(Arnolds Park)– More good financial news for the Arnolds Park Amusement Park and the Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum.
It was reported at Wednesday’s monthly meeting of the Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum board of directors that for a second year in a row, the park is posting a net operating gain.
Lisa Cihlar, Accounting Manager, reported the overall Maritime Museum operations will post a profit of nearly 520-thousand dollars this year…up about 58-thousand dollars from last year.
On another positive note, Sue Richter, co-chair of the “Sustain Our Park Committee”, reported that nearly a million dollars has been raised to pay off the park’s 1.7 million dollar debt. That figure does not include a 500-thousand dollar contribution from South Dakota businessman Ed Parsons. To date, Richter says slightly more than 500-thousand dollars has been paid toward the principal debt along with 58-thousand in interest, leaving a debt balance of slightly more than a million dollars.
On another matter, board member Mike Zenor said they should know next week whether or not the Maritime Museum will be awarded a Community Attraction and Tourism Grant through Vision Iowa. The funds would be used to implement some environmentally-friendly components into the park’s parking lot.
