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By The Associated Press | Sunday, February 11, 2007 3:09 AM CST | () comments

Harrah’s, Starwood plan major Bahamas resort

NASSAU, Bahamas — U.S. companies Harrah’s Entertainment and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide will team up with developer Baha Mar Resorts Ltd. to build a $1.6 billion resort complex in the Bahamas.

The six-hotel, 3,550-room resort will feature a 95,000 square-foot casino and an 18-hole golf course on 1,000 acres of land on Nassau’s Cable Beach, the companies said.

Construction is set to begin this year, with opening scheduled for 2010. The resort, to be called Baha Mar, will generate 10,000 temporary and permanent jobs on the Caribbean island, officials said.

Cedar Point coaster will be ready for opening day

SANDUSKY, Ohio — Construction on Cedar Point’s new roller coaster is on schedule and it will be ready for opening day in May, according to the Sandusky Register.

The steel coaster called “Maverick” will have a 100-foot first drop and launch riders through a tunnel at speeds of 70 mph. It also will turn them upside down three times.

The track is complete and workers now are focusing on the ride’s electrical and underground utilities systems.

A mild winter has helped work on the $21 million ride move along.

The park opens May 12.

New tram at Jackson Hole officially approved

JACKSON, Wyo. — Bridger-Teton National Forest has approved construction of a new tram at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, according to the Jackson Hole News & Guide.

The resort closed its iconic red tram last fall after 40 years of service. Resort officials said they expected the tram to become too costly to maintain.

In August, resort owner Jay Kemmerer announced plans to privately finance a new lift at a cost of $25 million. Bridger-Teton Supervisor Kniffy Hamilton approved the tram plan last week.

Construction is expected to begin this spring and wrap up in time for the 2008-2009 ski season. In the meantime, a temporary lift is being used to get skiers to the top of Rendezvous Mountain.

The new tram cabins will have a maximum capacity of 100 passengers, compared to 55 passengers on the old lift. Also, the new tram will be able to carry 650 skiers per hour to the mountaintop, more than twice the capacity of the old tram.

The old tram will be removed after the new one is completed.

In approving the new tram, Bridger-Teton National Forest officials dismissed concerns it could hurt bighorn sheep habitat in Grand Teton National Park, the News & Guide said.

Both the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Grand Teton National Park said in comments to the Forest Service that the resulting increase in backcountry traffic could harm a small population of bighorn sheep in Granite Canyon, the News & Guide said.

Bridger-Teton officials responded that while traffic on the tram is expected to increase, the backcountry use would remain the same in the park.

“It is anticipated that this will result in a negligible change to the number of persons accessing backcountry areas,” the Forest Service wrote. “The vast majority of backcountry skiers accessing Grand Teton National Park do not utilize the aerial tram as their point of access. Persons accessing backcountry areas within GTNP typically use the Bridger Gondola or the Sublette chairlift.”

Hawaii Superferries to begin this summer

HONOLULU — A Hawaii Superferry built at a shipyard in Alabama will undergo tests before sailing to the islands in May, with fast ferry service between the Hawaiian Islands expected to start in July.

The boats are an attempt to link Hawaii’s islands by something other than airplane flights.

The first of two ferries will link Honolulu with Maui and Kauai. A second vessel is planned for 2009 to serve the Big Island.

The ferries are designed to hold up to 866 passengers and 282 cars.

Several local environmental groups recently called for an environmental review of the project. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration had determined an environmental review was not necessary.

John Garibaldi, the Superferry chief executive officer, did not express any concerns that environmental issues could delay the project. He said the company has been working with local communities since 2004 and made changes in response to their concerns, such as developing procedures to stop the spread of invasive species from island to island.

The ferries also have a whale avoidance plan that includes changing routes during the humpback migration season and posting whale lookouts on its ships, he said.

Ferry fares listed on the company’s Web site range up to $70 for adults.

Details at www.hawaiisuperferry.com.

Legoland developers switch park plans

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Developers wanting to bring a theme park based on the Lego building blocks to the Kansas City area are now looking on the Missouri side of the state line.

RED Development, which is working with Legoland, has abandoned an earlier plan to build the park in Olathe, Kan., after discussions with local officials fell through, according to The Kansas City Star.

The firm is now talking with Lee’s Summit and Missouri officials to build the park as the centerpiece of a 100-acre, $539 million development that would also include a Sea Life aquarium and a retail and office project, the Star said.

If built, the park would be the second Legoland in the U.S. The first opened in San Diego in 1999. There are three Legolands in Europe. The parks are based on the Danish building toy.

The California park draws an estimated 1.5 million visitors a year, and experts say a Kansas City Legoland would draw tourists from throughout the Midwest.

The project will include a 250-room resort hotel, a 25,000-square-foot aquarium, a “festival” retail village with up to 10,000 square feet of stores and restaurants and another attraction operated by Merlin.