How did Visionland cost $90m?

Visionland was at least $90 million according to the articles I've read. I know coasters aren't everything, anf the infrastructure probably cost a ton, but with only 2 coasters, how did it cost that much?

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Coasters, rides, buildings, plumbing, lighting, masonry, concrete, land, permits, zoning, fences, benches, horticulture, consulting, lawyers.... this list could be extended to five times its length. It adds up.

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He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking; can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.

How much $$$ actually is put into the average amusement park? I realize that something like IOA is around a billion dollars. (If I remember correctly) What about a park like say, Knotts Berry Farm? That seems like a ton of money, but yeah like Den said, all of those things add up. Then again, 90 million dollars IS a ton of money.......

Well - Cedar Point's Web site said they have 2,000 trash cans along the main midway and Frontiertown alone. So let's assume this new park is about that size. That's 2,000 trash cans, which probably cost $40 or more each, that's $80,000 right there in trash cans alone.

Now think of every little thing that needs to be purchased. How much does one single steel bar cost for the thousands of bars that make up the queues?

It cost me about $80 this year to buy enough mulch to cover my meager gardens. How much does it cost to cover a whole park?

Pop machines - they probably cost $1,000 or more each.

Frankly, the more I think about it, the more I think $90 million is a steal.

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He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking; can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.

Visionland is also very indepth theming and landscaping. How much do you think it costed to replicate the landmarks of an entire town for the Main Street area like the 1950s-era high school which contains a 10,000-square foot arcade? More than 5,000 trees, 28,000 shrubs, and 7,000 flowering plants were added prior to opening in making for Visionland to become one of the "greenest" parks in the country. Marvel City and Celebration City aren't jokes either. Each one is done indepth.

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Lake Compounce-So Fresh and So Clean Clean

I have never been to Visionland, but it looks like it was built smack in the middle of nowhere. I'm guessing that a lot of the cost came from getting water, sewers, and electric to the site, as well as landscaping to make it look like an amusement park. 90 million sounds like a lot, but when you think about it, it all adds up pretty quick.

Trust me, 90 million sounds like alot, but when you are building a theme park out of a vacant lot, its a drop in the bucket. It's pretty much impossible to build a theme park on a 100 acre site with an average number of attractions (40) for less than 150 million dollars. Dont forget about the land cost. Land purchasing for a park their size was probably 5-10 million alone. Getting the infrastructure in..roads, power, sewage, water probably cost at least 3-5 million. Landscaping is also very expensive. Most park spend hundreds of thousands on lanscaping yearly! 90 million is actually a helluva price for a park like Visionland. A park like this built pretty much anywhere else in the US would have been MUCH MUCH more.

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*** This post was edited by Chris Godsey on 6/6/2002. ***

Trash cans cost about $249 apiece, fyi. And it is extra for the lid. Soda vending machines are supplied buy the soda companies, but they can go in the $2000-$4000 range. Their debt has grown due to refinancing several times.