Former park bowling alley collapses

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April 8, 2008

Anonymous The Meadville Tribune Tue Apr 08, 2008, 12:01 AM EDT

04/08/08 —

CONNEAUT LAKE — Another historic building at Conneaut Lake Park has become a memory after it collapsed over the weekend.

The former bowling alley, which was constructed in 1909, the year after a 1908 fire destroyed most of the park’s midway, now is in rubbles — waiting to be cleaned up.

It joins the debris left over by the Feb. 1 fire at the historic Dreamland Ballroom, a fire which recently was ruled an arson. Nickolas Dean Pope, 19, of 9740 Linesville Road, Hartstown, was arraigned late Friday afternoon on Pennsylvania State Police charges of two counts each of arson endangering persons, arson endangering property, burglary and criminal trespass. Authorities allege Pope burned the Harmonsburg Presbyterian Church on Jan. 13, causing an estimated $180,000 in damages to the more than 160-year-old building; and the Dreamland Ballroom on Feb. 1, causing an estimated $1.5 million in damages.

A contractor had been in the former bowling alley at the park last fall and put wood cribbing in and shored it up, according to George Deshner, CLP general manager.

However, because of the building’s deteriorated condition, it hadn’t been in use and was roped off to make certain nobody entered.

“The beams in the roof were rattling,” he said, noting the condition worsened after the Feb. 1 Dreamland Ballroom fire.

The building sits across the midway from the ballroom and Deshner theorizes the heat from the fire caused more damage to the facility.

Last week, sections of the roof were sagging and pulled down the walls on the northeast tower. “We could hear the building creaking and groaning and making all kinds of strange noises,” Deshner said.

A section of the roof collapsed either Wednesday or Thursday and the east wall of the building started leaning. By Saturday, half of the roof collapsed, leaving only the walls standing. “They crashed to the ground (over the weekend),” he said.

The building measures about 175 to 180 feet long and about 50 feet wide. In the 1940s and 1950s, it housed a bowling alley. It later became a fun house and then housed the Ultimate Trip.

The park’s big freezer is stored in one section of the building and will have to be removed before the cleanup starts. He is estimating it will take between $20,000 and $25,000 to clean it up. He said perhaps the debris can be removed at the same time as the Dreamland Ballroom debris is removed.

That won’t be for at least a month, however, as shooting of scenes from a movie is to begin in that area in the next two weeks, he said. That process will include set-up and wrap-down time plus the filming.

Because the final contract isn’t signed and because attorneys haven’t permitted information about the film to be announced, Deshner couldn’t release the name of the movie. Those approvals are expected within the next several days.

In the meantime, the Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park are preparing to open Camperland for the summer on May 1. Dock rentals also will be available.

Anyone wishing to reserve space at Camperland or wanting to rent docks may call the park office at 382-5115.

The local amusement park was first opened in 1892. It was deeded to the Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park by former owner Gary Harris and subsequently was ruled a charitable trust. The only portions of the park opened last year were Camperland, the docks and the Beach Club. Hotel Conneaut was opened for a brief period, but closed because of problems with the fire escape.

The Trustees were appointed last summer after the previous court-appointed manager resigned when plans to sell 3.3 acres to generate revenue to open were denied and there was no money to open.

Jane Smith can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at jsmith@meadvilletribune.com.

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Former park bowling alley collapses

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