Wonderland’s Future: Amarillo Park Could Expand Under New Lease

The Amarillo City Council held its meeting on Tuesday to discuss a myriad of things. Among those was the Herring Hotel expansion, which was indeed approved, a park maintenance concrete contract that would allow for sidewalk installation and upkeep, and a new modular basketball court at the Amarillo Civic Center.

Those were just a few items on the agenda; there were a whole lot more. There was one that definitely caught my eye, though, and made me wonder what we could potentially see in the very near future.

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A New Lease With Wonderland

There's been a lot of talk over the years as to whether or not Wonderland would continue to survive in Amarillo. It's still a very popular destination in the spring and summer months for families, and something unique to Amarillo.

However, there have also been some issues with the park in recent years, including rides that aren't operational and people feeling like they aren't getting what they pay for when they go due to the inoperable rides.

Are They Talking About Expansion

Well, based on what I read in the agenda for the council meeting, not only is Wonderland looking to extend their lease with the city for the land in Thompson Park, but they want the ability to EXPAND inside the new lease.

The proposal was for an agreement that spanned 15 years with the city, while having the option to renew the lease twice for 15 years a piece, totaling 45 years. The piece inside there that caught my eye was "with a lease option for future expansions."

Obviously, that doesn't mean expansion WILL happen, but I would think that means they've explored the potential for it.

Were They Awarded The New Lease

Well, that's where things came to a bit of a halt. Reports are stating that they ended up not discussing this at the meeting.

The reason? Developers pulled out of the meeting because it appears they weren't quite ready to discuss everything. Maybe they're working on showing their plans for expansion? Guess we'll have to wait and find out.