MasonBuzz.com

Beach Waterpark Ralph Vilardo Jr. stands on top of the park’s highest water slide, the Kamikaze. That slide and the entire park has been renovated. Furthermore, new attractions have been added. Altogether, the venue’s new owners spent $5 million updated the park that will re-open May 18, 2013. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber May 16, 2013. / Adam Kiefaber Enquirer

Adam Kiefaber reports:

After being closed since September of 2011, new owners of the 35-acre Beach Waterpark gave the local media a sneak peek at the tourist attraction during a VIP event Thursday night.

During the event, owners Hank and Susan Woodburn of Adventure Holdings greeted guests, while general manager Ralph Vilardo Jr. showed off the $5 million in upgrades to the park. Vilardo and the new owners hope that the regular Beach visitors will notice a big improvement.

“It has been day and night working to get this park back to its former glory, while adding new attractions and some of our own touches,” said Hank Woodburn, who with his wife own 18 entertainment parks nationwide. “We’ve put $5 million into this project because we really wanted to bring the Beach back to life in each facet of the park.”

When the park re-opens Saturday, Beach goers will notice some new attractions that include a heated wave pool and an interactive kids play area, which has multiple slides and a 600-gallon dumping bucket.

In addition to the new attractions, the $5 million budget was also used to renovate common areas, slides and play areas.

“The wave pool is one of the biggest changes you will see,” Vilardo said. “We went with the latest, greatest technology, which is going to give you real ocean crashing waves that are consistent throughout the day. The interactive kids area is second to none and we also took the existing slides and improved them.”

(more…)

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, The Beach Waterpark |

Tags: Tags: adventure holdings, lawsuit, mason, Ralph Vilardo Jr., reopening, season pass, the beach, the beach waterpark, upgrades, water park

The newly-renamed The Beach at Adventure Landing is hoping professional beach volleyball and $5 million in park upgrades will be enough to lure back patrons when the park reopens May 18.

The Mason water park today signed a three-year contract with the National Volleyball League to host its Midwest Championships and Junior Festival.

The agreement marks the first multi-year contract the NVL has signed with a venue.  The Los Angeles-based organization selected The Beach due to its location and amenities, said NVL CEO and founder, Albert “Al-B” Hannemann.

Photo provided

The Ohio Valley Region of USA Volleyball boasts more than 20,00 junior volleyball members, making it the largest region for junior volleyball, he said.

“The Beach has been very accommodating and we’re looking at long-term growth here,” said Hannemann.  “You can’t find a better place than this.  I’m kind of like a kid running around right now because it’s so exciting.”

The tournaments, which take place July 19-21 this year, are expected to bring thousands of nationally-recognized beach volleyball players and fans to the area.

The Beach is renovating five regulation-size sand volleyball courts with combined stadium seating for 2,500, said Ralph Vilardo, Jr., the park’s general manager.

Ticketholders can watch preliminary matches at no charge; there’s an extra $10 fee to watch final matches, he said.  Volleyball-only tickets will also be available for purchase.

The courts will be available for use by patrons at no additional charge on non-game days.  The park will also host league play five nights a week, with an OVR junior elite league playing Monday through Thursday and a recreational co-ed league on Friday nights.

The announcement comes months after new owners of The Beach announced the park will undergo $5 million in upgrades this year — the first in a series of improvements to one of the region’s top tourist attractions.

(more…)

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Business, News, The Beach Waterpark |

Tags: Tags: contract, mason, national volleyball league, nvl, professional volleyball, sand volleyball, the beach at adventure landing, the beach waterpark, upgrades, volleyball, water park, waterpark

Professional volleyball is coming to Mason.

The National Volleyball League is expected to sign a three-year contract with The Beach Waterpark Wednesday to host its Midwest Championships and Junior Festival.

The event, which takes place July 19-21 this year, is expected to bring nationally-recognized beach volleyball players and fans to the area.

The agreement marks the first multi-year contract the organization has signed with a venue, according to NVL  officials.

NVL founder Albert “Al-B” Hanneman founded the Los Angeles-based organization in 2010.  The organization hosts a series of professional, pro-am and open beach volleyball tournaments each year nationwide.

The Beach Waterpark, which has been closed since September 2011, will reopen May 18 with $5 million worth of upgrades.  Adventure Holdings LLC, parent company of Jacksonville Beach, Fla.-based Adventure Landing, purchased the park earlier this year.

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Business, News, The Beach Waterpark |

Tags: Tags: contract, junior festival, midwest championships, national volleyball league, nvl, the beach, the beach waterpark

Bowdeya Tweh reports:

The Beach Waterpark in Mason is hosting a job fair March 9 to recruit 500 people for employment.

The recruitment event is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the waterpark at 2590 Waterpark Drive. Attendees will arrive at the general parking lot and then be directed to the admissions building.

Part-time, seasonal positions include supervisors, food service workers, bartenders, lifeguards, emergency medical technicians, park landscapers and maintenance workers, game room attendants, admissions workers, seasonal marketing workers, sales and special events workers, party captains, and gift shop retail and merchandising workers. Bartenders must be 21 and older. and EMT personnel and landscapers and maintenance workers must be 18 and older.

Potential hires are asked to fill out an application online at www.thebeachwaterpark.com before the job fair. Candidates should also bring identification and copies of certifications received in their field of work such as first aid or rescue.

The Beach is expected to open May 18.

Adventure Holdings LLC, the waterpark’s new owner, bought the park after it closed in September 2011. The company is also honoring all 2012 season passes bought for waterpark admission.

The park’s owner said it is spending more than $5 million on renovations at the venue this season.

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, The Beach Waterpark |

Tags: Tags: hiring, job fair, jobs, staff, the beach waterpark, workers

Paul McKibben reports:

New owners of the Beach Waterpark are planning $5 million worth of upgrades this year, the first in a series of improvements to one of the region’s top tourist attractions.

The park – which has been closed since September 2011 – will reopen May 18, but only two-thirds will be used, according to General Manager Ralph Vilardo Jr. He said the repairs are the first in a three-year renovation project.

Adventure Holdings LLC, parent company of Jacksonville Beach, Fla.-based Adventure Landing, announced in July that it would lease the park with an option to purchase. Adventure Holdings LLC is expected to close on the sale this month, the company said.

• Photos: The Beach construction
• More photos: The Beach Waterpark through the years

“We identified that this park needed a lot of work and it had a lot of ambiance,” Vilardo said. “It had the lush tropical setting but it also had a lot of deferred maintenance.”

Since the Beach opened in 1985, the water park landscape has changed in Greater Cincinnati. Surf Cincinnati in Forest Park began business in 1984 and closed in 2002. Inspirational Baptist Church occupies that site now. Coney Island’s Sunlite Pool in Anderson Township opened in 1925 and remains in business.

Kings Island, two miles from the Beach in Mason, opened WaterWorks in 1989. Last year, Kings Island expanded its water park and gave it a new name – Soak City.

Last March, the Beach announced it would not operate in 2012, citing flat attendance and rising costs. The Beach angered thousands of season passholders after officials refused to give refunds. Instead, passholders could receive discounts to other area attractions such as Coney Island and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.

(more…)

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, The Beach Waterpark |

Tags: Tags: bankruptcy, chapter 11, mason, Ralph Vilardo Jr., reopen, season passes, the beach, the beach at adventure landing, the beach at mason limited partnership, the beach waterpark, water park, waterpark

Owners of The Beach Waterpark have filed for bankruptcy just weeks after announcing a new operator will take over and reopen the park next year as part of a lease deal.

The Mason water park announced March 9 that it would shut down after 27 years in business, citing “a challenging, competitive and economic climate and changing patron entertainment habits” for the closure.

According to the petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy filed Monday in U.S. Southern District Court, The Beach at Mason Limited Partnership has between 1,000 and 5,000 creditors and owes more than $600,000 to its 20 largest creditors.

• Photos: The Beach Waterpark through the years
• The Beach to reopen next year
• Attorney General sues The Beach Waterpark over refunds

It is unclear how the news will affect a lawsuit filed against The Beach’s owners by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. In May, DeWine sued The Beach’s owners in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, alleging the park violated the state’s Consumer Sales Practices Act.

The suit accused The Beach of “unfair or deceptive acts and practices” for refusing to refund season passes and not giving comparable services.

The Beach owners offered pass-holders discounts of up to $200 at other popular area attractions, but the compensation offered did not constitute “similar goods or services of equal or greater value” as Ohio law requires, DeWine said in May.

“Our litigation is ongoing, and it is too early to determine know what impact the bankruptcy filing will have on our case,” said Dan Tierney, a spokesman with the attorney general’s office.

The Beach’s owners declined to make a statement.

Adventure Holdings LLC, the parent company of Florida-based amusement park chain Adventure Landing, announced last month it will reopen the park in 2013 under a long-term lease deal with the owners of the property that includes an option to purchase the park.

The company, which will reopen the park as The Beach at Adventure Landing, will spend at least $1 million on upgrades on the 35-acre water park, including four new slides, a new children’s area and a new wave pool.  Adventure Holdings operates 17 family entertainment centers in seven states.

Season passes for 2012 will be honored next year, which impacts approximately 8,800 customers who were not reimbursed after the park announced in March that it was shutting down.

Honoring the season passes reflects the new operator’s understanding of the public relations fallout after the park closed, which led to 465 complaints with DeWine’s office, said Ralph Vilardo Jr., the park’s new general manager.

The 35-acre, tropical-themed park is the largest standalone water park in Ohio, and featured attractions including the 500-foot water coaster Aztec Adventure, and the 750,000-gallon Kahuna Beach Wavepool.

Since it opened in 1985, The Beach has employed 15,000 people and had 7.5 million visitors, an average of about 275,000 visitors each year.

Enquirer staff reporter Paul McKibben contributed

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Business, News, The Beach Waterpark |

Tags: Tags: bankruptcy, chapter 11, mason, Ralph Vilardo Jr., reopen, season passes, the beach, the beach at adventure landing, the beach at mason limited partnership, the beach waterpark, water park, waterpark

Paul McKibben reports

A new operator will take over The Beach Waterpark in Mason and plans to re-open the facility next year under a revised name: The Beach at Adventure Landing.

Ralph Vilardo Jr., the new general manager at The Beach, said Adventure Holdings LLC will spend at least $1 million on upgrades, including four new slides, a new children’s area and a new wave pool.

Adventure Holdings LLC is the parent company of Adventure Landing, which is based in Jacksonville Beach, Fla. It operates 17 family entertainment centers in seven states. Adventure Holdings LLC said it has signed a long-term lease with an option to purchase the park, but did not disclose additional details.

• Beach Waterpark to close
• Photos: The Beach Waterpark through the years
• Attorney General sues The Beach Waterpark over refunds

“I look forward to welcoming back the dedicated supporters of The Beach in 2013, and hope they enjoy the upgrades and enhancements we plan to make to the park,” said Hank Woodburn, the founder and president of Adventure Landing, in a statement.

Season passes for 2012 will be honored next year, which impacts approximately 8,800 customers who were not reimbursed after the park announced in March that it was shutting down. Instead, the former owners offered discounts of up to $200 at other area attractions including Kings Island, Coney Island’s Sunlite Pool and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.

“As a past employee and new general manager of The Beach, I am excited to welcome Adventure Holdings LLC to the Greater Cincinnati area,” said Ralph Vilardo Jr. “The Beach has provided the community with years of entertainment and memories and I am proud to see its legacy continue.” (more…)

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, News, The Beach Waterpark |

Tags: Tags: Adventure Holdings LLC, cabana equities, lawsuit, mason, mike dewine, ohio attorney general, Ralph Vilardo Jr., refunds, sue, the beach at mason limited partnership, the beach waterpark, water parks inc

Jennifer Edwards Baker reports:

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is suing the owners and operators of The Beach Waterpark, alleging they violated Ohio’s Consumer Sales Practices Act after hundreds of consumers filed complaints with his office demanding refunds.

Park officials abruptly announced March 9 they would not reopen this season, saying it was “the result of a challenging competitive and economic climate and changing patron entertainment habits.”

• Beach Waterpark to close
• Photos: The Beach Waterpark through the years

But instead of refunds for some 8,800 pass holders who paid $89.99 each for the passes, the Beach offered discounts and day passes to other local attractions such as Kings Island and Cincinnati Zoo.

That’s not good enough, DeWine says.

“It’s unfortunate when a long-standing Ohio business closes,” he said in a prepared statement posted on his website today. “But the Beach Waterpark took money from thousands of consumers and never delivered promised services. That’s unacceptable.”

That offer is not similar goods or services at equal or greater value to what consumers ordered, he noted. Substitute offers must be acceptable to consumers.

The lawsuit, filed in the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, charges the waterpark’s owners and operators – The Beach at Mason Limited Partnership, Water Parks, Inc. and Cabana Equities, Inc. – with violating the Failure to Deliver Rule under the Consumer Sales Practices Act.

The suit seeks consumer restitution, a permanent injunction and civil penalties.

The Beach operated at 2590 Waterpark Drive off Interstate 71 for more than 27 years, offering thrill rides down a 500-foot water coaster and visits to 50 other attractions.

Park operators could not immediately be reached for comment. But, according to an old statement on their website from March when the park closing was announced, the discount and day passes offered in place of season pass refunds valued close to $200.

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, News, The Beach Waterpark |

Tags: Tags: cabana equities, lawsuit, mason, mike dewine, ohio attorney general, refunds, sue, the beach at mason limited partnership, the beach waterpark, water parks inc

Just days after The Beach Waterpark announced it would not issue refunds for season passes, dozens of disgruntled pass holders have filed complaints with the state.

As of Friday evening, customers had filed more than 172 complaints this month regarding the now-closed Mason park, said Mark Moretti, a spokesman with Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office.

Before March, the park had received six complaints dating back to 2006, he said.

• Beach Waterpark to close
• Photos: The Beach Waterpark through the years
• Kings Island to double water park with $10M expansion
• Follow MasonBuzz on Facebook and Twitter

The 35-acre, tropical-themed waterpark announced March 9 it would close for the 2012 season, citing years of losing money and a failure to secure new financing.

But park officials announced Wednesday that it would not be able to issue refunds to customers who pre-paid for 2012 season passes.

Instead, pass holders would be eligible for up to $200 in discounts to area attractions, including Kings Island, Coney Island, Countryside YMCA, Cincinnati Zoo, Ozone Zipline Adventures, Morgan’s Outdoor Adventures, Dave & Busters and Mason recreational facilities.

Season passes to The Beach most recently retailed for $89.99 for adults and $32.99 for children under 48 inches and seniors.

In a statement Thursday, DeWine said customers should contact his office at www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/ConsumerComplaint or 1-800-282-0515 if they wish to file a complaint.

Pass holders who paid more than $50 by credit card may dispute the charges with their credit provider in writing within 60 days after the first bill containing the error was mailed, according to DeWine.

“Many credit card issuers offer protection to the consumer beyond the requirements set under federal law, so it is a good idea to contact them,” he said.

DeWine urged customers to save all letters, receipts, invoices, contracts and other documentation related to the transaction.  He also suggested they keep track of any correspondence sent to or from the business.

“If the company files for bankruptcy, then these letters will give you a better chance of receiving some money out of the bankruptcy action,” DeWine said.

However, DeWine warned that consumers may find it difficult to recover money after a company files for bankruptcy or closes outright.

Longtime pass holder Tina Stroud of Springdale spent $305 on Beach season passes this year.  She says the deals to area attractions don’t interest her and that she’s filed a dispute with the credit card company used to purchase the passes

“[The Beach] did not pay any money to those companies, but they still took my money,” she said.  “I would never visit The Beach again unless it was under entirely new ownership.”

 Loading ...

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Business, News, The Beach Waterpark |

Tags: Tags: closing, complaints, credit card, disputes, mike dewine, ohio attorney general, pass holders, refunds, season passes, the beach waterpark

It’s official: Customers who pre-paid for 2012 season passes to The Beach Waterpark won’t be getting refunds.

The now-closed Mason park said Wednesday that it will not be able to reimburse those who purchased season passes and instead announced discounts up to $200 for pass holders at a number of area attractions.

“While we regret that we won’t be able to provide refunds to season pass holders, we couldn’t be more proud of how our community partners have come together to support our season pass holders and provide them with valuable experiences,” spokesman Ralph Vilardo Jr. said in a news release.

• Beach Waterpark to close
• Photos: The Beach Waterpark through the years
• Kings Island to double water park with $10M expansion
• Follow MasonBuzz on Facebook and Twitter
  

Season passes to The Beach most recently retailed for $89.99 for adults and $32.99 for children under 48 inches and seniors.

The discounts begin as early as today and include:

• One free day pass to Kings Island and the opportunity to purchase a Gold pass at a reduced price
• A one-time discount good toward the Mason Community Center, Lou Eves Municipal Pool or the Grizzly Golf Course
• Two free Sunlite Pool & Classic Rides combo tickets at Cony Island Amusement Park
• A free one week family pass to Countryside YMCA and discounted membership fee
• Reduced admission to the Cincinnati Zoo
• Buy one get one free weekday rental at Morgan’s Outdoor Adventures
• Discounted pricing for zipline tours at Ozone Zipline Adventures
• A credit with purchase of a PowerCard at Dave & Busters

The Beach announced March 9 that it will shut down after 27 years in business, citing “a challenging, competitive and economic climate and changing patron entertainment habits” for the closure.

Vilardo said the 35-acre, tropical-themed waterpark has operated at a loss for several years and local investors who own The Beach have been unable to secure new financing.

The company left open the possibility that The Beach could reopen next year. Vilardo said the park’s owners will keep up the maintenance while they try to secure new investments or possibly sell the park.

Since it opened in 1985, The Beach has employed 15,000 people and had 7.5 million visitors, an average of about 275,000 visitors each year.

Vilardo said season pass holders will be contacted by mail with full details regarding each offer and how they may participate.  Details about the attractions offered have been posted on The Beach’s website at www.thebeachwaterpark.com.  He referred consumer questions to thebeachwaterpark@northlich.com.

Angry consumers took to The Beach’s Facebook page expressing disappointment with The Beach’s offer and saying they prefer a full refund.

Longtime pass holder Tina Stroud of Springdale spent $305 on Beach season passes this year.  She says the deals to area attractions don’t interest her and that she’s filed a dispute with the credit card company used to purchase the passes

“I bought a pool pass,” she said.  “Plus these deals are essentially being offered by those companies, not The Beach. They did not pay any money to those companies, but they still took my money. I would never visit The Beach again unless it was under entirely new ownership.

A representative from Ohio Attorney General Mike Dewine’s office declined comment on this particular case, but said that anyone who has pre-paid for goods and services not received by a now closed business can file a complaint with them at www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov or by calling 800-282-0515.

 Loading ...

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Business, News, The Beach Waterpark |

Tags: Tags: 2012 season pass, discounts, mason, pass holders, ralph vilardo jr. kings island, refunds, season pass, soak city, the beach, the beach waterpark, water park