ragerunner

I would not disagree with that statement. Both from a planning and economic standpoint. As you know from the housing = recession thread, I truly believe that most of the spending on big ticket and small ticket items (cars, tv's, vacations, etc...) in the last three or four years has been mainly fueled by HELCOs, easy credit card access, ARMs and I/O. I am a firm believer we are headed into a difficult recession.

"Speaking to Bloomberg, Rich Moore said Indianapolis-based Simon-the nation's largest mall owner-brings substantial economies of scale. "Simon will get tenants, upgrade tenants or put the Mills properties through renovations," Moore told Bloomberg. Simon made the offer in partnership with the San Francisco hedge fund Farallon Capital Management LLC. Simon's unsolicited bid is higher than the $1.35 billion offered by Toronto-based Brookfield Capital Management Inc." Mills said it has authorized its board to terminate its agreement with Brookfield if Brookfield does not counter within three days." http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=135&ArticleID=32125 Lets hope they will do these kinds of retail upgrades at Cincy Mills.

I believe Simon will win the bidding war for the mills company and that if they want they can do some amazing things in the retail industry. Weather or not they want to do it at Cincy Mills may be up in the air. I hope they want to really work on Cincy Mills because it has a lot of potential. But you maybe right, just because they may take control of the mall doesn't mean they will invest in the mall.

Monopoly's sure suck!!!!

Simon will win this bidding war.

Who says that we are going to have a recession in 2007? Latest government figures show we aren't nearing anything close to even a slow-down let alone a recession. Are you talking about those same government figures that said we should not see a huge increase in foreclosures in 2006 and that the construction and residential industries should see a soft landing in 2006. Foreclosure levels in the US are skyrocketing by the day, all the big builders now are posting major loses (financial and in jobs) and the inventory of vacant unsold homes are now at record levels. Yes, we are going into a recession in 2007. If you don't believe me that fine, but I would be happy to have this conversation again in the fall to see if you still don't believe we are IN a recession by then.

Does anyone know what funding source they are trying to get for the garages. Is it a federal grant?

We shall see, Simon is the king of retail so they could really do a lot for the Mills (if they want to). I agree with the comment that the Cincy Mills needs more entertainment. They need a Rainforest Cafe or TREX Cafe and they need to expanded Wonderpark into the old Media Play building.

Since Wimwar didn't reply, I would say ColDayMan has the greater experience with coasters and determining which ones are better. That is a lot of coasters, I am only up to about 125 different coasters.

So how many coasters have you been on ColDayMan and how many coasters have you been on Wimwar? While I believe it is about personal taste, the more coasters you have experienced the better you can compare what coasters are good and bad.

They won't run KI into the ground, Geauga Lake (maybe). But, I do believe we will see less investment in major attractions at both parks in the future. Also, KI I believe will continue to be CF family park and CP will be CF thrill park.

Urban my butt. It will be a nice park (that you drive to) surrounded by strip centers, fast food establishments and large suburban office buildings with a parking lot around them. Add in a blue IKEA box and you have suburban nirvana. When will the madness end? Only when gas is $5.00 dollars a gallon. :shoot:

B&M is Bollinger & Mabillard which is a rollercoaster company that designs the mercedes benz's of rollercoasters. http://www.bolliger-mabillard.com/index_en.aspx

I have been amazed at how many amusement park fans in Ohio (on other websites) were so excited about this buyout by CF. I am not saying CF won't add new things to CP or KI but they will not be pressured by competition to add new attractions as frequently. I really was hoping Busch was the buyer of KI but no luck, for now. If the Columbus Zoo adds a B&M I will buy an annual pass and give up my KI pass. I do think the Columbus Zoo may be on heading down the path to become more like a Busch Gardens, which would be great.

Ah, the perks of a monopoly. Ohio amusement park fans are going to feel some of the negatives involved with one company running a monopoly in the state. Maybe the Columbus Zoo will break things up a little in the future with their plans.

Ah, you got to love the media. They try very hard not to do any research. I would agree, I would love to see Dominator over X-Flight. I just hope CF doesn't start dumping leftovers on KI. KI attendance is right in line with CP (income is different) so KI should be getting NEW attractions not MOVED attractions. Maybe this was just a quick bandaid until they have more time to plan budgets for 2008.

The new coaster is one of the worst kept secrets in the amusement park industry this year.

The cities that make the most money on events are the ones that have figured out how to maximize the return on their investments. (Which is a huge conversation) San Antonio, Indy, and Denver are learning how to make sports, conventions and events a major economic development tool to not only bring money into town, but to stimulate construction/redevelopment and ultimately attract business to relocated to the city. Example: The new LOS in Indy has been designed not just for the Colts but for band events, NCAA events and extra space for conventions. Now you have a facility that is generating money and economic development for a community throughout the year that helps to create a vibrant downtown. This is how you can offset the cost of building these giant facilities and getting a real return on your investment and move your city forward.

Northwest, Delta in 'detailed' merger talks: WSJ Cincinnati Business Courier - 2:32 PM EST Tuesday "Creditors of bankrupt Delta Airlines Inc. are growing anxious about US Airways Group Inc.'s bid to acquire the carrier, possibly boosting the likelihood of an eventual deal with Northwest Airlines instead, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. Sources told the paper that creditors are concerned that Atlanta-based Delta (Pink Sheets: DALRQ) would "not cooperate" with an antitrust review. Meanwhile, Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest and Delta have been in "detailed" discussions about a potential merger, the Journal reported, citing sources close to talks. The paper said conversations have covered "potential structures, processes and timetables" of a deal. A merger is unlikely to occur before Northwest (Pink Sheets: NWACQ) and Delta emerge from bankruptcy. Both carriers are expect to exit Chapter 11 protection later this year. Ongoing talks between the companies have not included a "framework for a deal" or "specific plans for further negotiations," the paper reports. Delta operates its second-largest hub from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport." This doesn't sound real good for the Cincy area and its airport if the 'experts' are right that a NW/Delta merger would be the worst case for Cincy.

Unionstation13, do you mind showing where Indy has the world's largest race track and most monumental green-space outside of DC? I'm just curious ... Wikipedia "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" is one of the oldest and richest motorsport events in existence, having the largest attendance and one of the largest radio and television audiences of any single-day sporting events worldwide. While the official attendance is not disclosed by Speedway management, news media estimate attendance in excess of 270,000." "The Brickyard 400 is one of the most prestigious and popular events in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, with the largest attendance of any event on the schedule. The 10th Brickyard 400 is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 3." http://www.brickyard400.com/news/story.php?story_id=1237 The speedway also hosts the F-1 US Grand Prix which is the only F-1 race in the US. I have seen attendance figures for the Indy 500 as high as 300,000 to 400,000 with the Brickyard right behind it. F-1 has had its ups and downs but it still draws 10 of thousands of visitors each year from around the world. If you want to see money, princes, movie stars, etc... Go to and Indy 500 or F-1 race. These two races give Indy international attention every year. Add in all the other sporting events that give Indy numerous National exposure, RCA tennis championships, Big Ten BB tournament, NHRA National Drag Racing events, NCAA events, several Olympic Qualifying events, and regular sporting events, (Colts and Pacers, etc...) and you have a city that is starting to really cash in on sports and the international reputation that they bring.

Butler County's growth rate was much greater in the 90's. Since 2000 it has really slowed down.

Should be interesting to see how the entire Delta issue turns out. Lets just hope we don't see major job loses in the near future.

The US is seeing a lot of this, residential development is going in the tank and so is the economy for the next few years. Look for more of these announcements over the next year or so. The good news is, we are not Florida, California, Arizona or Nevada. They are going to have a huge recession in these places with all their overbuilding, ARMs and I/O, and economies that are mainly supported on construction and tourism. OUCH!!!! The midwest may very well be the next best place to invest in the future.

This comes back to the concept of the public and private sector having one vision and working towards what is best for the community not just themselves. The Cincy area must overcome this problem if they wish to compete in the future economy and with peer cities.

Give it another year or so and we will see place in Florida and Arizona move to the top of these list for job loses and unemployment. Florida and Arizona's auto industry (construction) is falling apart in a BIG way. Add in the decline in tourism that is being reported and you have a major economic fallout on the way.