Front Gate Destruction/Construction

Vette said:
I don't understand the obsession with trees? Are Cedar Point fans supposed to be hardcore tree huggers?

If you read a whole ton of posts on this site (many of them not about rollercoasters) you will come to the conclusion that CP enthusiasts, or at least those that frequent this site, are a predominately very liberal bunch.

Having said that, I love the trees and miss them when they are cut down. The ones that were removed during windseeker construction (in the giant planters along that section of midway) were particularly sad for me, as I often took the opportunity to sit down there in the shade and cool off.

To mitigate my missing the trees, I focus most of my visits in the fall now, where shade is not a concern.

Vette said:
"I don't understand the obsession with trees? Are Cedar Point fans supposed to be hardcore tree huggers?"

I think its just because cedar point has such good tree coverage. A lot of cheeper perks simply cut down most of the trees simply to put in cement and pavement. The trees bring a real comfort feel to the park and makes it very pleasing to the eye.

Since when does caring about something other than roller coasters constitute an obsession?

No one here is liberal. People talk about trees because many parks, including CP tend to cut down trees and replace them with tiny shrubs. I have been to other parks that actually have less trees than CP. (they don't have the frontier trail) People, enthusiasts and general public, like trees for shade from the hot sun.

I don't think you can go as far as to say no one on this board is liberal...

I'd actually argue that there's more liberal minded people on here than some may think. :)

But being liberal doesn't mean disliking trees or the cutting down of said foliage. I would say that it's more of a realistic view. Especially when it comes to something like construction or keeping what healthy trees the park has from either overgrowing or becoming infected/infested by disease/parasites from other trees. Sometimes, they need to come down.....that's life.

Thus, I'd love to see an example of a recent project where replacing trees with any kind of shrub didn't make sense. Sure, we lost a good amount of trees with Maverick and STR but look at Maverick as an example. I'd argue that what has matured in Maverick's area is and continues to be fantastic. It works with the ride very well. I see Maverick as an example of what to, possibly, expect from STR in the years to come. So, sometimes those little shrubs make more sense aesthetically than a large tree. I can't argue how good or bad Dragsters affect on the area was since I became an enthusiast in 2003, but the area is fine IMO with what it has and the rides in the area.

Dont get me wrong, I like shade on a hot summer day just as much as the next person. But I'm usually a larger advocate for more sun shades and misters in the queues......where you tend to spend 60%+ of your day. Though being a still relatively new enthusiast (and not remembering anything from childhood), I do not have a grasp of just how much has changed as some others on here have. So I suppose I'm a tad biased when it comes to this topic. :P

I know I had said that I like the Trees, but I gave it some thoughts. Adam, you hit the nail on the head when you brought up rides like Maverick, Shoot the Rapids, and even Top Thrill Dragster. If we hadn't removed some of these trees, we wouldn't have these rides we have today. As much as I like seeing those trees, life is about change and nothing stays the same. Your also right in the fact that 20 years from now, those trees will be huge! I cannot imagine Maverick having huge foliage of trees like what white water landing used to have, but it could happen.

The one thing to also keep in mind is that those trees they do plant aren't necessarily going to become huge trees. It depends on what trees they are and how big that species gets.

Maybe they wanted guests to actually be able to view the new gate? Crazy idea I know but if the park is spending the amount of money they are on building a new front gate that has a roller coaster running over it, why would they want all that blocked by trees?

That's still way less trees cut down in the main gate area compared to the many that stood there in the 1960s. I think it's a great change all around, the first major face lift the front of the park has received in years.

This, along with the announcement of possibly removing the old cedar dorms establishes that the new leadership promises fresh ideas for years to come.

All I say is to Plant a few Trees and the Ortamental Grasses; which grows during Spring. It turns brown in late Fall. That wouid be good for the last few months of Cedar Point. Ihe Grasses will get wider, and cut them in half and plant them to other places in the PARK.

Discussing trees is appropriate when talking about Cedar Point since the park was named after trees.

By the looks of the webcam today, there is a new crane over by Kiddy Kingdom.

Could just be some maintenance - but it looks pretty tall for anything currently located in that area.

I'd say it's pretty hard to say exactly where the crane is based on the webcam image.

SteveH said:
By the looks of the webcam today, there is a new crane over by Kiddy Kingdom.

Could just be some maintenance - but it looks pretty tall for anything currently located in that area.

Which cam? And some pics please!

Coaster Boi said:

SteveH said:
By the looks of the webcam today, there is a new crane over by Kiddy Kingdom.

Could just be some maintenance - but it looks pretty tall for anything currently located in that area.

Which cam? And some pics please!

Also see the crane in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc2RmmcWD14

you talking about these:

http://i.imgur.com/SolQs.jpg - 09:47:09
http://i.imgur.com/9GUVM.jpg - 09:48:40
http://i.imgur.com/W7VTj.jpg - 09:50:10
http://i.imgur.com/lsgrJ.jpg - 09:51:40

Looks like a lift with someone inspecting one of the Sky Ride towers.

If you check the parking lot cam right now - the boom of the crane is pulled back to Wicked Twister's area or the GK loading station.

Yesterday, the same arm was over by Kiddy Kingdom in the picture, and it was clearly extended to about the height of the top of Raptors track but it was pointed away from Raptor itself.

^ That's a different crane. At one point yesterday that crane was up while the crane was by Kiddy Kingdom.