This just in: U.K.-based Great City Attractions, which was working with Dallas County and the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau to drop that giant Ferris wheel in Founders Plaza, has opted to roll away -- for the time being, at least. No doubt, Schutze will be greatly disappointed. But after county commissioners initially agreed to put the 174-feet tall "observation wheel" next to the Kennedy Memorial Plaza by the Old Red Courthouse downtown, County Judge Clay Jenkins said: Not so fast. Hence, the email from Nigel Ward, Great City Attractions's head of global site development, who says this morning that the company will now work with the city to find a better spot:
Further to our recent discussions regarding the Dallas Wheel project, this is to confirm that after considering all information available to us at this time, we have decided to reassess our proposal for placing one of our wheels on Founders Plaza. Having taken the views of certain key organizations and individuals in Dallas into account, in regard to the perceived sensitivities of the Plaza in relation to the JFK memorial and associated tragic events, we have decided to work with the City of Dallas to find a suitable alternative location for one of our giant observation wheels.
Although we believe that the temporary hosting of one of our wheels at Founders Plaza would provide the residents of Dallas (and visitors) a unique opportunity to view the historic location from a different perspective, while learning about the events surrounding the location and providing a much needed boost to the local economy, we have decided to withdraw our application and refocus on alternative sites which may still provide a suitable and viable location. We look forward to working with Mayor Rawlings, the City of Dallas and the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau on finding a new and exciting location for the Wheel.Anyone want to bet on the alternative location?
We would like to thank everyone in Dallas who has provided us with an enormous amount of support for this project, so far and in particular, the many organizations and individuals who have made public statements of support for the project at Founders plaza. The team at DCVB have been outstanding in their efforts and support to help us find a way to bring this exciting and highly attractive, temporary attraction to the City of Dallas.
We will not be making any further comment on the project, until an alternative location has been assessed.
