ROCKLIN, Calif. — Under New Management… almost.
If you own a pass, gift card or ticket to the now-closed Quarry Park Adventures in Rocklin, you are in luck. A potential new operator wants to reopen the park in April – and honor your tickets.
After much anticipation, Quarry Park Adventures opened its gates to the public in mid-October 2018. The city-owned outdoor adventure course, constructed in a defunct rock quarry in the heart of Rocklin, was billed as both a tourism draw and amenity for city residents.
But then, in early 2019, the city quietly terminated its agreement with the park’s operator, Legacy Family Adventures, an affiliate of Legacy Family Entertainment.
Quarry Park Adventures was intended to be open year-round, weather permitting. In January, however, the City of Rocklin announced the park would be closed for the entire winter season. It hasn’t re-opened since.
“We ended up in a situation within the last couple of months where, unanticipated, the park was closed, and it is closed at this particular time," Rocklin City Manager Steven Rudolph explained before council Tuesday. "After the unanticipated closure, the goal of staff was to look for a way to re-open the park as quickly as we possibly could."
Rocklin later announced the city is proposing a new operator for the park, Bonsai Design. That’s the company that designed and built Quarry Park Adventures, and now it might become the park’s operator. Bonsai has built more than 100 adventure parks throughout the world, general manger Dylan Burt said at the council meeting. He, personally, has overseen the operation of 11 parks and said they have all been profitable.
On Tuesday night, City Council members voted to approve the terms of a contract with Bonsai. It would stretch through Dec. 2022, with the possibility of extension in the final year. It includes a 120-day window at the start of the contract to terminate the agreement without cause. A vote on the final contract is set for the council’s March 12 meeting.
The terms of the agreement include keeping the park open seven days a week, every day of the year except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. The contract also says revenue will be split between Bonsai and the City of Rocklin 50-50, once the park starts generating profits. Terms also include $300,000 in start-up costs for Bonsai, which will cover office equipment and technology set-up, staffing, training and marketing.
Moreover, Bonsai has committed to honoring any passes, gift cards and tickets already bought through the previous operator.
“I think that [pass-holders] have been short-changed, frankly, and I feel strongly that they need to be recognized,” Burt said.
“We’ve been unable to actually establish with any degree of certainty how many of those season passes and gift cards are actually out there, waiting to be redeemed,” Rudolph said. “But Bonsai has said that they will agree to honor all of those passes and tickets, without additional consideration to the city, and I think that is a very gracious concession from Bonsai.”
Several council members voted "yes," while noting they’d like to fine tune some of the details of the agreement before approving a contract March 12.
“I’m going to vote ‘aye’ because I have confidence that we’re going to work it out,” one council member specified.
Before council members voted, Burt spoke at the meeting. He said his company plans to hire as many local people as possible. He also said they have the names of all of the former Quarry Park Adventures employees and that Bonsai is in the process of reaching out to each one of them, discussing the possibility of hiring them back.
He anticipates Quarry Park Adventures will attract 41,000 visitors in the first year of operation. He plans on re-opening the park sometime in April. He also said he is open to offering special pricing for Rocklin residents.
Several members of the public took an opportunity to tell council members their thoughts on Quarry Park Adventures.
A man identifying himself as a Rocklin resident and Quarry Park Adventures pass-holder, Russ Risley, complained that the parting of ways between the city and the former park operator seemed to be shrouded in mystery. He also expressed frustration over the delays in opening the park.
“I hope you guys can do better with my money, because right now I don’t see it,” Risley told council members.
David Busch, the founder and president of the former operating company, Legacy Family Adventures, also addressed the council, launching some stern critiques of the incoming operator, Bonsai Design.
“There’s no way on this Earth this is going to make money, and you are naive to take the staffs' word for this,” he told council members and the city manager.
He pointed out Bonsai still needs to hire staff to operate the park. Indeed, Burt noted his company is looking to hire a manager, marketing coordinator, adventure course manager, and sales manager.
"We plan to hire as many local people as possible and provide training," Burt said.
More details on the proposed agreement between the City of Rocklin and Bonsai Design can be found HERE.
In a separate item on Tuesday’s meeting agenda, council members voted to approve additional money for improvements made to a Quarry Park Adventures building.
The city entered into an agreement with Craig Miers + George Scott Architects, LLP in July 2017, paying the firm $40,975 to design the park’s main building. In September 2017, council members voted to pay an additional $29,980 to increase the scope of the project, bringing the total to $70,955.
On Tuesday, council members brought the maximum total amount payable to this architectural firm to $83,352, approving an additional $12,397. As Public Services manager Matt McClure explained, that extra cash will allow for important changes to the building’s electrical, lighting and power design, as well as completing the required paperwork that accompanies such work.
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