Let friends in your social network know what you are reading aboutTwitterGoogle+LinkedInPinterestPosted!A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Supporters touted Legoland's economic benefits; opponents feared the toll it would take on the community.HAVERSTRAW After weeks of hearing from residents angered over a proposal to put a Legoland, water park and hotel on its land at the former Letchworth Village property in Thiells, the Haverstraw Town Board has dropped its interest in the ambitious plan.Supervisor Howard Phillips sent out a press release Thursday stating: "after hearing the concerns of our residents, we have decided to withdraw our consideration of the Legoland project. While we will continue our efforts to bring new projects to our town in order to provide quality of life amenities and help defray rising costs associated with living in Rockland County, it should never come at the cost of creating hardship or stress for our residents and divide our community."Reached later by phone, Phillips added: "We don't want to divide the community.
It was obvious from the meetings people are very upset. We've always had their support, they've always asked us to look out for their concerns … we're going to pass on the offer."The board's decision comes two days after residents packed a town hall meeting, with speakers demanding answers from officials who said they were bound by confidentiality agreements with the developer. Word that board members had flown to Florida and California to check out their Legoland parks turned up the volume on neighbors' anxiety.Opponents voiced their displeasure via an online petition, on Facebook and face-to-face with officials about the park, which would have attracted an estimated 2 million visitors annually,Bill McGuire, who lives on Willow Grove Road near the proposed 175-acre site, called Thursday's development "great news.""It's great to see the the board took all of our concerns to heart. And I thank them for that," McGuire said. "I hope to continue an open communication with the town to possibly set up a citizen group and come up with a beneficial use for the land.
We've came together as a community and voiced our concerns for this project, and it was a great feeling to be a part of that."George Potanovic, a leader of the Stony Point Action Committee for the Environment, commended the Town Board for its decision."This was example of democracy in action," Potanovic said. "Residents came out and expressed their concerns to the board and did it in a civil manner and this is the way democracy is supposed to work."But Rockland Business Association President and CEO Al Samuels said the collapse followed a familiar pattern."I see this as more than just a missed opportunity and a failure of leadership," Samuels said. "I see this as a potential death knell for the economic development of North Rockland with spillover to the entire county. The recent history of Rockland County relative to major economic development initiatives does not send a positive message to people looking to locate to our area."Samuels said derailing the theme park before the public had an opportunity to hear directly from the developer sent a negative message.
Samuels and other supporters had touted the benefits the complex would bring to economically stressed North Rockland, while opponents had said Legoland's traffic, water and sewer demands would overwhelm their community.When the town was awarded a $3.1 million state grant for the proposal in December, Phillips had voiced optimism, saying, "We still have to work out many details ... But this is an excellent and exciting beginning." With the project scuttled, officials said, that state money won't be disbursed to the town.Merlin Entertainments, the company behind the project, said Thursday it was still interested in building a third Legoland in North America."We continue to believe Haverstraw would be a viable option for the theme park that focuses on families with young children and would benefit the community by providing more than 1,000 new jobs, increasing tourism and generating significant financial benefits for the area," the company said in a statement."Our studies show the flow of traffic would not only be manageable, but arguably an improvement for the community as a result of upgrades provided from the project."
Whether you’re here in New York City for a fun getaway or bringing the family for a new adventure, our New York City budget hotel has a package that will make your stay a little sweeter. The Hampton Inn & Suites Yonkers offers the best New York City discount hotel option available. Stay & Go Package 15% Off Your Next Meeting Legoland PackagePlan your summer escape with a family trip to ! Create new memories and explore all that Legoland has to offer! Overnight family friendly accommodations Complimentary tickets to Legoland for 1 adult and 1 child Free shuttle service to and from Legoland Complimentary daily, hot breakfast buffet Complimentary use of our heated indoor poolBlackout dates may apply. Offer excludes tax and gratuity. Stay & Go PackageNext stop, New York City! Experience our Stay & Go Package and enjoy complimentary train tickets on us! We provide shuttle service from the hotel to the MTA Station. Let the adventure begin!
Stay & Rail Package Includes: Two round-trip rail tickets Free shuttle service from Yonkers Train Station Access to our 24-hour fitness center Please contact Reservations to book your stay (914) 377-1144 15% Off Your Next MeetingReceive 15% off your next group booking when you book in groups of 10 or more, plus enjoy one complimentary upgrade for a King Studio Suite, Double HHonors Event Planner points, a Welcome Snack Bag and access to our onsite amenities and hotel services. Book your next meeting with the Hampton Inn Yonkers for flexible meeting space and complimentary meeting room amenities: Built-in dry erase board Note pads and pens for all attendees Ice water & mints Catering and audio visual services are available upon request. For inquiries, contact the Sales department at (914) 377-1144 or .Discount may not be combined with any other special promotions or discount plans. Legoland California is a theme park, miniature park, and aquarium[2] located in Carlsbad, California, based on the Lego toy brand.
Opening on March 20, 1999, it was the third Legoland park to open,[3] and the first outside of Europe. The park is currently owned by Merlin Entertainments, which took a controlling interest in 2005.[4] A second park in the United States, Legoland Florida, opened in 2011. The Legoland California Resort currently encompasses the original park, a Lego-themed Sea Life Aquarium (opened in 2008), a Chima-themed water park (opened in 2010, with Chima expansion in 2014) and a hotel (opened in 2013). Explorer Island is a section[5] with themes of dinosaurs and exploration. It contains a large sand area where children may dig for "fossils" and the Gerstlauer-built "Coastersaurus"[6] mini steel roller coaster, a close copy of the Legoland Germany junior coaster Drachenjagd, with a ride duration of approximately 2 minutes. It was installed by Ride Entertainment Group, who handles all of Gerstlauer's operations in the Western Hemisphere. The Heartlake City section is based on the LEGO Friends brand marketed to girls[], featuring "Heart Lake", a water fountain;
"Friends Forever Stage", where musical performances occur; "Heartlake Stables", a play area; and "Mia's Riding Camp". Fun Town is a role-playing amusement area where guests simulate adult skills or professional identities. The lego model of Downtown Manhattan, with the 2002 design of One World Trade Center. Miniland USA is a 1:20 scale model miniature park featuring prominent architecture and symbols from seven areas in the United States.[10] Certain models are visible throughout the Legoland park. It was constructed over the course of three years using more than 20 million LEGO bricks. Miniland includes the Model Shop, the main design and building office for Legoland's US parks. A large viewing window allows guests to watch master model builders working on new models. Repairs and refurbishment of existing models are also conducted in the Model Shop. A Lego man using the toilet in Legoland California's Grand Central Station model. Certain model builders have inserted incongruous scenes into the Miniland vignettes, including a businessman mooning the presidential motorcade and a man using the toilet in the Grand Central Station model.
Miniland officials insist all such scenes are incorporated with full management knowledge and approval. A view into the Model Shop at Legoland California. Castle Hill is a medieval castle-themed area. The area includes a miniature golf course. The space had previously housed a "rock band" or "singing rock garden". The rock's original recording can still be heard on holes 12-18 on the course. In the Imagination Zone, visitors can ride a Wild Mouse-style roller coaster called the "Technic Coaster-Test Track"(formally Project X), choose from three different "4-D" movies called "Bob the Builder", "Spellbreaker", and "Clutch Powers" (a racing movie). Kids can also race Lego cars that they build themselves in Build 'n Test, play the "Maniac Challenge" in which guests play LEGO PC games, and program robots in "Mindstorms". Guests can also ride on "Bionicle Blaster", which is a version of the teacup ride, or the "Aquazone Wave Racers", a dual water carousel. Pirate Shores is a splash park with six water-oriented rides and attractions.
[16] Splash Battle, a water ride where guests spray each other with water on-ride and off-ride; Soak-N-Sail, interactive two-story complex water playground featuring a collection of smaller slides, jets, cannons and two tower top 500 gallon buckets that void their contents intermittently; Treasure Falls, a small themed log flume geared towards children; Swabbie's Deck, a small water play area for small children; Captain Cranky's Challenge, a ride with a mock pirate ship that sways in a u-shaped track and rotates bi-directionally; and Pirate Reef, a "shoot the chutes" attraction with interactive components including a splash bridge, water cannons and brick building play area. This section is designed to replicate the 1920s in Egypt.[] "Pharaoh's Revenge" involves guests firing foam balls at targets and at each other. On "Beetle Bounce" guests bounce nearly 15 feet (4.6 m) to nearly touch the enormous beetles above. "Cargo Ace", lets guests board one of eight planes to fly six feet into the air.
In "Lost Kingdom Adventure", guests board and ride a roadster to recover stolen treasure by blasting targets with laser guns along their journey. Another recently opened attraction is "Dune Raiders", which is a slide. The first feature that users encounter when entering the Legoland Water Park is the Aquatune hydraulophone, an underwater pipe organ. The hydraulophone is the centerpiece of a series of interactive exhibits on either side of it that teach other elements of flow, such as water tables, and small water laboratory-like spaces where participants can explore hydraulophonic-like action (blocking water jets to create head, pressure, etc.), and also construct dams from Lego bricks. This is a water park area in Legoland California. Construction began in September 2009. It opened on May 28, 2010. It is located next to the buildings in Fun Town. It is the first Legoland to feature a waterpark. It is not possible to buy a separate admission ticket solely for the water park. Legoland Water Park opened in Florida 2 years later.