Closed For Storm 卡特里娜飓风的破坏

Name: Closed For Storm 卡特里娜飓风的破坏
Uploaded: 2026-11-10T15:14:27+00:00
Duration: 1 h 17 min 37 s
Channel: 2kork.wmw779

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00:07:45The park's original

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00:08:19The park's original

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00:09:22The park's original

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00:10:37And I think

00:10:39I can remember before I can remember before I can remember before I could say just

00:10:43have a season pass and it was very nice to go there just for a few hours on the evenings

00:10:47as

00:10:48the sun was beginning to descend you know to catch a ride or maybe get a light meal out there

00:10:52it was a great escape from the normal hustle and bustle of the work that I was doing in

00:10:58in corporate advertising at that time

00:11:12I do not know if I don't remember if it was the first year my son and I went out

00:11:17there

00:11:17just the two of us before we started bringing our groups of employees

00:11:25it was kind of a love at first sight

00:11:28Jazzland was already being publicized as America's newest major theme park

00:11:32and in many respects it was

00:11:34the park had several themed sections all originating from a central main street made to look like the famous French

00:11:41Quarter

00:11:41circling around a main lake in the middle would be Cajun Country, Mardi Gras, Kids Carnival

00:11:47and most popular a land themed off of Vintage Amusement Park in New Orleans, Pontchartrain Beach

00:11:53these lands were comprised of many different flat rides, flume rides, a simulator, two launch towers, an eye-catching sky

00:12:01coaster

00:12:02and four roller coasters

00:12:05the main attraction though was undoubtedly the Mega Zep, a wooden coaster

00:12:10built on a steel frame, one which was inspired by the Zephyr from New Orleans' very own Pontchartrain Beach

00:12:18of course the Mega Zephyr was the signature wooden coaster that we had at the facility

00:12:23I believe the member of service was 110 feet tall at the peak of the ride and it was just,

00:12:28it was a great experience

00:12:30I think everybody reacted very positively

00:12:32first of all they couldn't believe that we had an amusement park out there

00:12:37I think families were thrilled with it

00:12:40and as I said the size of the park was great

00:12:43kids could play, you could walk around

00:12:45it wasn't a big Disney that you were worn out at the end of the day

00:12:50it was, I think it was very well received by the

00:12:53by the community and especially by families

00:12:57if a guest did not necessarily go looking for the stories in the newspaper or on television or radio

00:13:03that the park was in bankruptcy

00:13:05they probably would not have necessarily known that we were

00:13:09after the second year and really beginning in the 2002 season

00:13:14Jazzland did indeed have some financial troubles

00:13:17and it declared bankruptcy at the end of that season

00:13:21in the industry they call year two sophomore slump

00:13:24and I definitely feel we had a hit in attendance

00:13:27certainly it was felt

00:13:29Jazzland received more than a million visitors during its first season open

00:13:33by their second season however

00:13:35attendance had dropped over 40% to just 600,000 people

00:13:40this dip in attendance had taken place while all other regional theme parks seemed to have grown

00:13:45subsequently the park didn't have the attendance numbers to offset their expenses and pay off the construction debt

00:13:52Jazzland claimed they had less than just $50 million in assets and between $50 to $100 million in debt

00:14:00we promised folks in year number two that we were going to build this great new coaster

00:14:06that's what happened

00:14:07we didn't build it

00:14:09the first challenge was centered around the fact that the New Orleans Park was the largest park in the system

00:14:17the Alpha Smart Parks was a brand new company

00:14:19the parent company was in Athens, Greece

00:14:23they were a shipping company

00:14:25and everyone else that was affiliated in the company

00:14:28again the other kids in the company were either family entertainment centers or water parks

00:14:33that was it

00:14:34so we were required to produce the largest share of revenue for the company

00:14:40in year number two we did not produce a large share

00:14:44or certainly not the share that was requested or required per our 2001 budget

00:14:49and things of course began to unravel

00:14:53Alpha Smart Parks had been going through their own financial difficulties

00:14:56and had been looking to put the Jazzland Park and their land lease up for sale

00:15:00after only two years Alpha Smart Parks had abandoned their brand new theme park

00:15:06Larry was a former president of Six Flags

00:15:09and Larry was an interim executive with us

00:15:13and you know through Larry we opened some doors back into the Six Flags family

00:15:18and there was interest in this park

00:15:21I think they saw that this park was literally only three years old as a physical facility

00:15:26it was a brand new park

00:15:27it was in great physical condition

00:15:29all the rides were new

00:15:30they had a great team in place

00:15:31and that was interest by Six Flags

00:15:35we were excited

00:15:37the excitement started before the park was even really officially going to be renamed Six Flags New Orleans

00:15:44in the 2002 season

00:15:47containers start showing up of roller coaster tracks

00:15:50so everyone had that high expectations that Six Flags is seriously going to invest money into this park

00:15:57and it's going to mean good things

00:16:00you know it means that we finally have an investor that really is serious and wants to invest in the

00:16:08park

00:16:09and grow the park

00:16:10we rebranded

00:16:12we remarketed

00:16:14we built an entire theme section based around DC Comics

00:16:17we redid our kids section

00:16:18it was a Looney Tunes theme section

00:16:20of course

00:16:21we opened that spring in March of that year 2003

00:16:25it's a great fanfare

00:16:27and we actually had a really wonderful 2003 season

00:16:30as you can see

00:16:32you have a lot for the park here at Six Flags New Orleans

00:16:35again

00:16:35welcome to Six Flags New Orleans

00:16:38the park is now open

00:16:42the moon arrives

00:16:45Six Flags invite you to experience our newest world class theme park

00:16:51Six Flags New Orleans

00:16:55where 14 new attractions include two incredible coasters

00:16:59Batman The Ride

00:17:02Batman The Ride

00:17:02and Mr Chester

00:17:07let's begin

00:17:13in August of 2002

00:17:15Six Flags had officially completed their acquisition of Jazzland

00:17:18rebranding it into Six Flags New Orleans for the 2003 season

00:17:23The company had committed, spending over $20 million on their new park and resolving the standing debt from the last

00:17:30owner.

00:17:30In addition to minor improvements like shade structures, Six Flags had spent serious money on theming the individual lands,

00:17:37adding new attractions including two new coasters, and bringing in intellectual property characters.

00:17:43My family, we had great experiences there. I mean, I remember the roller coasters and they had a lot of

00:17:48good shows there.

00:17:49The park integrated the community with it. High schools or elementary schools and people were doing different types of things

00:17:58that grandma had to go see grandson perform or what have you at Jazzland or at Six Flags.

00:18:05My daughters were in a dance team that performed at the park and then I think the last thing is

00:18:10the jobs that it created.

00:18:11A lot of kids had jobs there. They would work there for the summer or work there for a certain

00:18:16duration where they could be a part of it.

00:18:19The kids who worked there were big shots, you know.

00:18:22Do you like working there, Park?

00:18:23Oh, I loved it. That was my favorite job I've ever had.

00:18:29So I felt like I could connect with everybody who's coming on.

00:18:32I had something to say. I could make some sort of comment about their day or ask them a question.

00:18:38We did have a little Six Flags chat that we did in the mornings as operations people to get people

00:18:47pumped up, which I may still know.

00:18:53I would say I was there almost every other week. I mean, as often as I could.

00:18:58We all crammed into the very tiny arcade because I think they had a dance game out there at the

00:19:06time and everybody wanted to get in there.

00:19:09The main arcade was more like a penny arcade. Throw bottles, win prizes, win stuffed animals.

00:19:18So one time everybody had to get these big gorillas.

00:19:22So they all played. We must have, instead of riding the rides, we were playing the crazy games to win

00:19:28these big snakes and big gorillas, big colorful gorillas.

00:19:31I posted a picture not too long ago of some of the kids with the gorillas on Facebook, and they

00:19:37all went crazy.

00:19:38I remember that. I remember that. That was one of the best. Oh, man, we had so much fun.

00:19:43They loved it. They just had so much fun.

00:19:46I hope that one day I can be an old man and retire and work at a theme park and

00:19:51be exactly like Mr. Six, like running the roller coasters.

00:19:56That is really my ultimate dream.

00:19:58You'd go, and I mean, there would be so many people during certain events and certain weekends.

00:20:05I mean, I'm told upwards of 30,000 people, which for a park that size is pretty impressive.

00:20:11People who knew the park absolutely love it.

00:20:14I mean, if you had the experience of going, you know, especially if you went from the beginning, people liked

00:20:19that park.

00:20:20There was one time that I was working at the Sky Coaster, and there was a paraplegic woman who wanted

00:20:30to ride in a wheelchair.

00:20:33And the decision was left to me on if this person should ride or not.

00:20:40And I'm like, okay, I'm making a decision. She's riding.

00:20:44And it took a really long time to get her situated and ready to ride.

00:20:50And by this time, there is a really large line just snaking through the whole attraction.

00:20:58And everyone is seeing what's going on.

00:21:02And so we hoist her up.

00:21:05We raise her up to the top, and she pulls her ripcord.

00:21:30We're not here to save the world, but we are here to help us.

00:21:39We're not here to help people get through what might be a difficult time in their lives or a mundane

00:21:44lifestyle.

00:21:45We are that respite for them where they can go and get on the skate for a few hours,

00:21:50take their minds off of their burdens, take their minds off their problems, and have a good time for a

00:21:54few hours.

00:21:54The water ride was always the last one, and they had to go dry off before they could get in

00:22:00my car

00:22:00because I wouldn't let them ride home with me unless they were dry.

00:22:03It was actually announced that summer that at the end of the 2005 season

00:22:08that we were going to build the much-requested, certainly the much-desired water park.

00:22:15The plans were drawn.

00:22:16We knew where it was going.

00:22:18We knew that during the break in 2005, we were going to be constructing a water park.

00:22:23I remember on my way out of the park, like my very last time I was ever there,

00:22:31and I made a joke, said that I'll be back soon unless the hurricane comes and destroys everything.

00:22:40Ha, ha, ha.

00:22:45This morning I spoke with FEMA Undersecretary Mike Brown and emergency management teams,

00:22:50not only at the federal level but at the state level, about the Hurricane Katrina.

00:22:58We will do everything in our power to help the people and the communities affected by this storm.

00:23:05Hurricane Katrina has now designated a Category 5 hurricane.

00:23:09I think we all kind of had this notion that this hurricane that was brewing in the Gulf

00:23:15was not going to be that bad or it might squirt past us.

00:23:19You know, it was business as usual the week leading up to the park.

00:23:22You look at it on the news and it's coming.

00:23:24They say, well, it's going to Florida.

00:23:26And they say, well, it's really going to the Panhandle.

00:23:29Oh, no, now it's going to Alabama.

00:23:32Now it's going to Mississippi.

00:23:33And then all of a sudden, overnight, I think it was that Sunday morning,

00:23:39the path had significantly shifted and the storm was a Category 5.

00:23:43And it was a feeling of, like, fear of terror.

00:23:47Like, oh, my gosh, we've got to go now.

00:23:49No one had any idea.

00:23:51No, none of us had any idea that not just the park, but, you know, the entire city of New

00:23:55Orleans

00:23:55and the entire Gulf Coast of, you know, New Orleans, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama,

00:24:01to a certain extent, would have ever had experienced what we ultimately experienced.

00:24:06When I left on that Friday, that was the very last time that I came back to an operating park.

00:24:11Oh, no, none of us had any idea.

00:25:00The vast majority of New Orleans, Louisiana, is underwater.

00:25:05Tens of thousands of homes and businesses are beyond repair.

00:25:11A lot of the Mississippi Gulf Coast has been completely destroyed.

00:25:15We are dealing with one of the worst natural disasters in our nation's history.

00:25:25On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans as a Category 3 storm,

00:25:33sparking the unimaginable.

00:25:36At around 5 a.m., the wall system built to keep surging stormwater out, called levees, broke,

00:25:43causing rising water from the lake and the canals to flood around 80% of the city.

00:25:48New Orleans was beyond devastating.

00:26:19The

00:27:02It was a lot, because it was not only seeing images of the park flooding, but the neighborhood

00:27:10that I live in and everywhere, like my entire life being flooded.

00:27:16You know, I evacuated to some family property in kind of more central Louisiana, and I was

00:27:25really surprised at how bad, you know, after the initial storm had passed, and then of

00:27:31course there was the levee breach was really the nail in the coffin for New Orleans, was

00:27:36really surprised at how bad things had gotten.

00:27:38I knew that we had been dealt a really bad hit, and you know, certainly looking at what

00:27:44was on local networks, national networks, radio stations, and so forth, and I think the more

00:27:50that I was watching that, you know, the more disheartened, the more depressed I was getting.

00:27:54My home, for example, had six feet of water inside the house, and when you have six feet

00:28:00of water that was the soupiest, murkiest water possible with every chemical you could imagine

00:28:07in it sitting in a home for, you know, four to six weeks, what it did is it devastated the

00:28:14homes because you had wind damage, and then you had flood damage.

00:28:18And as a result of that, the mold was tremendous because after the storm went past, the heat

00:28:25was very high, so you have all of these homes that now are no ventilation, they're all tightly

00:28:30built, and now the mold is all over the place.

00:28:58And so, you know, I think it's a good thing, it's a good thing, it's a good thing, it's a

00:28:58good

00:28:58thing, it's a good thing, it's a good thing, it's a good thing, it's a good thing, it's a good

00:29:04thing,

00:29:05it's a good thing, it's a good thing, it's a good thing, it's a good thing, it's a good thing,

00:29:07it's a good thing, it's a good thing, it's a good thing, it's a good thing, it's a good thing,

00:29:09it's a good thing, it's a good thing, it's a good thing, it's a good thing, it's a good thing,

00:30:47Can you imagine being in the house and floating?

00:31:15Well, the park had a levee running around it, but it was basically a small levee just to keep the

00:31:22water from the park going into the surrounding areas.

00:31:25And that's why we had our own pump station installed on the park.

00:31:28So we were maintaining that water from going to other places on the properties, like I said.

00:31:34But, you know, to envision what happened, no, I don't think anybody envisioned that that would happen to not only

00:31:41Jadland, but the city of New Orleans, just the magnitude of that loss and that damage that was done.

00:33:04In every single building here, you can see where the water was standing in all of these buildings.

00:33:14All right, so we're walking into the simulator bays now for the SpongeBob ride.

00:33:22And while some of it has been gutted, here is one of the final simulator bays.

00:33:44Oh, my God.

00:33:47Oh, my God.

00:33:59This bay still has the screen in it.

00:34:02Whatever is left of it, at least.

00:34:04Whatever is left, yeah.

00:34:06Wow.

00:34:18So this over here is the park administration building.

00:34:28Oh, my God.

00:34:35Oh, my God.

00:34:36Oh, my God.

00:34:36Look at this.

00:34:37Yeah.

00:34:43Jazz land.

00:34:45Oh, geez.

00:34:47you know what this was this was the park's audio system

00:34:54yeah ambient music probably would have been played through here

00:34:59holy crap see the equalizer tracks it looks like it had three of look at where the water was

00:35:04and the water line is right here yeah each little line that you see going down is where the water

00:35:09side as it receded that is made unbelievable we're going live in oh five everything is stuck in time

00:35:17here suggestions so early holy look at this oh my gosh

00:35:34wow

00:35:40look at this

00:35:53this was the manager's office here at this point this is

00:35:57this whole office looks like it was in a shipwreck look they just pulled it out of the ocean

00:36:06oh wow

00:36:07yeah look at this this is why they would monitor each area

00:36:10yeah

00:36:11yeah

00:36:14so it has the price tag on it

00:36:16the month

00:36:17katrina hit

00:36:192005

00:36:21and this office stopped

00:36:24six flags new orleans

00:36:26fright fest 2005

00:36:30of course it never happened

00:36:32and then the schedules august 22nd 2005

00:36:35to august 28th 2005

00:36:39wow

00:36:44despite the park's southern climates

00:36:46six flags new orleans was on a seasonal operating schedule

00:36:49the park's last day open was august 21st 2005

00:36:54scheduled to open the weekend of the 27th and 28th

00:36:58the park closed due to storm preparation and the plan to open was moved to the following weekend

00:37:03the park never opened again

00:37:05the park never opened again

00:37:11check for nails

00:37:12this one

00:37:12all right

00:37:16all right

00:37:17and

00:37:22that's it

00:37:23i

00:37:23it

00:37:38that's it

00:37:39and

00:37:40that's it

00:37:41and

00:37:44Again, look at the water lying in here.

00:37:54What's in here?

00:37:56Whoa.

00:37:57Clothing area.

00:37:58Wow.

00:37:59Whoa.

00:38:00We're all being pleased.

00:38:02Yeah, you're right.

00:38:03This is costuming.

00:38:05Some of them are still in the bags.

00:38:07It's so cool.

00:38:08Yeah, look at that.

00:38:10That too.

00:38:14Look at that men's pants.

00:38:15These are all still in there.

00:38:17Packaging.

00:38:19Just ready for someone to...

00:38:20Dry cleaned and ready to go.

00:38:22Yeah.

00:38:23Unbelievable.

00:38:25Holy crap.

00:38:28It's the warehouse where they take ships and...

00:38:31Yeah, this is where they stored everything.

00:38:35Oh my god.

00:38:40Something else.

00:38:42Look at...

00:38:43Look.

00:38:44The park was gearing up for a Halloween celebration.

00:38:48At the end of August.

00:38:50Or...

00:38:50Well, they were gearing up at the end of August.

00:38:53So...

00:38:54I think that's why they have Halloween cuffs in here.

00:38:57Wait, check out these Halloween decorations.

00:38:58Oh yeah, Halloween decorations.

00:39:02Oh my god, man.

00:39:05This is unreal.

00:39:07Oh my god, man.

00:39:16I remember going into the park.

00:39:19Interestingly, it was a really nice weather day.

00:39:22I came back, actually went into my office.

00:39:26There were a handful of files that I wanted to recover.

00:39:30Unfortunately, they were unrecoverable.

00:39:32There was some memorabilia that I had that I wanted to recover.

00:39:36Unfortunately, that too was unrecoverable.

00:39:38The office was totally trash.

00:39:40You know, of course, furniture, like any other Katrina casualty.

00:39:45You know, the furniture was upside down, inside out.

00:39:47Water lines on the walls.

00:39:49You know, mold and mildew and so forth.

00:39:53Physically, if you walked the park itself outside, it really didn't look that bad.

00:39:58Because we were an outside facility at the beginning.

00:39:59If you just swept the midway down, oh, the park looks fine.

00:40:01It's when you went into the actual facilities that you saw the level and the extent of the damage.

00:40:09I will say that Six Flags Corporate as a company was extremely generous to the employees of the New Orleans

00:40:16Park following Hurricane Katrina.

00:40:19We actually remained on staff and remained on payroll.

00:40:23We got paid every two weeks from the time of the hurricane until the end of April the following year.

00:40:33We had a company-wide conference.

00:40:36It was all the parks and the entire Six Flags system in San Antonio that year.

00:40:41That would have been in either late 2005 or early 2006.

00:40:46And Six Flags had gone through a, Six Flags Corporate had gone through a management change.

00:40:51Gary Story was the president and CEO when we became Six Flags.

00:40:56We had a change in leadership.

00:40:58And at that conference in San Antonio, it was me and another counterpart.

00:41:04We introduced ourselves to him.

00:41:05We said, we're from the New Orleans Park.

00:41:07And I said, we hope that we have a park to come back to.

00:41:11And he gave me this look.

00:41:12And he didn't see anything.

00:41:13And he just kind of nodded his head.

00:41:15And I knew at that moment, I said, we're not going back.

00:41:17I said, they're not going to rebuild this park.

00:41:33I don't know that they thought too much about any of their parks in that particular era.

00:41:39The maintenance, or lack thereof, at several properties.

00:41:45Astroworld was disgustingly dirty.

00:41:48New Orleans, they kept it cleaner, but it wasn't really high on their priority to do any upgrades.

00:41:55They weren't doing upgrades at any of their parks in that particular time,

00:41:59which is part of the reason that led to the hospital takeover in December of 2005.

00:42:02It was, they were really just trying to keep the bills paid.

00:42:07In 2004, Six Flags began selling off assets to try and help pay off their growing debt.

00:42:14That year, the company as a whole lost over $400 million.

00:42:19And after Hurricane Katrina, they determined the damage done to their New Orleans Park was over $32 million.

00:42:26The company then embarked on a long and tedious battle with their insurance company over the exact payouts.

00:42:32In the meantime, the Six Flags New Orleans parking lot had been used as a FEMA trailer camp.

00:42:39There was definitely too many things going on for them to worry about New Orleans.

00:42:44And New Orleans was not the only property they abandoned at that particular time.

00:42:48The Kentucky Kingdom was likewise, never reopened.

00:42:51It shut down about the same time.

00:42:53Astroworld, obviously, was shut down at the same time.

00:42:56And it had nothing to do with the hurricane.

00:42:58It was simply a business decision that they needed money.

00:43:02So they closed down the parks that were drains or where they felt like they could get a quick cash

00:43:08grab and solve other issues.

00:43:12With New Orleans, you know, when Dan Snyder took over, he had way too many issues with the rest of

00:43:19the chain to try to worry about what was happening in New Orleans.

00:43:22And since it was a smaller park and a smaller profit center, it wasn't a cash cow for him to

00:43:30really worry about.

00:43:31And it was, you know, I tell you, it was a little hurtful.

00:43:33But I think in the back of my mind we all kind of knew that it was probably a 70

00:43:39-30, you know, maybe 80-20% chance that, you know, we were going to get this park back.

00:43:46By 2007, Six Flags quietly began removing attractions from the park for relocation, never publicly saying what they had planned

00:43:55to do with the park.

00:43:56In 2009, the company finally negotiated out of their land lease with the city, paying out just $3 million and

00:44:03giving the land back to the city of New Orleans.

00:44:07There's a certain point where you can't be optimistic. Where you see Six Flags coming in and taking rides out,

00:44:14it's not a good sign.

00:44:18And they took the assets that they brought into the park and any of the assets that they wanted.

00:44:23And then those that they had no interest in, they left them at the facility. They left them at the

00:44:28site.

00:44:43Today, the only visitors to the park are vandals, thieves, and urban explorers, curious and eager to capture what's left

00:44:52behind.

00:44:53I remember seeing it really, really early, like right after the water receded, and my heart just broke.

00:45:01I mean, it looked, it just looked sad. It looked empty. It looked like it had been hit by a

00:45:09hurricane.

00:45:09It looked lonely. And I remember, because I was in eighth grade, it wasn't that long ago that I was

00:45:15here, you know, when everything was lively and, you know, going on.

00:45:19And so, I mean, it hurt my heart. Because, you know, that's the saddest thing, you know.

00:45:23Like, it hadn't really hit me yet that, like, this was a citywide thing.

00:45:26But this was just like the biggest monument, I think, that I had personally been to.

00:45:33That was at one time, like, so colorful, and now it was all watermarked and dirty and broken.

00:45:39It's definitely eye-opening to see how easily Mother Nature can take back things so quickly, quietly.

00:46:02Earth and Katrina left six black New Orleans destroyed.

00:46:06It has been 15 years, and the park sits there frozen in time.

00:46:10Would rebuilding a theme park in New Orleans fill the hole in the community and prosper?

00:46:15Jazzland failed in just a few years, but Six Flags New Orleans was a success.

00:46:21With $23.2 million in revenue, the park profited $13.6 million.

00:46:27However, in 2009, Six Flags declared bankruptcy.

00:46:31Ultimately, the decision was made to abandon their New Orleans park, leaving a permanent scar in the community.

00:46:40While Mayor Nagin wanted Six Flags to come back, it just really wasn't in the cards.

00:46:46I think the crowds had gone down.

00:46:49I don't think they drew as many people out there for whatever reason. I don't know.

00:46:55We all worked so hard to make the park an amazing experience and to try to bring as many folks

00:47:03as we could.

00:47:04And we did, you know, we did great volume in sales with season passes and group tickets for weekends, of

00:47:11course.

00:47:11But we always struggled with weekday attendance.

00:47:14You know, it's hard.

00:47:15You know, we're a smaller market.

00:47:16So the folks are driving from, you know, Mississippi or Alabama during the weekday.

00:47:20That's a weekend trip.

00:47:21So we relied on the New Orleans market to support us.

00:47:25And, you know, for better or worse, unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it,

00:47:30I don't know if we ever felt the love that we really should have felt from people in New Orleans.

00:47:35Another thing that I think was a detriment to us was the fact that it's hot here.

00:47:39You know, I mean, there's no denying that New Orleans is a hot city.

00:47:43And not having a water park as a supplemental element certainly did hurt us.

00:47:50You know, again, we were actually planning to put the water park in for the 2000, would have been the

00:47:562006 season.

00:47:57But Hurricane Katrina certainly had other plans for us.

00:48:01We're a Six Flags type park.

00:48:03The numbers were low.

00:48:05Six Flags parks typically get at least 2 million people a year.

00:48:10The New Orleans market is a smaller market.

00:48:12So the numbers were less than a million.

00:48:15But if you look at locally owned regional parks, family type parks,

00:48:22those attendance numbers are in the 800,000 to 1 million range.

00:48:28Those are numbers that sustained those family parks very well with profit margins as high as 50%.

00:48:37Six Flags, even in New Orleans, had profit margins over 50%.

00:48:42You know, it's a smaller market, but it's still a profitable market.

00:48:47And we're not expecting it to be anything above and beyond what was necessarily there before.

00:48:52If we just do what they did, we will be doing quite well.

00:48:57I actually, like the city would have cared, I actually sent an email to City Hall and I said,

00:49:02Six Flags are going to bail, like they're going to pay attention.

00:49:05But I just knew it, that there was no way that they would stay.

00:49:10They were in it to, like I said, get that low-cost investment where they can put in, you know,

00:49:25at that time Nickelodeon was looking at the park to rebuild it as a Nickelodeon theme park that we tried.

00:49:35I was working with them at the time as well.

00:49:37We tried for about six months altogether before that effort really just hit one dead end after another.

00:49:49Mayor Nagin's term was ended and Mayor Landrieu came into office, so things kind of started all over fresh with

00:49:56him in 2010.

00:49:58We proposed to rebuild it as Jazzland.

00:50:03This is our plans for the whole area.

00:50:06This is about a 15-year build-out where the park is along with associated lands to really turn it

00:50:14into a large destination quality resort.

00:50:20Long-term, 15 years, we'd love to see two theme parks as well as the water park and mixed-use,

00:50:27something kind of like a downtown Disney,

00:50:29something that gives both the locals as well as tourists shopping and entertainment options and dining.

00:50:35The theme park itself right now we're estimating about $65 million to rebuild it.

00:50:40Compared to a brand-new theme park, a brand-new theme park would be $200 million.

00:50:44So it's still a huge cost savings, and it's what makes the project feasible.

00:50:49You cannot build a new theme park in this market because you cannot justify those costs.

00:50:57We've looked at every building, every item, every ride, everything, and have individual cost estimates for each individual thing.

00:51:06The concrete is what's primary, is what makes it the most efficient use to rebuild.

00:51:13The concrete and foundations were built very well.

00:51:16They're on top of piers that have supported them.

00:51:19There's no cracks.

00:51:21They are structurally sound, and they can support the new equipment that would be brought in.

00:51:26So things like Megazep, which has a steel infrastructure, that can be rebuilt for $4.5 million to $5 million,

00:51:34versus building new that would have been about $15 million.

00:51:37Right now I have my sights on the Six Flags site, which we are now running numbers for demolition, really

00:51:45as I speak.

00:51:47They're going to demolish the park really soon.

00:51:49What are your thoughts on that?

00:51:53Honesty?

00:51:55If you don't know?

00:51:56No, you want me to be, like, serious?

00:51:57Yeah.

00:51:58Yeah, they've been saying that for 10, 15 years.

00:52:01They stopped talking about it, you know, late 2006, nobody really said anything,

00:52:06and then you'd see, like, a news article in the Times speaking, and they'd go,

00:52:09oh, well, somebody's buying the park.

00:52:11Let's see if they rebuild it, or let's see if they build, you know, a subdivision,

00:52:14or see if they build, like, a shopping mall, and then it was nothing.

00:52:18But I really doubt that amusement park could ever be in that site's future.

00:52:27They know that it's an issue with trespassing.

00:52:31They feel that getting rid of it would be the easiest solution to keep the trespassers out.

00:52:39Unfortunately, that doesn't do anything for the neighbors.

00:52:43It's still a blighted, abandoned property that would be sitting there.

00:52:46It is surrounded by vacant land that hasn't been developed for the last 20 years.

00:52:53There's no reason to suspect that a demolished park would all of a sudden be attractive and be developed.

00:52:59If you have the funding, if you believe that you can do this, bring the park back up,

00:53:05why would the city not want to do that?

00:53:08Why would the city not want to go with you?

00:53:10Are you trying to get me into trouble?

00:53:12We know that the previous administration didn't necessarily support development in New Orleans East.

00:53:19The current administration seems more open and wanting to do things for New Orleans East,

00:53:25but there is a perception issue.

00:53:27The people in New Orleans East are not giving credit for the quality of life that they really do have.

00:53:34It's a nice neighborhood.

00:53:36There are great people that live in New Orleans East.

00:53:38That was some of the things that the developers sold us with, saying,

00:53:41oh, it's going to be just like you're living a block away from Disney World,

00:53:44and your property value will soar.

00:53:46But since Katrina, 2005, it's been sitting dormant, empty, and ruined since that time.

00:53:51So how is that going to make a positive effect on your home and your value of your home

00:53:57when you've got an eyesore like this?

00:54:08I would think that if this was in downtown New Orleans,

00:54:11it wouldn't take this long for the city to actually do something with it.

00:54:14You know, by being out here in this neighborhood or whatever, you know,

00:54:17I guess they just take their time.

00:54:18You know, we're talking 2005 and now we're in 2020.

00:54:21You take a walk up on my deck and you take a look over the back,

00:54:24and what I remember seeing years ago was a bunch of forest and beautiful.

00:54:28So now you come up here and, of course, with the first 100, 200 feet, you see the trees,

00:54:33but then you see a parking lot that's empty with rusted-out lights,

00:54:36and then you see the roller coaster off in the distance that's sitting dormant

00:54:39and it's just sitting there or whatever.

00:54:41You know, we just would hope that the city would do something with it.

00:54:44My home was valued more in 2005 than it is currently valued today,

00:54:51whereas the rest of New Orleans outside of eastern New Orleans,

00:54:55their values have surpassed the pre-Katrina values.

00:54:58So if you're a resident and you're sitting there,

00:55:01you're kind of waiting for things to come up,

00:55:03and one of the crowning elements of blight that is depressing the values of properties

00:55:08is this Jazzland site.

00:55:10So it's been frustrating for our residents for a long time,

00:55:14and the problem is there's not a plan yet to do something about it.

00:55:20So residents have just been sitting there with major investments,

00:55:24and for many people, the biggest investment they'll make in their lives is in their homes,

00:55:28and they're seeing those values. In many cases, they're upside down.

00:55:32He will be the moral compass of this city.

00:55:36We need a champion who will guide a master plan to completion.

00:55:40We need a champion who will bring serenity and safety back to our streets.

00:55:45We need a champion who will pave our roads while paving the way for a new generation.

00:55:50We need a champion for change.

00:55:53We need the next mayor of the city of New Orleans, Troy Henry!

00:56:01It was one of the principal drivers for me deciding to run for office, and for mayor specifically,

00:56:08was because the executive branch is supposed to execute.

00:56:13And we had had too many politicians and not enough managerial experts

00:56:19that could really understand how to manage a complex enterprise.

00:56:22I just have a vision for the city that is different.

00:56:25And having lived in California and Pittsburgh and Boston and the D.C. and Atlanta and Houston,

00:56:32so I've seen a lot and seen how those cities have grown and sort of blown past New Orleans,

00:56:37and I wanted New Orleans to have that chance to realize that same sort of meteoric growth.

00:56:44And perhaps maybe the residents of New Orleans aren't interested in being a more cosmopolitan growth,

00:56:50and maybe they want to kind of stay more of the same.

00:56:52But the risk of doing that is what has happened now is we're sort of a one-trick pony principally

00:56:59evolving around tourism.

00:57:01New Orleans East was really forgotten for a number of years after Katrina.

00:57:08Everything that they've done, they've had to do themselves.

00:57:11They were last on the list for the city.

00:57:14But up until the New Orleans East Hospital finally reopened, if you got sick, if you had a heart attack,

00:57:20you had to drive 20 minutes to get to someplace so that you could be taken care of because there

00:57:26wasn't any place in New Orleans East.

00:57:28Just like the previous administration, I think they're struggling.

00:57:31They want to do something for New Orleans East, but, you know, the city doesn't know exactly what to do.

00:57:36So they've had hired consultants to do studies and all kinds of stuff, but what they really don't have is

00:57:42a deal.

00:57:43They don't have a development plan.

00:57:44So they've gotten these folks to come up and say, if you do this, this will make it more attractive.

00:57:49If you do this, this will make it more attractive.

00:57:51The long and short of it is a person who's got money and who's got a deal is going to

00:57:55do a deal.

00:57:56All of this, this is going to make it better and that's going to make it better.

00:57:59That's just moving the chairs around the deck of the Titanic.

00:58:03The city had been working on a report about the best use.

00:58:07It was the best use study for the site.

00:58:09They came up with best use being something with a lot of green and nature in the very same sentence.

00:58:17They said it needs to be big and bold, something that's going to bring the tourists in, like bird watching.

00:58:24There was complete silence in the room.

00:58:28Obviously, the residents were not happy at all.

00:58:32They want the park to come back from everything that they've told us and from everything we've read online and

00:58:37we've spoken with them and met with various people.

00:58:41That's what they want.

00:58:41After that meeting, they said that they were going to come out with an RFQ.

00:58:44So I think the timing works to their benefit as far as we're doing something, we're going to award this

00:58:53to a developer, we're taking steps.

00:58:55So please give us your votes this November.

00:58:57The city is fishing and they're desperate because it is in election time in October.

00:59:04But I'm also hopeful that for the first time they've probably got a credible, we believe our offer is going

00:59:11to be a truly credible offer.

00:59:13I wanted to bring back a sports and entertainment complex to the Jazzland facility.

00:59:19We're one of the bidders on this project now.

00:59:21So our proposal is to reconstitute it as an amusement park, adding a water park and a sports complex to

00:59:28it.

00:59:28Our vision is to make this a bigger sports and entertainment concept.

00:59:32So that's what we'll be proposing to the city.

00:59:35I don't know if they'll accept our proposal as the right vision.

00:59:38Our second alternate proposal is, as we've also had some discussions with Amazon as a distribution center for that site.

00:59:46We're not sure which one of those two visions will end up, if we're selected, we're going to kind of

00:59:51evaluate both of those principally.

00:59:53And whichever one makes the most sense, if we're selected, we're going to execute on that.

00:59:59Yes, all those things would be lovely in that area.

01:00:02We're getting an Amazon here in Baton Rouge, a huge one.

01:00:05And it does employ a lot of people, but there's just better locations for those things.

01:00:10You could even go down the street to the old plaza location that the city kind of has its fingers

01:00:15on because of loans and taxes and stuff.

01:00:18That would be far better for those purposes than the park property.

01:00:21We're expecting to be under construction sometime in 2022, which means we open in 2024.

01:00:28You know, they definitely need entertainment venues that come back.

01:00:34The hotels are struggling right now.

01:00:36Many of the downtown hotels don't even have 5% occupancy.

01:00:40And they need something that's going to help boost and bring families and tourists back.

01:00:45So we're hoping maybe that plays out to our benefit, but we'll see.

01:00:50In the short term, I mean, obviously, these companies are struggling.

01:00:55But the ones that are going to be able to weather the storm have to view a growth strategy.

01:01:01So as you emerge out of this pandemic and the depressing earnings that they've realized, it now gives them the

01:01:09ability to sort of rebound in a bigger way than they even did pre-pandemic.

01:01:13Because now they've got more assets that are now available in the marketplace.

01:01:18So we think that, you know, they're all hurting right now.

01:01:22But we think come time where we're now redeveloping that site, they're all looking at the future.

01:01:29We've always wanted the public and the community to be involved.

01:01:34A little less than two years ago, we said, well, why wait until we're open?

01:01:41Why wait until we have the property?

01:01:44Why not just do it now?

01:01:45We created the Rhythm Section, which is our New Orleans East specific community advisory board.

01:01:54It's composed of people that actually do live within just a very short distance of the park.

01:02:00And they are with us every step of the way.

01:02:03We get their feedback and comments on everything we do.

01:02:06They get an advanced copy of the RFQ response so that they can give us their feedback as to what

01:02:13they want.

01:02:14This response is very much going to be theirs because the park is theirs.

01:02:19But I think the idea of rehabilitating and reinvigorating an amusement complex that now has a water park to it,

01:02:29that now has an amusement park to it, that now has a sports complex to it,

01:02:34and making it into a family-friendly destination tied in with the cruise lines is something that's very unique

01:02:41and is a unique opportunity for us to take advantage of.

01:02:44The fulfillment center is great, but to me that would be 1B if I had my druthers

01:02:49and if we can get the commitments that we need to have and happen.

01:02:53I think the sports and entertainment complex would be pretty exciting.

01:02:56And I think it would bring the rest of the residents in the region back to New Orleans East with

01:03:02a positive light

01:03:03because recently the things they've heard most about have been crime-oriented things that have happened in eastern New Orleans.

01:03:10I think this would be something that would make regional noise.

01:03:13It would really be a reinvigorating and revitalization that is long, long, long overdue.

01:03:20Even if we get the concessionaire agreement that come this fall and they get re-elected,

01:03:28what's to stop them from saying, okay, we tried, never mind?

01:03:33It's definitely a thought that goes through our heads because we've been through this process a time or two

01:03:39and there's not a lot of faith.

01:03:51Okay.

01:03:51Good morning, everyone.

01:03:53The Purchasing Bureau does here by certify that it's unable to perform our key number 9616-Flag-Jazz-Land-Site

01:04:01-Development

01:04:02on this day, Tuesday, March 16th, 2021, at 12 p.m.

01:04:07There have been a number of attempts to redevelop this property in the past.

01:04:11In December, we put out an RFQ, which is a request for qualification.

01:04:15This respondent is obviously one in Ms. Boak that is very well-known to the city and the IDB

01:04:23and I'm very grateful for Ms. Boak continuing to sit at the table

01:04:28and await an opportunity to submit a formal response.

01:04:32You know, I know that there's some questions around ability, I guess, of what's currently on the site.

01:04:37Jeff and Courtney, I think my biggest obstacle to being able to fully evaluate the response

01:04:43was the lack of an identification of a development partner and a financial partner.

01:04:48So, Reactor, you can take this time to add your comments and scores to your score sheet and calculate your

01:04:54total score.

01:04:55Okay.

01:04:56Rank number one is Tiernan West, LLC.

01:05:02Rank number two, Citus Development Collective Consulting.

01:05:06Rank number three is UKTNJ, Inc.

01:05:11slash Henry Consultant, also referred to as Bobby Phoenix.

01:05:14Rank number four is PTT NOLA, Inc.

01:05:18Rank number five is A-Square, LLC.

01:05:23And rank number six is Case Group, LLC.

01:05:28During our discussion, we all had some interest in asking follow-up questions relative to some of the financials.

01:05:35So, unless there's significant consternation and it being such an important project, I would say the top four.

01:05:42If we are asking for TPC, which is currently ranked number four at 328 points, A-Squared is only two

01:05:50points less than that at number five.

01:05:53It looks to me like if we invite TPC NOLA, we also need to invite A-Squared because it's such

01:05:59a small difference in points.

01:06:00I guess I disagree on that.

01:06:02The concern is that if we bring in four, we should bring in five.

01:06:06I'd go with the economics development team to bring in the top three.

01:06:10I agree.

01:06:10I'm sorry.

01:06:12Yeah.

01:06:13Maybe .

01:06:15Okay.

01:06:16Yeah.

01:06:17I'd like to move that we advance the top three applicants to the second round of the RFQ.

01:06:23Yes, they second it.

01:06:24Okay.

01:06:25So, all in favor?

01:06:27Yes.

01:06:28Any opposed?

01:06:33Okay.

01:06:33The motion carries.

01:06:39Okay.

01:06:43Let me just ask you then, sort of broadly, what's your overall reaction today?

01:06:48We are definitely very disappointed.

01:06:51Disappointed, frustrated, irate to some extent.

01:06:57Yeah.

01:06:57You know, we definitely do not feel like the scoring was done in a fair and equitable manner.

01:07:06This was a day that we had said this would probably be it for us.

01:07:12And it still might be it for us.

01:07:15We'll all move on and do our other things that we've been doing anyway.

01:07:20Because it has been a long nine years.

01:07:24And to have the community and the public completely omitted from the process just doesn't give us a lot of

01:07:33faith in anything moving forward.

01:07:35What?

01:07:36When you've got such a prominent intersection that is now such a prominent eyesore.

01:07:42It's kind of demotivating for people.

01:07:46Every day, a vast majority of members and people in New Orleans East drive right by it.

01:07:51And they just look at it and it's remembrance of the past and it's blight.

01:07:57Unfortunately, I think a lot of people have given up on it.

01:08:00Because when Six Flags decided just to take insurance money or whatever they did, I really think they were glad

01:08:09Katrina came along.

01:08:10I think they wanted out.

01:08:11I think they wanted to close the park.

01:08:13They had already closed Astroworld.

01:08:16I think this might have been a way out for them.

01:08:20I don't know.

01:08:23Honestly, most people had given up a long time ago on the part they were coming back.

01:08:41This is where you would come to purchase tickets, group sales, we'll call.

01:08:50Season ticket holders, I think, entered at the other end, if I remember.

01:08:56And if you were buying just a ticket for the day, you would come up here and one of these

01:09:00purchase your tickets.

01:09:08This was the main street.

01:09:11All the gift shops were along here and were air conditioned, which was very nice in the summer.

01:09:23This is heartbreaking to see.

01:09:27As the graffiti says, this could have been beautiful.

01:09:30It was beautiful and it was very beautiful.

01:09:38Very sad now.

01:09:40We would come several times a year.

01:09:43Had many, many good times out here.

01:09:51So here we are at Megazeth.

01:09:58Obviously, the riders waited in here for Megazeth to come around this way and pull up here.

01:10:08It is obviously very overgrown and pitiful.

01:10:18Jocko used to live up on the top of the building.

01:10:21He was this big jester guy who would laugh at you and squirt water on you.

01:10:29This is where you lined up the queue line here.

01:10:34It was a little neater back then.

01:10:37We called this a laser tag ride since I own a laser tag.

01:10:41And all my kids would think of it as a laser tag ride because you were actually shooting targets with

01:10:49the guns that were on the cars.

01:11:15This is what was Jocko's ride.

01:11:20This is one of the cars that has been completely stripped.

01:11:23The guns are gone.

01:11:24You earned points by tagging hit.

01:11:28I'm talking laser tag talk.

01:11:29By hitting the targets, you would earn points.

01:11:31You got a score on the car.

01:11:33You can see where the screens were.

01:11:38And it wound all through here with different targets to hit.

01:11:45It was very colorful, minus the graffiti.

01:11:49The Florida Lee on the front.

01:11:51Oh, Mardi Gras colors.

01:11:52Everything was Mardi Gras colors.

01:11:54There was a gun to shoot targets here.

01:11:58And a screen for score.

01:12:01This one is still here.

01:12:03Mardi Gras Jocko's Mardi Gras Madness.

01:12:05Yeah.

01:12:08Everything's gone.

01:12:11Everything's gone.

01:12:14You died coming.

01:12:41You have to stay so close to it here.

01:12:41It's not that good that you have to shoot.

01:13:43Are you happy?

01:13:44Yeah, yeah.

01:13:46Can I have a birthday?

01:13:47Yeah, you?

01:13:49Yeah.

01:13:54It's devastating.

01:13:55I mean, to think that the city let that park get like that over all these years, it makes

01:14:01me very angry.

01:14:03And it's very sad because of all the memories I have.

01:14:06Just remembering all the fun.

01:14:10If I would be in the car with someone else and we're driving past it, I would be cranking

01:14:15my head around and like looking at what rides are going.

01:14:18And that was really fun just to drive past it.

01:14:25But now it's just there.

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Closed For Storm 卡特里娜飓风的破坏

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