117-Year-Old Amusement Park Stays in the Game for One More Year
By Margaret Foster | Online Only | Oct. 22, 2007
A historic oceanfront amusement park will reopen next year, its owners decided last week.
Built in 1890 in Ocean City, Md., the three-block-long Trimper's Rides almost closed last summer. Doug Trimper, vice president of the park's operator, said the company will continute to appeal its high taxes in the hopes of staying in business rather than selling to a developer.
Last spring, when the park announced last spring that it was considering shutting down because its property taxes have tripled in recent years, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley visited the park to explore its financial options, including a "historic amusement area" designation with lower taxes. Property taxes jumped from $400,000 to $900,000 this year, according to the company.
"Efforts are still ongoing with the city, county, and state officials with the hope of getting them to create some type of amusement enterprise zone that would change the way the property is taxed," Trimper said in an Oct. 17 statement. "Since there has been no sign of any legislation at this point, any optimism about continuing the historic park is guarded at best."
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