Monday, October 22, 2007

Trimper's Rides, the iconic amusement park in Ocean City that was on the verge of closing this year after 117 summers in operation, will open next summer.

The Trimper family, which owns and operates the park on the town's signature boardwalk, decided last week to keep the park open at least through summer 2008 while it presses forward with an appeal on its property tax assessments.

The assessed property value for the three-block boardwalk site tripled over the past three years, from $21 million to $65 million, family members said.

Earlier this year, the family said it would probably close the park because revenue from thrill rides and arcade games can't keep pace with quickly rising property taxes.

The board of directors for the family company, Windsor Resorts, met and decided to continue park operations, Doug Trimper, the family spokesman, said in a statement last week.

"Efforts are still ongoing with city, county and state officials with the hope of getting them to create some type of historic amusement zone that would change the way the property is taxed," the statement said.

But, Trimper cautioned, "since there has been no sign of any legislation at this point, any optimism about continuing the historic park is guarded at best."

Trimper's is one of the oldest continuously owned amusement parks in the United States, historians have said. Town officials say the Ocean City tourist attraction is essential to preserving a family-friendly atmosphere at the beach resort.

Mayor Richard W. Meehan (R) said last week's announcement "removes a lot of anxiety" in town. Ocean City's economy is driven by 8 million tourists each year, and Trimper's Rides is a major economic engine. The amusement park has a payroll of about $2.5 million and employs roughly 300 people, about 40 of them year-round.

"We know how important Trimper's Rides is to the family tradition of Ocean City, and it would've been a significant loss," Meehan said. "I know they're going to continue to work with the family and with the state, the city and the county to try to come up with a long-range plan to keep the rides open for many years to come."

Del. James N. Mathias Jr. (D-Worcester), a former mayor of Ocean City, said the onus is on the municipal and county governments to adjust the amusement park's assessment.

"Really, at this juncture, it's kind of up to them as far as an enterprise zone or historic preservation," Mathias said. "I believe that that action is going to have to initiate or certainly be supported by the local governments."

-- Philip Rucker