VALDOSTA —
Wild Adventures’ $4 million expansion of two new water slides and cabanas is more than an investment in the park’s Splash Island.
It is an investment in Valdosta-Lowndes County and all of South Georgia.
Anyone who thinks only Wild Adventures will profit from this expansion isn’t seeing the whole picture.
When Wild Adventures adds new rides and attractions, it prompts more people to visit the park. This means more people coming into our area, spending money not only at Wild Adventures but buying gas, eating at area restaurants, staying in regional hotels and motels, shopping in local shops.
Wild Adventures not only brings out-of-town and out-of-state dollars into the registers of other area businesses and establishments, it increases the amount of money coming into regional tax coffers. These tax dollars pay for any number of projects and services in our region.
In the past few years, parent company Herschend Family Entertainment has invested more than $10 million into Wild Adventures. The money funded the Wahee Cyclone water ride, the planting of trees and water jets to cool park guests, a renovation of the Cheetah roller coaster, the addition of three new rides, and now the new water slides and VIP cabanas to open in 2011.
In this dour economy, Valdosta-Lowndes County is blessed with such investments.
Two weeks ago, Valdosta State University began construction on a Psychology and Counseling Building, the first academic facility built in nine years. This building will likely attract more students to VSU. It is another investment that will not only benefit the organization making the initial commitment, but also holds the promise of further stoking one of Valdosta-Lowndes County’s chief economic engines.
These investments do not alleviate economic hardships in the region, but they may ease the burden. These projects demonstrate that South Georgia is a place worth the investment, a place that can attract people and will benefit from dollars from other regions.
What We Think
What we think: Investing in Valdosta
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Leaving NCLB behind
Georgia schools may be sighing in relief today, following the announcement that the U.S. Department of Education granted a waiver to the state, along with nine others, from the rigorous requirements of the No Child Left Behind act.
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Don’t jettison landmark
While we respect the request to relocate the F-86 aircraft from outside Mathis City Auditorium to the new Moody Air Force Base Airpark, we would hope the city and MAFB would reconsider moving it.
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Shame in Berrien County
Unfortunately for Sherrie Williams of the Berrien County school-based health clinic, she talked to The Times and praised the program that she oversees. This pride in her work led to the loss of her job.
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Grading policy: A second chance?
In clarifying the Lowndes County Schools’ controversial grading policy, Superintendent Dr. Steve Smith spoke of second chances.
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Be up to any weather challenge
Georgia’s Severe Weather Awareness Week starts today and runs through Friday. The idea behind the week is to prepare Georgians for weather emergencies and how to keep these situations from becoming tragedies.
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Parents and schools
There is a lot of talk lately about school systems and grading policies, and how all of a child's problems come back to a lack of parenting. But is it really that simple? Can it be a case where the school systems are so focused on the problem few that the majority of students are ignored?
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Thumbs up, thumbs down
THUMBS UP: To Brooks County High School engineering and technology teacher Don Morgan and his students. They recently received national attention for their work with biodiesel fuel. They collect used cooking oil from area fast-food restaurants then process this oil into biodiesel. Morgan hopes to next interest the Brooks County school buses into running on the fuel created in his class. This classroom not only prepares students for the future but may prepare all of us for an alternative energy source.
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Take me out to the ball park
The Valdosta State baseball season begins today. The Blazers host Lindenwood at 2:30 p.m. Nothing beats quality baseball played in warm weather with a great venue like Billy Grant Field.
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What We Think: Signing Day
Wednesday was National Signing Day, the day when high school athletes across the country make official announcements about what school they’ve chosen to sign with.
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School policy fails expectations
Lowndes County Schools recently implemented new grading guidelines for students. These guidelines have left many parents upset ...
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Leaving NCLB behind
