More Time To Dismantle Bell's Amusement Park

Thursday, March 8th 2007, 10:22 am

By: News On 6

A Tulsa landmark that is moving gets a last minute reprieve, but not for long. Thursday was the deadline for Bellâ€™s Amusement Park to be off the Tulsa County Fairgrounds property, but part of the park is still there. News On 6â€™s Heather Lewin reports under the agreement with the Tulsa County Public Facilities Trust Authority, anything left on the lot past the deadline, the Bell family has to forfeit and it becomes the property of the authority. But Robby Bell was granted an extension on that deadline Thursday afternoon.

Bell's lost its lease when Tulsa County decided the park was not financially viable. Robby Bell says his family and crew have been working 100-hour weeks. While they have made a lot of progress dismantling the park, he says making Thursday's deadline would have been impossible. "There is no way, the US Army couldn't tear this amusement park down, in a fashion to have it reassembled at some point, in 120 days."

Bell asked for an extension to September 1, but was given much less by the Tulsa County Public Facilities Trust Authority. He now will have until June 15 to finish the job.

Robby Bell says it will cost about half a million dollars to tear the park down. The family will lose anything left behind.

For more background on this story, click on the links below to read additional stories about Bell's Amusement Park.

11/8/2006 - Bell's Amusement Park Lease Expires

11/10/2006 - Bell's Says Tulsa County Treating Them Unfairly

11/11/2006 - Complaints Began After Tulsa Amusement Park's Lease Isn't Renewed

11/20/2006 - Bell's Amusement Park Looking To Move

11/29/2006 - Bell's Amusement Park Asking For More Time To Move

12/19/2006 - Bell's Future Still Vague

1/26/2007 - Rides Disappearing At Bell's Amusement Park