Bell's To Finally Get A New Roller Coaster

[Rowdy]

Tulsa - For five years now, Bell's Amusement Park and nearby neighbors have been at odds over where to build a multi-million dollar roller coaster. Now, that dispute is settled and the park gets to build its new ride. NewsChannel 8's Bill Mitchell shows us where it will be built and just how exciting it will be for Bell's customers.

Originally, Bell's wanted to build their roller coaster on the west side of their amusement park in the big parking lot, covering the area with a giant roller coaster. But the folks who live nearby said it was too close to their homes. But now, the three-million dollar ride will be built inside Bell's Amusement Park on the east side of the Zingo.

"It took five years and many, many lawyers fees to finally come around this way," says William Weinrich, President of the Homeowner's Association.

Weinrich says the agreement with Bell's is what the homeowners wanted in the first place.

"I talked to Earlene Wilson, the County Clerk," Weinrich says. "I popped into her office and we chatted. She said there ought to be a book written about this. It's quite something for something to go on this long."

Lady Liberty won't be looking down on a miniature golf course any more. Instead she'll be seeing riders screaming by in a state-of-the-art steel roller coaster -- one that will actually take people through and around the almost 40-year-old Zingo -- a dramatic mix of the old and the new.

"What we will do is we'll make this ride do more turns and twists than most coasters in this style do," says Bell's Owner Robbie Bell. "And, so we'll probably make some actual 90-degree turns in this ride which means they will be traveling like this."

Bell says it will be one of the most spectacular rides to ever hit this state. Once construction begins it will take eight to ten months to complete. The decision on when to start construction is still up in the air.

Right now, during the state fair, there are two big revenue producing rides -- number one the sky ride and number two Zingo. Robbie Bell says when the new roller coaster comes in, it will out produce both of them.

[AVERAGE JOE]

Wow... I mean, isn't that amazing?? A development interest (eventually) worked with the neighborhood and proceeded with the residents' plan, AND THE EARTH KEPT RIGHT ON SPINNING. To hear most developers tell it, we should be crashing into Mars any second now...

And lo and behold, the park believes the ride will STILL be a bigger hit than their current top two rides during the fair. Since the neighbors get to keep their buffer zone between them and the rides, it sounds like this is a *gasp* win-win situation. How is that possible???

(end sarcasm)

I'd like to see a lot more of these win-win outcomes happen a lot faster in this town. Kudos to the neighborhood residents who were quoted in the paper as throwing their full, enthusiastic support behind Bell's and the new plan. Very classy move.

[Rowdy]

Now we will just see if this will help turn around Bell's in the long run.  I just don't see it happening.

[Johnboy976]

It could at least bring the numbers up for a little while. Let's hope for the best.

[Conan71]

I'm glad they worked out a compromise everyone was happy with.

That said, Bell's has been there since 1951. Most of the property owners in the area have bought their houses since Bells was there.  

I never cease to be amazed at the people who buy houses near amusement parks or airports, then complain about all the noise.

There was a new upscale home development built in Dallas a few years back near or under the flight path for Love Field.  People bought homes, moved in, then tried to get Love Field shut down for all the noise!

[AVERAGE JOE]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

I'm glad they worked out a compromise everyone was happy with.

That said, Bell's has been there since 1951. Most of the property owners in the area have bought their houses since Bells was there.  

I never cease to be amazed at the people who buy houses near amusement parks or airports, then complain about all the noise.

There was a new upscale home development built in Dallas a few years back near or under the flight path for Love Field.  People bought homes, moved in, then tried to get Love Field shut down for all the noise!

I understand what you're saying and agree that there are some clueless people out there, but the Bell's situation was a bit different. It wasn't that the neighbors were complaining about the current noise -- they were opposed to a plan that would increase the noise, but more importantly bring it several hundred feet closer to them. Big difference.

I think most of the neighbors accept the noise from the park, but it's not unreasonable for them to oppose a loud new ride being built literally across the street from their front yard. Keeping the ride within the confines of the park was a good compromise all the way around.

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by AVERAGE JOE

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

I'm glad they worked out a compromise everyone was happy with.

That said, Bell's has been there since 1951. Most of the property owners in the area have bought their houses since Bells was there.  

I never cease to be amazed at the people who buy houses near amusement parks or airports, then complain about all the noise.

There was a new upscale home development built in Dallas a few years back near or under the flight path for Love Field.  People bought homes, moved in, then tried to get Love Field shut down for all the noise!

I understand what you're saying and agree that there are some clueless people out there, but the Bell's situation was a bit different. It wasn't that the neighbors were complaining about the current noise -- they were opposed to a plan that would increase the noise, but more importantly bring it several hundred feet closer to them. Big difference.

I think most of the neighbors accept the noise from the park, but it's not unreasonable for them to oppose a loud new ride being built literally across the street from their front yard. Keeping the ride within the confines of the park was a good compromise all the way around.

Absolutely the neighbors have that right.  I just find funny irony when people move next to a hog farm and complain of the stench, or next to a noise-producing enterprise and complain of the noise.  

I believe Bell's has tried to be a good neighbor by shutting down Zingo at 9pm.  If the wind is blowing just right I can hear Zingo in the early evenings at my house north and west of 15th & Harvard.  To me it's another "summer sound" in Tulsa that I have grown accustomed to, but I could see it as being a little more tiresome if it were right across the street. That's one of the reasons I didn't look for a house just south of 21st St. or just west of Expo Square.

I didn't see this mentioned in the paper, but are they going to scuttle the miniature golf course?  I noticed the new coaster will run atop the layout of the course, but I wasn't sure if it would still be used.  Last time I was there a few years ago, the course was looking pretty shabby, and I don't even remember if it was still open.

[sgrizzle]

The golf course is a gonner.

[pmcalk]

Will they at least keep the giant globe?  My kids love that....

[sgrizzle]

That would be cool. I'm interested in seeing the plans having the new coaster run THROUGH zingo...


I guess this means they're not moving, huh?

[cannon_fodder]

Holy crap, investment in Bells?

The first time I went to Bells was aobut 16 years ago, the fisrt time I went to big splash was at about the same time... since then, the only new attraction for either of them that I remember changing is Big Splash adding the lazy river/tube launch.

Hell, the slides at big splash are so run down you have to push yourself to the bottom.  Not to mentino the 'family friendly' atmosphere - not allowed to bring water in, and no drinking fountains.  Add no new attractions and the fact that its no bargain, and I wonder why attendance isnt going up.

Anyway, glad to see Bells is adding a new coaster, hopefully they put a little money into making the whole place spruced up whlie they are at it.  Seems the owners of the respective Fairground parks have been on coast for sometime.  Investments tend to fade away on that plan.

[sgrizzle]

Bells added the "Chili Pepper Plunge" about ten years ago, The new launch in the air ride last year, and many kid rides inbetween including a new one being finalized right now. I don't go there often but I do know things have been added. The base infrastructure is atracious though.

[cannon_fodder]

I admit I havent been to Bells in a few years, so any changes not visible since there are lost on me.  Thanks for letting me know!

[PonderInc]

I'm still mourning the loss of the Giant Slide!

I think they got rid of it b/c some folks decided to ride gunny sacks down the slide while standing up. (Darwinism meets legal liability.)  Heck...sounds like the next X-Games sport, if you ask me! Bring back the giant slide...and call ESPN!

[Kiah]

quote:Originally posted by PonderInc

I'm still mourning the loss of the Giant Slide!

I think they got rid of it b/c some folks decided to ride gunny sacks down the slide while standing up. (Darwinism meets legal liability.)  Heck...sounds like the next X-Games sport, if you ask me! Bring back the giant slide...and call ESPN!

I still have painful childhood memories of putting my hand down on the slide while going down it at 80 mph.  Seared child flesh is a smell that stays with you.