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Why do you want to pave over every square inch of that County?
They've been reinventing themselves for decades and nothing's worked. Why would any investor sink $100s of millions into a crapshoot like you propose?
They have a perception issue-it's ghetto. Just like up the road at Largo there are just enough incidents to keep people away.
Whoaaaaaa. I just wanted to get thoughts on the parks expansion. lol I could care less either way. And I though everybody knew I am for infill and transit oriented development?
Whoaaaaaa. I just wanted to get thoughts on the parks expansion. lol I could care less either way. And I though everybody knew I am for infill and transit oriented development?
So you say, but damn near every idea you run up the flagpole is cutting trees and laying asphalt.
Expanding that facility would be neither infill nor transit oriented.
So you say, but damn near every idea you run up the flagpole is cutting trees and laying asphalt.
Expanding that facility would be neither infill nor transit oriented.
I'm not sure how raising a question on a park automatically makes me the champion for sprawl. If you read a lot of my posts, I'm for transit oriented development in areas that are already in the developed tier.
It was just a question based of of another conversation that I didn't even start. I thought I would pose it here. Not sure how my development preferences got into the conversation. Of all of my ideas about development in this county, they never included an expanded Six Flags theme park.
It needs to work on its "reputation" but how does one do that?
Expansion, new management and a plan to fix things.
You can go on any website Yelp, Travel Advisor, etc, and read all of the negative reviews about Six Flags Maryland. Now, lets assume that I didn't know jack about the DC area and went there, to compare it to other theme parks across the United States. It simply cannot compete. It must expand. And the residents need to suck it up. They knew what they moved next to when they bought their house. Unlike National Harbor that popped up overnight, Six Flags has been there for a very long time. Remember, in order for you to have a nice pool of tax money, a business has to make money.
Six flags Maryland has a reputation for being ghetto and busted up. For the following reasons:
Lets start with the rides. The rides there are dated and restricted. Theres height restrictions, sound restrictions, you name it. Many of the rides are not in working order, and you can almost guarantee that at least 10 percent of the park is broken at any given time. Sometimes the rides stay closed for more than a month, depending on the issue. This has got to change. In a park this small that rely's on very few rides and attractions, everything must be in working order to keep guests happy.
Attractions. They could definately start by building an indoor theatre much like Kings Dominion has, or Busch Gardens. You can go to Kings Dominion and watch Broadway type shows, ice skating, you name it. Busch Gardens has a beer hall where you can eat, drink, and watch shows. Is there a reason Six Flags cannot bring that to Maryland?
Prince Georges County could allot for later park hours, taller rides, and getting rid of the height, noise restrictions that are placed upon the park. If Prince Georges County is truly in the business of attracting businesses, its high time they start loosening the restrictions so a business can compete on the world scale. To put something in perspective, the Eiffel Tower replicas that are at Kings Island and Kings Dominion are 315' tall. It can barely be seen over the trees on interstate 95. Having a similiar attraction or coaster in Largo would not be detrimental to the local area. If Six Flags was having major traffic issues, they easily could extend the Largo Metro or increase buses that run from the park to reduce the flow.
Once the restrictions were gone, they easily could build bigger and better coasters. One of a kind coasters, that put the park on the map with the rest of the amusement parks across the United States.
Security. The one word that everyone knows is a major issue there. Cars get stolen and broken into in the parking lot. Massive fights erupting inside the park. Its got to change. Part of the issue is the police/sheriffs that are used to guard the parking lot simply sit there and do nothing. The parking lot is not patrolled, they are getting paid to play on their computers. If thats the case, get rid of them. Theres no reason that crime should be occurring with cops that are in the parking lots.
Issues inside the park. There are massive fights inside of the park. They can be seen on World Star, Youtube, or whatever else you type in six flags fights. In fact, every time i've gone to Six Flags, i've seen a fight. Thats not normal at Kings Dominion. People are arrested and thrown out at Kings Dominion for that behavior. At Six Flags, warnings are common for criminal behavior. Theft, cursing, racial slurs, spitting, you name it are all apart of the daily menu of unruly behavior perpetrated by kids ages 12-26. If I have a family of 4, why would I pay to take my children to a park like Six Flags Maryland where people are shouting combinations of the N word and the F word back and forth across line dividers until someone gets enough courage to jump across and start swinging fists? Why would any money paying tourist go to a park where people steal, they are caught by the park security, and nothing is done about it? The kid is given a stern warning and released back into the park as if nothing occurred? Kids there think its fun to spit on rides while they are in motion, and when the behavior is reported to the staff nothing is done.
The security staff there should be fired. Perhaps bringing in new security, contracting it out, or even a combination of police and security will change the issues there? Getting a handle on the for lack of better terms "animal-like behavior" is priority number 1 for that place. I never understood why they even care who they throw out, because they've already made their money. If they continue to keep the dirtbags inside of the park, thats what they will attract. It will continue to drive away the good paying customers and their theme park will be known as a gangland hangout for idle youth.
Cleanliness. The park is foul. Im not even talking about the walkways. Lets talk about the bathrooms. Disgusting is the word I would use. Its not uncommon to walk in and find used condoms and the smell of marijuana smoke coming from some of the bathroom buildings. That has to change. The walkways and areas under the rides are dirty too, littered with trash, gum, you name it. They would be wise to invest in a power washer and put it to use on the sidewalk. The water park is just as disgusting. I saw a used diaper floating in the wave pool and didn't bother getting in.
Food. There's not alot of options outside of burgers and fries to each food. Not when you can go to other parks and easily pick from a large selection to eat from. Six Flags would benefit from encouraging outside vendors to come into the park and sell food.
Lastly the core of the problem, the staff. When a problem, safety concern, or issue is brought to their attention, the guest should not get ignored. I spoke with a manager up there about some of the staff that manage the rides and he told me "look at the demographics of the DC, Maryland and Virginia area that we serve." There seems to be a non caring attitude towards security, management of staff, and overall in general about how that park is managed and run. If Six Flags corporate came down there and observed what goes on in disguise, without warning, they might fire half of the staff. That just might be what it takes to turn it around. It might take a combination of security and police on patrol there to change the security situation inside the park. Finding out who the violators are and ejecting/barring them from the property would reduce alot of their issues. Many kids are just being dropped off there and left unsupervised, its the reason they run wild.
What it really boils down to is this. If Six Flags wants to be known as a garbage park, a low class dump where everything is broken, the park is trashed and filled with graffiti, poor selection of food, limited attractions, poor security/crime ridden and garbage management, then thats what it will be. It will never compete with world class parks like Busch Gardens Tampa or Cedar Point. However... If they intend to compete and improve their reputation, then it would behoove them to start making some changes. Until those changes are made, it will continue on the path its on now, the path of failure and closure.
Why do you want to pave over every square inch of that County?
They've been reinventing themselves for decades and nothing's worked. Why would any investor sink $100s of millions into a crapshoot like you propose?
They have a perception issue-it's ghetto. Just like up the road at Largo there are just enough incidents to keep people away.
That more than size is their biggest issue. Next would be the quality of the rides. If they were able to correct those two issues, they would see an uptick in revenues without having to increase their size. I believe they would also become more competitive because it would be a strong option for families that want to go on a quick outing to an amusement park without having to drive 1 or 2 hours.
It needs to work on its "reputation" but how does one do that?
Expansion, new management and a plan to fix things.
You can go on any website Yelp, Travel Advisor, etc, and read all of the negative reviews about Six Flags Maryland. Now, lets assume that I didn't know jack about the DC area and went there, to compare it to other theme parks across the United States. It simply cannot compete. It must expand. And the residents need to suck it up. They knew what they moved next to when they bought their house. Unlike National Harbor that popped up overnight, Six Flags has been there for a very long time. Remember, in order for you to have a nice pool of tax money, a business has to make money.
Six flags Maryland has a reputation for being ghetto and busted up. For the following reasons:
Lets start with the rides. The rides there are dated and restricted. Theres height restrictions, sound restrictions, you name it. Many of the rides are not in working order, and you can almost guarantee that at least 10 percent of the park is broken at any given time. Sometimes the rides stay closed for more than a month, depending on the issue. This has got to change. In a park this small that rely's on very few rides and attractions, everything must be in working order to keep guests happy.
Attractions. They could definately start by building an indoor theatre much like Kings Dominion has, or Busch Gardens. You can go to Kings Dominion and watch Broadway type shows, ice skating, you name it. Busch Gardens has a beer hall where you can eat, drink, and watch shows. Is there a reason Six Flags cannot bring that to Maryland?
Prince Georges County could allot for later park hours, taller rides, and getting rid of the height, noise restrictions that are placed upon the park. If Prince Georges County is truly in the business of attracting businesses, its high time they start loosening the restrictions so a business can compete on the world scale. To put something in perspective, the Eiffel Tower replicas that are at Kings Island and Kings Dominion are 315' tall. It can barely be seen over the trees on interstate 95. Having a similiar attraction or coaster in Largo would not be detrimental to the local area. If Six Flags was having major traffic issues, they easily could extend the Largo Metro or increase buses that run from the park to reduce the flow.
Once the restrictions were gone, they easily could build bigger and better coasters. One of a kind coasters, that put the park on the map with the rest of the amusement parks across the United States.
Security. The one word that everyone knows is a major issue there. Cars get stolen and broken into in the parking lot. Massive fights erupting inside the park. Its got to change. Part of the issue is the police/sheriffs that are used to guard the parking lot simply sit there and do nothing. The parking lot is not patrolled, they are getting paid to play on their computers. If thats the case, get rid of them. Theres no reason that crime should be occurring with cops that are in the parking lots.
Issues inside the park. There are massive fights inside of the park. They can be seen on World Star, Youtube, or whatever else you type in six flags fights. In fact, every time i've gone to Six Flags, i've seen a fight. Thats not normal at Kings Dominion. People are arrested and thrown out at Kings Dominion for that behavior. At Six Flags, warnings are common for criminal behavior. Theft, cursing, racial slurs, spitting, you name it are all apart of the daily menu of unruly behavior perpetrated by kids ages 12-26. If I have a family of 4, why would I pay to take my children to a park like Six Flags Maryland where people are shouting combinations of the N word and the F word back and forth across line dividers until someone gets enough courage to jump across and start swinging fists? Why would any money paying tourist go to a park where people steal, they are caught by the park security, and nothing is done about it? The kid is given a stern warning and released back into the park as if nothing occurred? Kids there think its fun to spit on rides while they are in motion, and when the behavior is reported to the staff nothing is done.
The security staff there should be fired. Perhaps bringing in new security, contracting it out, or even a combination of police and security will change the issues there? Getting a handle on the for lack of better terms "animal-like behavior" is priority number 1 for that place. I never understood why they even care who they throw out, because they've already made their money. If they continue to keep the dirtbags inside of the park, thats what they will attract. It will continue to drive away the good paying customers and their theme park will be known as a gangland hangout for idle youth.
Cleanliness. The park is foul. Im not even talking about the walkways. Lets talk about the bathrooms. Disgusting is the word I would use. Its not uncommon to walk in and find used condoms and the smell of marijuana smoke coming from some of the bathroom buildings. That has to change. The walkways and areas under the rides are dirty too, littered with trash, gum, you name it. They would be wise to invest in a power washer and put it to use on the sidewalk. The water park is just as disgusting. I saw a used diaper floating in the wave pool and didn't bother getting in.
Food. There's not alot of options outside of burgers and fries to each food. Not when you can go to other parks and easily pick from a large selection to eat from. Six Flags would benefit from encouraging outside vendors to come into the park and sell food.
Lastly the core of the problem, the staff. When a problem, safety concern, or issue is brought to their attention, the guest should not get ignored. I spoke with a manager up there about some of the staff that manage the rides and he told me "look at the demographics of the DC, Maryland and Virginia area that we serve." There seems to be a non caring attitude towards security, management of staff, and overall in general about how that park is managed and run. If Six Flags corporate came down there and observed what goes on in disguise, without warning, they might fire half of the staff. That just might be what it takes to turn it around. It might take a combination of security and police on patrol there to change the security situation inside the park. Finding out who the violators are and ejecting/barring them from the property would reduce alot of their issues. Many kids are just being dropped off there and left unsupervised, its the reason they run wild.
What it really boils down to is this. If Six Flags wants to be known as a garbage park, a low class dump where everything is broken, the park is trashed and filled with graffiti, poor selection of food, limited attractions, poor security/crime ridden and garbage management, then thats what it will be. It will never compete with world class parks like Busch Gardens Tampa or Cedar Point. However... If they intend to compete and improve their reputation, then it would behoove them to start making some changes. Until those changes are made, it will continue on the path its on now, the path of failure and closure.
How many times have you gone to the park? Your post certainly paints a different picture. I don't go every year, but the times I did go, I have never experienced the park you're describing. I'm not saying it doesn't exist. But I've never seen graffiti, trash, or fights.
An increased police presence is a double-edged sword. On the good side, it keeps the fights and crime down. On the bad side, so many police would make people wonder WHY there are so many police.
Ugghh, that park is horrible. Rides have broken down while we were on them, I've actually seen a piece of wood from the bridge onto a rider below. I've never been when all of the rides were actually working. I don't see how making it bigger would make it better.
I'll continue to drive to Kings Dominion, Busch Gardens, Hershey Park, and Water Country USA.
One of the dumbest comments. Traffic is going to happen regardless. Using traffic is a code word of not supporting economic/business expansions in Maryland.
Quote:
Originally Posted by armory
Traffic conditions alone are good enough for an emphatic NO. The road is hell as is, why make it into another 4, 5, 50, BW Pkwy or 210 for an amusement park?
King's Dominion has been in the amusement park business ever since they were Lion Country Safari decades ago. Anyone remember that name? Most amusement parks are huge mega complexes away from residential areas - King's Dominion comes to mind as does Busch Gardens.
Six Flags is ghetto because it has to deal with rift raft from PG itself, DC, and Baltimore. Just like Arundel Mills has a reputation that Potomac Mills doesn't have because of.... you guessed it! Rift raft from DC, Baltimore, and PG as well as parts of Anne Arundel.
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Of all of my ideas about development in this county, they never included an expanded Six Flags theme park.
