No Change Likely On Bell's Amusement Park Decision

There is still no new deal for Bell's Amusement Park to stay at the Tulsa County Fairgrounds. The plan for the land now, is most likely a parking lot. <br/><br/>News on 6 reporter Emory Bryan says

Thursday, November 9th 2006, 10:16 am

By: News On 6

There is still no new deal for Bell's Amusement Park to stay at the Tulsa County Fairgrounds. The plan for the land now, is most likely a parking lot.

News on 6 reporter Emory Bryan says by next Spring, the land on the west end of the fairgrounds could be cleared out and paved over for more parking.

That decision upsets a lot of Tulsans, but a Tulsa County commissioner believes Bell's doesn't have the money to keep paying rent on the land.

Bell's had a lease on 10 acres, but that ran out Wednesday. The Tulsa County Fair Board doesn't plan to offer a new one, even though Bell's president Robbie Bell says he's trying to work out a plan. Bell says he is meeting with lawyers to look at his options. But county commissioner Randi Miller says Bell's had no viable plan for paying the rent, not even the reduced rent it's been paying for the last couple of years. â€œWe've absolutely done everything we can for them as a private company. We can't subsidize them and we won't.â€

Bell's paid $135,000 in rent for the last year, but now, after 55 years, they must remove all the rides within a 120-day deadline.

Tulsa County commissioner Randi Miller says it's most likely the 10 acres where Bell's Amusement Park is now would be used as a parking lot once it's gone.

Robbie Bell says he'll have more to say about all this on Friday.