The latest news as of 6/21/07 regarding this project is that the park will now be 150 acres, will provide 2700 new jobs, and cost $500 million to construct. The article also said that now the project will include roller coasters and water rides.
I can provide a link, but this is only my first post at this website and I don't want to violate any policies. So, I will hold off until the webmaster says it's o.k. to post the link. [Linking's fine. We just ask folks not to cut-'n-paste whole copyrighted articles. Feel free to add the link in the comments.-Ed.]
As a local who is still not over the loss of AstroWorld, this is really exciting news to me. I was hoping to get hear opinions about the article from theme park enthusiast like myself.
They are talking about it in some Houston based forums but I haven't heard any mention of the story in any theme park based forums.
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The park is still years away and a lot of things could change before this park becomes a reality, but I was very pleased to hear Don Lessum say that he and the developers (Project Rex LLC) intend to maintain the natural beauty of the area. That's great news because the area is a heavily wooded pine forest. I hope Lessums statements mean that the park will have a lot of shade. Not only will the trees help cool the park in the brutal Houston summer heat, but heavily wooded parks are beatiful, add atmosphere, and usually make the whole experience nicer.
I'm also optimistic about the quality of EQA based some other comments Don Lessum has made about this park. He uses words like "This is the culmination of my life's work," and "I want it to be done right. I'm not interested in compromising." Given his credentials with Disney and Universal, this is the kind of person I am glad to see behind this project. I think EQA will be a better park with someone guiding it who has a vision, as opposed to a corporation that is only interested in building cheap and making a fast buck.
I'm also excited to hear about the amount they are spending on this park. They are spending $100 million dollars more on EQA than it is costing to build the new Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach. HRP looks pretty fantastic from the model and sketches I've seen. So, I expect this park to be at least as good and hopefully better (in terms of rides and attractions).
I think it's about time that Houston had a theme park it could be proud of. I miss AstroWorld, but I think this new park has the potential to be much better than AW ever could have, especially while it was under the management of Six Flags.
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http://www.hcnonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18489664&BRD=1574&PAG=461&dept_id=532249&rfi=6