SFA 07/11/04 good news, and a mystery

No, that was about a sign announcing a future addition on a fence in the middle of one of the main midways at one of the most popular amusement parks in existence.

This is a fence in the middle of nothing that you have ride a 200 foot tall coaster to get a glance at.

Long speculative threads about signs = funny.
Long speculative threads about fences = even funnier.

Just an observation. Hell, I'll be the first one making plans for a D.C. trip the second a coaster starts going up :)

-Gonch
Prejudice against fences - "Those damn fences should just go back where they came from! We need more signs in this country!"

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SFAcoasterguy781 said:

the height limit is 200 feet b/c of andrews AFB nearby, so dont expect anything taller than superman.

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The height limit has NOTHING to do with Andrews AFB. The height limit is set (and adjusted) By the PG County park and planning comm.

SAM

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BATWING FAN SFA said:

It still might be possible that it does have to do with next year's possible coaster due in part to the location...Batwing's track was stored in the main lot because it is adjacent to the service roads leading to gotham city.

The area where the ride is supposedly gonna be located isn't near any service roads so the overflow lot makes the most sense to use for storage of new track,I'm still skeptical now however due in part to the fact that the required permits to build a new ride not already on the list from 99 havn't been filed with the county for approval yet & won't be it seems for quite some time.

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There are service roads everywhere in the park, in fact the lot where the fence is, also has a service road that travels behind superman and batwing.

The proposal that SFA submitted was simply "an idea" of what might go into the park, just because the county approved the stand up, doesn't mean it will happen, it was just "an idea".

If you had access to the entire plans for the park you'd realize that there are already many rides that have been applied for and approved, (or could be)... Like the observation tower in the area near the turn around for the wild one, or the log flume between wild one and two face. How about the Dark Ride behind the wave pool? And the tram lanes approved for the main parking lot.... or the mini golf course.

SAM

Well based on what we've heard from SFAcoasterguy781 & what I've heard via IM from another "inside source" I'm gonna just go ahead & say that SFA has a pretty good chance at getting a new coaster next year.....of course I'm hoping for the best & yet planning for the worst.

For all we know they're gonna finally take sky escaper out entirely & plan to store the parts in the lot back there but then again they can always just dump it in the mini landfill behind Roar's first drop.

SFA is after all long overdue for a new coaster & what with HP opening Storm runner they're gonna be in a world of hurt if they don't have something big in the planning stages to fire back at hershey with,then again they didn't do much to counteract rollersoaker back in 02 now did they?

SFAcoasterguy781:have you got any new information yet to pass along to us by any chance?

You never give up, do you? ;)

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BATWING FAN SFA said:

SFA is after all long overdue for a new coaster...

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Long overdue?

Wow. That's a pretty odd point of view being as their newest coaster opened just 3 years ago.

Right on, Gonch! If any park is overdue for a coaster its SFMM ;)

Let's not *overdo* this, huh? ;)

I'd say as far as roller coasters go, Roller Soaker was a blip on the radar. In my opinion, a counter attack was not necessary.

Yeah they fired back at Roller Soaker with the Penguins Blizzard River ride. ;)

Well with Storm runner a "counter attack" as you put it is definitely warranted & what better way to strike back at HP by offering something they don't which is a shiny new floorless coaster?

ApolloAndy:I havn't given up yet & I'm not about to start now...since 01 I've learned not to trust every single rumor that comes in,but this could prove to be right for once.

Of course the fence is not a definite indicator of anything just yet,but it's at least a start,I mean all new ride additions to any park usually start with some peculiar sign such as land clearing,or in this case a fence.

It's a fence. Does a fence really warrant 2 pages of speculation? Sheesh.

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SFAcoasterguy781 said:
finally to "batwing fan", it doesn't take a rocket scientist or even a sfa exec to know what next year's coaster probably will be. when you think about it, its almost quite obvious. they wouldn't build an inverted b/c of mind eraser and two-face, nor a flying b/c of batwing, the height limit is 200 feet b/c of andrews AFB nearby, so dont expect anything taller than superman. and all of this is just fact not things i've heard but its quite obvious. oh yeah, the name, knowing SF it probaly won't be original in name. more details to come...

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Ok...so it probably won't be an invert, a flyer, or a 200+ footer. That only leaves...approximately 347 other coaster types. Of course it's obvious! :)

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BATWING FAN SFA said:Of course the fence is not a definite indicator of anything just yet,but it's at least a start,I mean all new ride additions to any park usually start with some peculiar sign such as land clearing,or in this case a fence.

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They also put up fences when they're putting in new bathrooms, new shops, new games, new concrete, taking out anything, or when they just want a fence. What's your point?

Andy his point is that "At least it is a start." Whether it be for a bathroom, shop, coaster, or just fence for anything else. Its a good start to their next major expansion. ;)

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BATWING FAN SFA said:
Well based on what we've heard from SFAcoasterguy781 & what I've heard via IM from another "inside source"

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Is this the same inside source that pointed you to the mouse tracks in the boneyard a while back? :)

I've spoken with upper level SF management, and they aren't talking.

Here's what I know......

Fenced enclosure is a real thing, the fenced enclosure is placed in an area that was re-zoned a few years back for expansion possibilities.

SFA's attendance is up again, it was very good in the spring.

If SFA and SFInc mgt really wanted to blow the competition out of the water I believe they should call chance morgan and build a mine train equivalent to the BEAST (something like the ultimate) which travels out into the woods to the west of The existing park.

Stay out warning signs have been posted all around superman's fenced in areas......

Six Flags' annual report indicates that the un-used land "could" be sold off...thus ending our expansion hopes.

Some at the park have indicated they want the waterpark to be completely redone, and placed in the back of the park near the catering areas, and thus making amusement park expansion possible into the open are where paradise island "was".

The area where the Fenced Enclosure is, could easily house a brand new waterpark, most of the current slides could be moved there, and all the hardware from the current site could be moved there.

SAM

No it's not the same "source" who hinted of a ride back in the fall of 02,I might as well give you his IM screenname now seeing as how after I spilled the beans a couple of months ago he refuses to talk to me....it's zerogravity2k6.

Now I've heard rumors of the waterpark being relocated as early as last season from a Batwing employee while at the park,it would cost even more money to relocate the waterpark than to build just one coaster & seeing as how SFInc.can't seem to afford a new coaster for the park it's a safe bet that the waterpark won't be relocated anytime soon.

Now onto this whole fence issue,there are two types of fencing they can put up...one being a simple fence at the border of the parking lot(to mark off the park boundry as Sam has said) or an open ended fence with three sides(that type of fence arrangement can be used to store things such as coaster track as it comes in) so which is it?

Let's face it unless SFA all of a sudden gets the prefix "great" in front of it's name they're never going to see any major new additions or coasters again....if your park isn't SFMM(or SF spoiled rotten as I call them),SF great adventure or SF great america then just don't expect anything new at all.

Where is the link to this year's SFI annual report? I heard about the possible land sale on screamscape shortly after SF sold of their european parks as well as the ohio park,but nowhere other than screamscape was it mentioned about SFA possibly selling off un-used land,I guess SFI no longer has any faith in the park if they're looking to sell land.

BatwingFan, the annual report says the park has ample room for expansion or complementary attractions and that the unused land could be sold off if need be. Land in DC is VERY expensive and if they would sell off the extra land, I'm sure they know it would be next to impossible to get it back. They add the "could be sold off" part into their annual report to show the company has colateral. If the company should need extra money, they have a quick source of it by selling off land. They added the same line to the reports about SFGAdv and SFDL as well (the only two other SF parks that have more unused land than SFA). I really don't think it's something to worry about.

As for the water park deal. SFA would be crazy not to completly rebuild the water park if they had the oppertunity. DC really could use a nice big waterpark and I'm sure if it was big and nice enough, the locals would use it as an alternative to a community swimming pool (as it seems they already do with the current water park).

Personally, as long as it's a nice large custom coaster, I could care less what we got. Be it a nice long mine train coaster that goes through the woods like Sam suggested, or a nice big custom Beemer in the vacant "farm lot", the cleared field north of the third parking lot, or something completly different somewhere else in the park. That's all I ask for, then I wouldn't mind at all going another 4 or 5 years just getting flats and other improvements...

That's exactly what I would like to see at the park as well....while I'd prefer a B&M I'd still be happy with any coaster they can get so long as it's not yet another vekoma or an arrow product.

The sad fact is it's just not gonna happen despite what SFACoasterguy781,or Zerogravity2k6(my online source you've all wondered about)have said,six flags corporate only cares about great adventure,great america & magic mountain right now,the others are just cash cows that provide the funding for the above mentioned 3 parks.

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BATWING FAN SFA said:
Thanks Homey G,it's been a long week but things are getting back to normal.

Austin:where's the TR from your visit on the 12th?I've looked at all the recent TR's & Sam's is the only one posted regarding SFA within the last seven days.

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I never posted it. Sorry. I'm going to SFA on Thursday. I'll make sure I post that. I still might post the one from the 12th but I don't remember it perfectly.

i'll look for any fence updates on superman. That is the best spot right?