originally posted on 6/12/2021 12:02:53 PM
Gene Staples, the Chicago investor who saved Indiana Beach, has assumed control of Fantasy Island, the shut-down amusement park on Grand Island, New York. It has been confirmed that he has officially taken control of the park and is in the final stages of negotiating a lease.
Property security, landscaping, and maintenance crews will be starting work this week.
Staples said this would not be a one-year investment and that there is a tremendous amount of work to be done. Some of the rides were scrapped by construction equipment tearing up the property. Priorities are park cleanup and securing the park. There has been plenty of vandalism, with almost every door being kicked down and every window being broken.
In mid-May, Staples met with local leaders, indicating that if all went well, the waterpark would reopen this summer. He reaffirmed that goal and added that the projected date is sometime in early July.
#ACENewsNow