LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) --Is Kentucky Kingdom's future in doubt?
It would appear more so today after only two potential operators showed up for a tour of the park.
And one of them has been down this road before.
On Tuesday, Ed Hart was one of two potential operators to get a close look inside the now shut down park.
"Regarding casting a wide net for potential bidders," Hart said, "I don't know what happened this morning because not many people showed up."
Except for one other potential operator, Hart was pretty much by himself to tour the closed amusement park.
Hart brought a long what he called his team, about ten people all dressed in white shirts.
He said they were ride and water attraction experts who could give him an estimate about what it would take to get the park reopened.
"We just wanted to see the status of the facility a year after we left," said Hart, clearly we have gone backwards, nothing that money can't fix but it is going to cost more money.
Hart says the $40 million he's promised to invest in the park should be enough to cover any repairs needed.
"We have a big contingency in our $40 million," Hart says, "anticipating there would be a lot of expenses that would occur."
The Finance Cabinet has give potential operators until October 19 to submit a detailed plan for reopening the park.
Hart said, "I hope we are the ones awarded the contract to reopen the park, I can't speak for other people, I have been at this for three years, that is a long time."
It was about a year ago that Hart and the Fair Board ended negotiations for Hart to reopen the park.
The owners of Holiday World pulled out of consideration of taking over the park at the last minute last summer.
And last month, Governor Beshear indicated that time could be running out on reopening Kentucky Kingdom.
Hart would not identify the other potential operator to take the tour, but said he was there on behalf of several other interested parties. Hart said the man used to work for him.
The media was not allowed inside to view the park and its rides on Tuesday
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Ed Hart
