jsheets** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 8:23 pm

I think Mahoney State Park has a better jump on a water park than FunPlex will ever have!

And Papio Bay is nice for a quick getaway, with their two water slides (albeit small).

Uffda · Post by **Uffda** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 9:14 pm

Does anyone see anything in common among these towns? Which might explain why a water park (which, I'm sorry... are little better if any than what Funplex provides)

Having been at Wild Water West and FunPlex, I would say Wild Water is a much more complete park than FunPlex.

Now what is the factor you see in common?

There is also Water World which is located in 15 miles northwest of Denver. According to their website they have been around 26 years (I think FunPlex is celebrating 30 next year). This one covers 64 acres and has 42 attractions

http://www.waterworldcolorado.com

loyalomahan · Post by **loyalomahan** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 9:28 pm

Uh, there's nothing else to do.

"Hey Timmy, once you've finished weeding those beans, we're heading to the water park!"

Uffda · Post by **Uffda** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 9:49 pm

I see your perception of Sioux Falls is a little off base.

Water World is right in the Metro area -- but my guess is it was started outside city limits 26 years ago. FunPlex should have expanded many years ago or moved -- I would bet the move would be very expensive these days and they appear somewhat landlocked now

The same people who would go to FunPlex would also go to a Wild Water West or a Water World, although I feel they would be disappoint in FunPlex once they have been to either of the others.

Post by **Brad** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 10:20 pm

I still think Fun Plex should look for more land before investing a large amount of money in their current peroperty.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 2:40 pm

The following is a piece written by Jeff Beals for the Omaha City-Weekly regarding Fun Plex and its new roller coaster..

Thank goodness for Dwight Anderson and his vision for a bigger and better Fun Plex..Omaha will have it' first big time roller coaster since 1982..

The link:

http://www.growomaha.com/articles/thrillride.pdf

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

Asten · Post by **Asten** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 2:58 pm

Omaha Cowboy wrote:The following is a piece written by Jeff Beals for the Omaha City-Weekly regarding Fun Plex and its new roller coaster..

Thank goodness for Dwight Anderson and his vision for a bigger and better Fun Plex..Omaha will have it' first big time roller coaster since 1982..

Well, '92. But this looks cool, and I'm glad to see someone with a actual, realistic growth plan. I'm still hoping for Wild Escape someday, but I will always be a fan of FunPlex.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 3:01 pm

'Well, '92'...

Yeah you're right Asten..Frankly it's been so long, it's easy to punch a wrong key on that one..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 6:02 pm

That's awesome. FunPlex should change its name, then it would stop being overlooked as an amusement park. It could be something as simple as "FunPlex Amusement Park"

OmahaChef · Post by **OmahaChef** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 8:37 pm

I'm glad to see this is moving forward. I still can not fathom why one Zoning Board member voted against it! Why would anyone care that there is a 90 foot roller coaster in a sea of dreary industrial buildings?