Theme Park Plan Frozen Solid

WHEELING — Ohio County officials promised in July 2006 that local residents soon would be able to experience a “wild escape” at The Highlands.

Now, 18 months later, the proposed Wild Escape theme park seems no closer to reality than it was that summer day when officials announced the project — and judging by the process to date, that may not change anytime soon.

Add to that the possible $35,000 in fines the Ohio County Development Authority faces each day for improper work done across Interstate 70 from The Highlands, where streams allegedly were filled in without valid permits, and it’s easy to see county officials have a serious permit issue at the site. They have said the complications could threaten future development there.

At the center of the Wild Escape holdup are Clean Water Act permits that have to be issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Ohio County officials say they currently are waiting on approval from the Corps before they can move forward with the Wild Escape project, as they want to fill in several streams in an area known as Storch’s Run. Filling in Storch’s Run will require 13.7 million cubic yards of earth and cover up those streams.

County Administrator Greg Stewart in December told the Ohio County Development Authority he expected a response from the Corps concerning the permits by the middle of this month. That didn’t happen.

Scott Hans, acting chief of the Regulatory Branch at the Corps’ Pittsburgh office, said it is too early to say when — or if — permits will be issued for the planned theme park site, also known as Phase V of The Highlands development.

? Planning for a Wild Escape

Stewart said county officials originally applied to the Corps for the Wild Escape Clean Water Act permits in September 2006. “I am just really surprised at the amount of time it takes to get them (the Corps) to do these things,” he said.

Stewart still hopes the Corps will issue the permit that will allow the Ohio County Development Authority to create a level pad of about 125 acres to locate Wild Escape.

“We have been waiting long enough as it is, so I don’t even want to venture a guess as to how long it may take to get this permit. I really hope this theme park becomes a reality because it would be a great added draw to our site,” Stewart said, noting that in addition to the roller coasters and water slides of Wild Escape, Phase V also could be home to hotels and additional retail centers.

Hans said the Corps is reviewing county officials’ responses to the series of public comments made in September regarding the proposed earthmoving work for Phase V.

“We plan to get back in touch with them (county officials) to discuss this within the next few weeks,” Hans said.

He added there is no time-frame for making a decision on the status of the application. “Every developer wants us to give their application priority, but we have anywhere from 50 to 75 individual permit areas like this to work on each year,” he said.

Stewart said he believes the environment of the Phase V area is very low quality. “If we were asking them for permission to fill in somebody’s favorite fishing spot or something of that nature, I could see why it would be a problem, but that is not the case,” he said.

But Hans said Storch’s Run flows into Wheeling Creek, which flows into the Ohio River. “You have to consider the entire area that you may be impacting with this type of earthwork,” he said.

Stewart also said the county needs to complete work on Phase V before beginning work on Phase VIII, which is located in the space between the Cabela’s Distribution Center, Kohl’s, Wal-Mart and the theme park site. “Because of the way we have to move the dirt to fill in the valley, we have to do Phase V before Phase VIII,” he said.

Stewart said Phase VIII is a proposed recreation area that may include construction of a baseball stadium. “It is too early to say how big this stadium would be,” he said, noting the facility could be used by “players of all ages and abilities.”

Meanwhile, Wild Escape President Steve Minard said he has been working on projects in Nebraska and Texas while waiting for the Ohio County development to move forward.

“What I have always tried to remind people of is that Wild Escape is a very large earthmoving project. I believe we are getting very near the end of this permit process and should be able to get to work fairly soon,” he said.

Minard said most of the rides for Wild Escape already have been manufactured and are in storage throughout the nation. “When we get the pad ready, all we will have to do is ship the rides to Wild Escape and assemble them,” he said.

Although he said he would not mind sharing examples of the manufactured rides, Minard said he does not want any potential competitors to see what he has planned. “Kennywood and Cedar Fair (owner of Cedar Point) may want to use some of our ideas,” he said.

Minard said he believes there is a strong demand for a theme park at The Highlands. “When you look at everything growing in the area with (Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack), Oglebay Park and everything already going on at The Highlands, Wild Escape will be a great fit,” he said.

Minard stressed that he still is “fully committed” to bringing the park to The Highlands.

? $35,000 in Fines Each Day

It was during a routine visit to The Highlands on Oct. 4 that federal inspectors discovered the waterways known as streams 34 and 35 had been filled. Hans said workers under control of the county development authority performed the action without permits being issued.

Streams 34 and 35 are located on Lot 13C at The Highlands. Lot 13C is located on the south side of Interstate 70 — the side opposite Cabela’s and the planned Wild Escape site.

The allegedly unauthorized action carries a penalty of up to $35,000 a day in fines. Hans noted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would have the authority to impose the fines on the county as it sees fit, but EPA spokeswoman Donna Heron said any potential fines would not be levied until the ongoing investigation is complete.

Stewart said he gave the order to begin filling in the streams in question. “We believed we had the authority to do this work because it had been so long since we had heard anything from the Corps,” he said.

The county applied for the permit for the 25 acres of Lot 13C in January 2007, Stewart said. “Now, here we are a year later. I just don’t know why the Corps takes so long to do these things,” he said.

Stewart refers to the areas where the county performed fills as “alleged streams.”

“With the little bit of water there, I just don’t see why this is such a big deal” to the Corps, he said.

Though he is not sure if the EPA will assess fines against the county, Stewart said any fines will not be paid with money from the county’s general fund. “The Ohio County Development Authority will pay any fines,” he said, noting much of the OCDA’s funding is drawn from lease revenue and property transactions at The Highlands.

Despite the problems with permits and fines, Stewart said the county is still very optimistic about the future of The Highlands. “We think we have a pretty good thing going right now, and as long as we can get these permits, the site will get even better,” he said.