Lake Compounce wants state to pay to move road

$3 million to move that road sounds pretty cheap. Considering how an expanded Lake Compounce would impact the area in positive ways, the city should buck up and do it. Seems to me they're getting of pretty easy.

^ Nonetheless, you could see where taxpayers MIGHT feel that they're footing the bill for a road project designed to help ONE business. I love LC to pieces, and definitely get what you're saying Rob, that the entire area benefits from a bigger, better LC (certainly hotels and area restaurants would get indirect benefits).

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out....contrast it with the situation at King's Island where ONE business would potentially suffer from a tax levied against *only* the park.

It'll be in the overall best interests for the city to pick up the tab... but only if the park definitely would cancel the plans without it.

There's a difference between footing a bill that a business can't/won't pay to increase the economy, and just saying "ok, even though you're willing to pay that, let me take care of it anyway."

If I were a taxpayer in that area, I would applaud the helping a struggling business succeed. I would not be too happy about the second situation, though. $3million is a lot of money, and if it's not necessary, why pay for it with taxpayer money?

I think a good compromise that would benefit both parties would be to either split the cost and each pay $1.5million, or have the city pick up the $3million bill, and then Lake Compounce pay the city $100k per month for 30 months... essentially an interest-free loan. They could even constrain it to operating months from May to September (5 months/year for 6 years).

How much do you want to bet the city would pick up the bill if the land were sold to a developer that wanted to build condos? I see helping the amusement park as something they are pretty much obligated to do. Yeah, they'd be paying to support a commercial, for-profit entity, but that commercial, for-profit entity is a big part of the city's economy. Not to mention the fact that it likely generates tons of tax dollars over the long term.

The park has projected a huge increase in attendance if the road is moved and the expansion is completed... the projection is around 50%. In essence, the taxes that the government will receive from the bigger gate numbers will more than pay for this road. I think that is where the park is coming from in asking for the help.

There is a provision in place from the park saying that if the park's attendance numbers don't pan out that they must pay the government back for the road, a certain amount per year. Essentially, if the tax dollars don't pay for the road, Compounce has to foot the bill.

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^^ How much do you want to bet the city would pick up the bill if the land were sold to a developer that wanted to build condos?

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Depends...how much did that developer contribute to my election fund... ;)

Pay to play, eh?