Erie court clears way for Ravine Flyer II roller coaster

Apparently AP either got the coasters mixed up, or didn't do much research for this one...

That goof is irrelevant to the article..its a non-issue.

How much land does Waldameer sit on? I thought that they had alot of land, but maybe I'm wrong, and all the other lake-area developments crowd that area.

Would it fit their budget to make a smaller steel coaster somewhere?

I'll be heading up to Waldammer probably twice this summer, and this will be our first visit there.

*** This post was edited by midwave 3/23/2005 1:36:43 AM ***

Why do they call their coasters the Ravine Flyer? Why not come up with a new name?

They did... it's called "Steel Dragon"... purdy original, eh?

I wonder if Waldameer has considered buying out the campground. It would attract more our of town visitors if they had a campground with access to lake Erie and easy access to the park.

Best of luck to Waldameer....the only people I can think of *offhand* that have had to go through THIS kind of hassle to get their coaster built....Cliff's. (Different reasons, obviously).

If Waldameer's RF2 turns out half as good as the reviews on Rattler, they'll have a WINNER on their hands.

And personally, I *love* the name, it shows a lot of respect for the history of their park! :)

Erie Times-News Story

You would think that they have wasted enough money so far on legal fees, but wasting more on an appeal that is almost gauranteed to lose is beyond me.

*** This post was edited by Rctycoon2k 3/23/2005 11:59:37 AM ***

Rctycoon2k - If the Candelas give up, they lose. Their plan is to either win the case or to continue to appeal each ruling in hopes that construction will be delayed so long that the park eventually tires and gives up.

That works only if you have a tremendous amount of assets you can devote to litagation. Unless their attorney is working for free,(which is highly unlikely) they could wind up losing more than just the case. They might as well sign over the title of the property to the Nelsons right now.

Thing is that the park will never give up, and appeals can only go so far. I understand their plan, but their plans are unethical. I would rather deal with the coaster than continue to fund a losing battle.

I give Waldameer's owners credit- they refuse to give up. Most park owners would have backed down by now. They must have something very special planned ;)

Paul Nelson is really on a mission for this coaster... and being that he has been granted clearance, now two times, his motivation is 10x greater. He knows it will be granted final clearance, just when is the issue.

Hopefully the next appeal can be viewed and turned down by fall. Nelsons hopes of installing and opening for the 2006 season are quickly dwindling, but at least it's good to know that the coaster will, eventually, come.

Let's hope it can open in 2006!! I'm getting really impatient.

New ride or not, I can't wait for another season at my hometown park this year!

Steve Gorman, Waldameer's General Manager, was asked at Coasterbash in early March about why they don't try to buy the campground. According to him, they did make an offer, but the campground owners were asking WAY to much money for the property. If Waldameer would have lost this appeal, they supposedly have a different plan for a new attraction elsewhere in the park. But since they won, there is definitely still hope for the Ravine Flyer II and they will continue to fight until they win and/or all appeals are exhausted!

One other bit of interesting info, he said that the far turn that will be built on the other side of the highway will have to be lowered in height from 70 feet to 40 feet as to not block the view of the new Tom Ridge Presque Isle State Park Visitor Center. Since the state has been backing the coaster project all along, Waldameer management felt that this was a small sacrifice to make to get the coaster built. Besides, he felt that it could make for one exciting turn!

Two other interesting points made by Steve Gorman.

- The section of the coaster that crosses the highway cannot be legally called a 'roller coaster'. It has to be called a 'bridge' and has to be made longer than planned in case the state ever wanted to widen the road. The plans for the 'bridge' had to meet PennDOT's approval before construction could begin, which Waldameer will comply with when construction begins. Of course, this bridge will be used to transport a roller coaster train!

- The hillside that the park sits on where they want to build the coaster is "not a bluff!" per Steve Gorman. Legally, nothing can be built on top of or down the side of a 'bluff' from a federal law which prohibits this to prevent erosion and landslides. A 'bluff' is a hillside or cliffside that sits directly above a body of water and literally touches it. Since Waldameer's hillside is 500 feet from Lake Erie, it was deterimined by the EPA as NOT being a bluff, therefore, not regulated for construction. Steve prefers to call it a 'slope', for legal reasons!

It was an elightening and extremely entertaining presentation that evening, to say the least!

AJF... I'm behind that one, too! ;)