Mecklenburg County’s general manager for development and planning, Bobbie Shields, says the U.S. National Log Flume Ride (thanks Jeff Taylor!) would be a great deal for taxpayers, even if it flops:
The public is allowed to hike, bike or walk the park’s trails for
free. Visitors are charged for rafting, kayaking and rock-climbing. If
the nonprofit could no longer operate the park, the county would take
over ownership.“Even if for some reason the park were no longer
economically feasible, the public will have gotten a park for $7
million,” Shields said.
What a pipe dream. I have a good friend who was given a big community pool here in Raleigh, and every summer he has to spend a few thousand dollars to patch cracks and do repairs just to open it for two months. Even with that it still leaks hundreds of gallons of water. He does all the work because he wants to provide a place for families to be able to spend time together and enjoy a pool, but he can’t afford the $100,000 fix it would cost to do it right. I think the pool is about 20-years-old.
So what’s going to happen down the road with this Whitewater park when the concrete starts crumbling and the lining starts to break? The taxpayers will really be getting soaked then.
