January 3, 2008

Projects

A rival amusement park near Ottawa forces redesign of Smith Falls project

OTTAWA

Thrills and spills at a proposed $30 million amusement park in Smith Falls will have to wait as the project has been delayed to undergo a redesign due to competition.

“Recently another company announced plans to develop a major park facility in the Barrhaven area. As this company is also a manufacturer of park equipment they are able to build a facility at a fraction of the cost of other developers,” explained Todd Mattila-Hartman, Great North Parks new development director.

“This unfair advantage would create an extremely difficult environment for the proposed Smiths Falls development to compete in.”

Great North Parks Corporation announced this past August that it planned to build a massive water and amusement park with three themed areas including a traditional amusement park with rides, games and food, a water park and a large special events area to host concerts or festivals. The park was to be developed on a 75-acre site which currently is vacant municipal and private land.

Mattila-Hartman recently stated through the Great North Parks Web site that “Great North Parks remains committed to the project, and will begin to redesign the proposal to be competitive in the new marketplace.”

How long this redesign will take and what changes it may entail were unavailable as Great North Parks did not return calls as of press deadline.

— DCN Staff

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