Tulsa World

Info on Bell's departure might be released

People would understand why Bell's was forced out if they could see its business plan, a fair board official says.

8/21/07

By Kevin Canfield, World Staff Writer

County Commissioner and fair board Chairwoman Randi Miller said Monday that she hopes to clear up questions about the departure of Bell's Amusement Park from Expo Square by releasing the business plan the company provided to the fair board.

Miller said she will request an opinion from Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson's office on whether she can release the information.

The board, the Tulsa County Public Facilities Authority, reviewed the amusement park's business plan before deciding Nov. 8 not to renew its lease.

Bell's President Robby Bell said Monday that a release of the information would be a breach of confidentiality.

"They made a decision; now they have to live with it," he said.

What Bell's had to leave behind at the fairgrounds would cost $5 million to replace, he said.

"Monetarily, that's what their (the authority's) decision has cost our family," he said.

Miller said the information would help people understand why the county did what it did.

"Once a business plan is made public, then the citizens will know exactly why we made the decision," she said.

A Sunday Tulsa World / Channel 6 Oklahoma Poll found that 70 percent of respondents opposed the authority's decision not to renew the amusement park's lease.

Twenty-four percent of respondents said the closing of Bell's would affect their decision about whether to attend the Tulsa State Fair.

Last month, a warrant was issued against Bell's to collect property taxes, interest and fees totaling $20,618.

Also Monday, the fair board voted 4-0 to scratch plans for a new armory kitchen and to begin the design and bidding process again.

The authority paid Matrix more than $300,000 for the original plans, which were delivered late and included projected costs that exceeded the $5 million that was budgeted for the project.

In July, CJC Architects Inc. of Tulsa replaced Matrix as the engineering and architecture firm for the fairgrounds.

CJC will be paid $315,000 for the design and construction phases of the kitchen, which are expected to be completed late next summer, officials said.

The new kitchen and offices will be a home to Exposerve Management Corp., which handles concessions and catering at the fairgrounds.

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