“We have enforcement issues here,” Perry said. “We’re dealing with adults. We’re in the ‘nanny state,’ in my opinion.”

What if Gurnee didn’t have Great America?
Theme park isn"t for sale, but village wants to be ready as Six Flags" business suffers

By Bob Susnjara, Daily Herald Staff Writer
December 13, 2006

Great America in Gurnee isn’t on a list of Six Flags Inc. amusement parks that might be sold to reduce $2.2 billion in debt by year’s end, but village leaders aren’t taking anything for granted.

Gurnee Trustee Patrick Perry said the finance committee he heads will examine next month what the village should do in the event Six Flags Great America’s amusement tax revenue stops flowing one day. Great America was projected to generate $2.2 million for Gurnee this year.

“For us to take a $2 million hit would require more cost-cutting,” Perry said Tuesday. He said he would oppose reinstating the village’s property tax to make up for lost revenue.

In a conference call with stock analysts Tuesday, Six Flags Chief Executive Officer Mark Shapiro said nine parks in the United States — from Los Angeles to Buffalo — might be sold as a package or individually. He said the parks would be sold as businesses instead of just for real-estate value.

Not only is Six Flags saddled with $2.2 billion in debt, but overall attendance has been dropping. Chief Financial Officer Jeff Speed said this year’s attendance is projected to slide 14 percent to 28 million visitors, with revenue down by 2 percent.

Gurnee officials say they have been told Great America typically ranks No. 1 or 2 in attendance among Six Flags’ 30 properties. The company doesn’t publicly release park-by-park attendance.

Even if attendance is strong at Great America, Gurnee Village Administrator James Hayner said he has noticed the dour financial news coming with regularity from Six Flags’ corporate offices.

“It concerns me a lot,” Hayner said. “It’s a valuable financial asset to the village. It’s been open 30 years.”

Hayner said Great America’s land, just east of the Tri-State Tollway and Grand Avenue, is in a prime location between Chicago and Milwaukee that would attract much interest. The property has a zoning classification unique to the theme park, so the village would have control over any future plans.

“If it ever were developed,” Hayner said, “I wouldn’t envision it being residential, let’s put it that way.”

Six Flags has been trying to make its parks more family-friendly through efforts such as a smoking ban and adding live entertainment.

Analysts at Standard & Poor’s say those are among the moves that can boost attendance and the bottom line.

“We think that new management’s strategies will lead to higher revenues by catering to a more attractive clientele and capitalizing on sponsorship, licensing and real-estate opportunities,” says a Standard & Poor’s analysis released Nov. 6.

Two corporate sponsorships were announced Tuesday: H.J. Heinz Co. became Six Flags’ official ketchup, while the Cold Stone Creamery ice-cream chain gets to open stores in the company’s parks.

Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik said she doesn’t expect Six Flags will seek financial assistance from the village. She said Gurnee doesn’t levy a property tax, and the 3 percent amusement tariff slapped on each Great America ticket is paid by customers, not the company.

Six Flags’ stock closed Tuesday at $5.26 per share, down 5.90 percent. The stock is off about 86 percent since its all-time high in 1999.
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Smoke ban in Gurnee?

August 29, 2006
By Bob Susnjara, Daily Herald Staff Writer

One of Illinois’ top tourist towns didn’t embrace the concept of enacting a smoking ban in public places, but the door wasn’t closed, either.

Gurnee village board members fired up the subject during an informal committee meeting Monday night. The village receives about 26 million annual visitors, mostly for Gurnee Mills and Six Flags Great America.

Mayor Kristina Kovarik said she has yet to hear an outcry for a smoking ban from village residents. But, she added, perhaps residents will weigh in after it becomes known the village board broached the issue.

“It’ll be based on what the people we represent want,” Kovarik said.

Gurnee Trustees Hank Schwarz and Patrick Perry spoke against smoking restrictions.

“We have enforcement issues here,” Perry said. “We’re dealing with adults. We’re in the ‘nanny state,’ in my opinion.”

Lake County Health Department officials have been encouraging towns to pass smoking bans in restaurants, bars, government buildings and other public places. Lake County board member Steve Carlson attended Monday’s Gurnee village board meeting in an effort to convince officials of the merits of a smoking ban.

After striking out in trying to get a Gurnee official to attend a health department breakfast this morning in Vernon Hills related to smoking bans, Carlson finally got Kovarik to agree to visit a similar event in her village Sept. 12. Kovarik said she has an open mind on the issue.

If it went in that direction, Gurnee would join a growing list of Illinois cities that have approved some form of a smoking ban, including Lake Forest, Lindenhurst, Chicago, Springfield, Highland Park, Buffalo Grove, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Skokie, Wilmette and Deerfield.

Six Flags Inc. this year tightened its smoking policy at parks nationwide, including Great America. Six Flags guests are prohibited from lighting up while in ride lines, children’s areas or water parks.

Meanwhile, another smoke-related issue was recently settled in Deerfield. Village board members last month approved an ordinance stating only charcoal, natural or propane gas and certain types of wood can be burned in outdoor fire pits and fireplaces.

In June, Deerfield resident Margie Stone complained that outdoor fire pits and fireplaces create smoke and odor that get into neighbors’ homes.
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