by Brent Hovey
Reporter
Bainbridge -- The deadline has passed and four bids were received for more than 400 acres of Geauga Lake Park land owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. in Aurora and Bainbridge Township.
All the bidders signed a confidentially agreement and their names will not be revealed.
"We were very pleased with the response," said Cliff West, managing director of land development for real estate consultant Colliers-Ostendorf Morris.
"We weren't sure what we'd get, but at the 11th hour we got some pretty amazing and interesting proposals."
Cedar Fair shut down its amusement park last fall, but is continuing to operate its water park. It hired Colliers-Ostendorf Morris to handle the sale of the amusement park land, the Geauga Lake Hotel and a campgrounds on Treat Road.
West said on May 22, the real estate firm began meeting with the potential buyers. "We met to clarify and understand their offers and to ask questions," he said.
Now that the bids are in, Colliers-Ostendorf Morris will meet again with the bidders, then with the corporate officers of Cedar Fair to decide which offer to accept.
"[Cedar Fair] owns the property and they'll make the final decision," West said. "They will rely on us heavily on the real estate angle."
West said he is hopeful a decision will be made in the next six weeks.
"When we get down through the meetings, there will be interesting news," he said. "There are some very exciting projects that could go on the land."
ONE GROUP which previously said it planned to put in a bid is the American Coaster Enthusiasts, but it was not revealed whether it followed through.
Since the day it was announced Geauga Lake's amusement park would close, ACE has been actively trying to save the 82-year-old Big Dipper and the ballroom.
In other Geauga Lake news, the auction of rides, attractions, equipment, signs and memorabilia will take place June 17 and 18 under the auspices of Norton Auctioneers of Michigan. Everyone must pay $10 to get through the gates.
An itemized list of what is for sale is available at www.nortonacutioneers.com. The Big Dipper is among the items on the auction block.
Small items and souvenirs still are being sold at the Tradewinds gift shop outside Wildwater Kingdom's (the water park's) main gate.
The shop is open Fridays from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.
Meanwhile, the water park opened May 24 and will open daily June 7 to Aug. 24 and then Labor Day weekend (Aug. 30 to Sept. 1).
The water park consists of a 60-foot tall Liquid Lightning tornado slide, Thunder Falls, Splash Landing family activity center, Coral Cove and a 390,000-gallon Tidal Wave Bay pool.
E-mail:
bhovey@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3115