As we mentioned a month ago, there’s quite a bit of speculation about why Ken Ham and Answers in Genesis haven’t even begun the groundbreaking for their giant boat with dinosaurs on it (otherwise know as Ark Encounter) in Grant County. Even though they have successfully lobbied their way into tax incentives from the Beshear administration and Grant County officials, they appear to have hit a snag of late.
Their groundbreaking was pushed back from spring, to summer, to fall, and the most recent media report was to next spring. Meanwhile, their fundraising goal of $24.5 million appears to have ground to a halt at just over $4 million, where it has been for quite a while. They had reached the $3 million mark all the way back in May.
Nobody seems to know nothin' publicly. Privately however...
On Oct. 27, Todd Cassidy, the executive director of the tourism department’s office of financial incentives, sent an email to [company Senior VP Mike] Zovath with AiG asking for the status of Ark Encounter.
“It has been a while since we last spoke,” wrote Cassidy. “May I ask the status of the fund raising and any proposed ground breaking?”
Zovath’s reply the next day revealed not only problems delaying their groundbreaking, but also difficulties raising enough funds to build the giant dinosaur boat in question.
“Todd, we actually considered an official ground breaking earlier this month but too many complexities got in the way so we ended up putting it on hold until everything is worked out,” wrote Zovath. “Funding is progressing, a little slower due to the very slow economy.”
It looks like somebody's figured out the scam: why does a multi-million dollar theme park, that charges ticket prices and everything need donations in the first place?
Ark Encounter's smelled like a scam since Day One, and Gov. Dinosaur Steve has backed Answers In Genesis and this entire idiotic project for years now. At this rate it will never get off the ground, never be built, never sell a single ticket, and most importantly, never create a single job in Grant County.
And it's the people donating to the park who are clearly getting ripped off here, as well as the people of Grant County and other Kentucky taxpayers like myself. If this keeps up, there's going to be a hell of a lawsuit for these idiots to deal with.
Merry Christmas, Bluegrass State.
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