Koch Family Parks is investing more than $7 million to purchase and improve Alabama’s Splash Adventure Waterpark, but the new owners have even bigger plans for the storied park’s future.
Dan Koch, president of Splash Adventure, said in an interview today he wants to bring back the Rampage wooden rollercoaster that was once the focal point of the park and garnered national accolades as one of the best wooden rollercoasters in the world. The coaster was shut down as the previous owners focused exclusively on the waterpark side of the operations and eschewed the amusement park.
That’s another change Koch plans to make. He said there will eventually be two parks again – Alabama Adventure and Splash Adventure. The new owners are developing a five-year strategic plan to re-establish the amusement park and grow both parks into something bigger and better than ever before, Koch said.
“We’re going to make this place hum,” he said. “We’re going to make this the No. 1 tourist attraction in the state of Alabama.”
Koch has moved to the Birmingham area and intends to put his family’s seven decades of amusement park experience to work with Splash Adventure. Several new initiatives will be in place when the park opens May 17 while others will develop over the next few years.
Among the new attractions for 2014 are:
- Wacky Worm Coaster small rollercoaster for younger visitors.
- Rio Grande Train for visitors to ride.
- Junior Bumper Boats for some added fun on the water.
- Mini Helicopter ride, also aimed at younger visitors.
- Vintage Boats is a classic amusement park ride that Koch remembers from his childhood.
- Laser Maze Challenge will time competitors as they try to make their way through a web of laser beams without touching them.
Nearly all of the new attractions will be added between the park’s current Main Street and waterpark areas, filling in the pathway that connects the two. The focus on younger visitors is intentional, Koch said.
“In the industry, one of the most underserved markets is toddlers,” he said. “We’re not a kiddie park, but when we started looking at the needs for 2014, that was one that we wanted to address.”
Final pricing is being set for tickets and season passes, but Koch said they will be higher than what previous owners charged. However, unlike previous owners, parking will be free as will the tubes used in the park. Also, free sunscreen will be available in gallon-sized dispensers throughout the park and free wifi will be offered as well.
Food prices will likely be lower than last year, Koch said. Buffalo Rock remains a partner, meaning Pepsi products will be the soft drinks of choice in the park.
A job fair will be held on March 22 from 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. to hire new workers to join the Koch Family Parks family. The company is looking to hire between 300 and 600 workers for the park this season.
Located off Interstate 20/59, Exit 110, the amusement park has a storied history.
General Attractions, which sold the park to Koch, bought the park in January 2012 and invested $1.5 million to add four new attractions. Southland Entertainment Group, bought what was the original VisionLand out of a bankruptcy transaction for $5.25 million and invested $5 million more the first year to create Alabama Adventure in 2003. Southland sold the company in 2008.
VisionLand was the “vision” of then-Fairfield Mayor Larry Langford. Langford, now serving a prison sentence on public corruption charges stemming from his time as a Jefferson County Commissioner, convinced 11 Jefferson County municipalities to join forces and spend $90 million to finance the creation of VisionLand in 1998. The park later went bankrupt.
Koch said he was aware of the park and some of its history, but didn’t learn the full story until his family started looking at buying it.
He made his first visit to the 89-acre park in December.
“I was pleasantly surprised by what I found,” Koch said. “I don’t mind telling you that I had pretty low expectations, but there are some really nice elements to work with here.”
Koch said the park lacks stability because of the multiple ownership changes and a myriad of name changes. Koch said his family wants to stabilize things.
“We have a strategic plan that carries us through 2018,” he said. “The real estate agent has helped me pick out a grave site here. That’s how long I plan on being here. I like it here.”
The Koch family has owned and operated Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari in Santa Claus, Ind., for decades. Although it has made attempts to acquire additional amusement parks before, this is the first time the family has actually pursued a deal through to a purchase.
“It’s always been our family’s dream to own a second park,” Koch said. “It just seemed like this was the right opportunity.”
Too many of the parks built over the last 15 years have not been capitalized well enough to see operations through an initial five-year plan, Koch said. He said his family knows what it takes to carefully build up a park at a sustainable pace, having put an estimated $100 million into its Indiana parks over the last 10 years.
Koch said he knows where the needs are at Splash Adventure.
“The theme park side of it is in pretty bad shape,” he said. “Getting the Rampage rebuilt and put back in shape is a priority, but we’re not sure when that will be complete.”
He said the waterpark is in good shape, but is only about half the size of the Koch family’s Splashin’ Safari. Koch has had ride vendors in town offering ideas of what can be added to the water park to grow it over the next five years.
Koch said the cornerstones of the operation are safety, service, friendliness and cleanliness. All are important but one is a priority, he said.
“We will constantly ask, ‘Is it safe? Is there good service? Is it friendly? Is it clean?’,” Koch said. “If it’s not safe, there is nothing left to ask yourself.”
He said all employees will be expected to help keep the park clean and to always smile.
“I will pick up any trash I see in the park and I tell employees to let me know if they see me not smiling,” he said.
Most of all, Koch said he wants park employees to enjoy working there as much as visitors enjoy visiting.
“If we’re not having fun then nobody’s having fun and we like to have fun.”
