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Some rides at park could be on way out

GoErie.com

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July 15, 2007

CONNEAUT LAKE -- Conneaut Lake Park's new board of directors might find themselves dealing with more bare patches of pavement when the time comes to consider the future of the amusement park portion of the facility.

Three of the park's 16 adult rides and one of the dozen rides in Kiddieland soon could disappear as their owner, Erie businessman Joe Prischak, considers other options for the amusements.

Prischak said late last week that he might take back his rides, which he purchased several years ago and leased to the park in an effort to help the park's operations.

"I might take them down to Lake Erie Speedway," said Prischak, whose family also owns and operates the racing facility in Greenfield Township, Erie County. "Two of my sons run the speedway. I told them if they want to go down (to Conneaut Lake Park) and look at the rides to set up at the speedway for an added attraction, go ahead. It would be another activity there."

Park board member George Deshner, who also serves as the facility's general manager, said Friday that Prischak has indicated that he is going to remove the rides and sell them. Prischak has had people come to the park to take photographs of the rides in order to get them listed for sale, Deshner said.

The rides that Prischak owns are the Witch's Stew, the Toboggan, the Musik Express and the Kiddie Carousel. They have sat idle since summer 2006, when park officials closed out the 2006 season.

That season was made possible by Prischak, who loaned park officials $250,000 so that the amusement park and resort could open in 2006.

Prischak also loaned the park $250,000 a few years earlier.

Prischak is owed the $500,000 in loans that he made, former park custodian H. LeRoy Stearns said. Prischak also is owed about $150,000 in lease payments for the rides, Stearns said.

The money owed Prischak is part of roughly $2.5 million in debt that park officials have been unable to pay. A lack of funds forced Stearns to order Conneaut Lake Park closed for the season in May.

Stearns later stepped down as custodian and was replaced by a 15-member board of directors that Crawford County Judge Anthony Vardaro appointed June 29.

Prischak said he is "sitting tight" when asked what he is doing or is contemplating doing about his unpaid loans. He said he is currently focusing his attention on other projects.


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