Good News from Galveston

For those who may have missed it in Monday's IAAPA News Flash, there was an article in this weekend's Galveston County Daily News about refurbishment efforts at Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark.

As I posted last fall, that area in southeastern Texas was hit hard by Hurricane Ike, but it seems things have started to return to normal as far as IAAPA members go.

“We’re feverishly cleaning up and will definitely be opening right around spring break,” Schlitterbahn spokesman Jeffrey Siebert told the Daily News. “We are coming back bigger and stronger; the park should look brand new when it reopens.”

Also from the Daily News report (to read the entire story, click here):

Hurricane Ike, which struck Sept. 13, didn’t do much harm to the park’s slides and amusement rides, Siebert said. The rides were tested and are structurally fine, Siebert said.

But storm surge left yellow inner tubes in trees and generally made a mess. Office buildings and warehouses that most visitors never see sustained most of the storm damage, Siebert said. The admissions booths and retail shops also took a hit from the surge, he said.

News also appears good at Kemah Boardwalk along the Gulf Coast, which was devastated by the hurricane. According to the mixed-use attraction's web site, its wooden roller coaster, "Boardwalk Bullet," is running again, and nearly a dozen restaurants are back in service.

My congrats to both these IAAPA members for being able to reopen so soon after such a terrible event. Happy new year, indeed.