Zip line over is the latest Main St. rally adventure (MCTH-Doreen Creed) – For the first time ever. People will be able to literally “zip down” Main Street. But people won’t be zipping around on speeding motorcycles. They will be zipping “over” the thousands below on a zip line. In a table talk with MCTH, Sturgis Mayor Mark Carstensen said the city has been talking about the advantage of having a zip line in the rally and sponsorship closed city committee meetings for more than a year. But he said, “Zip lines are really expensive and cost more to buy than the city could afford.” City manager Daniel Ainslie added the city is always looking for new ways to keep the hundreds of thousands of rally attendees in town. He said additional activities the city has involvement in are an outgrowth of information learned from city surveys taken during the rally. Ron Woodruff, owner of the Buffalo Chip Campground, has had a zip line at his multi-complex for a couple of years. It has also used been used at the Central States Fair in Rapid City. Ultimately Woodruff and the city got together and made a mutually beneficial financial arrangement. As a result, there will now be a zip line to entertain attendees. Woodruff’s employees will operate the ride and the city will receive a portion of the $20 fee charged for the adventure. Exactly how much the city will share is not public information. Like with all rally sponsorships, that information is confidential between the contract signers. Residents may have seen the poles in the area where the city’s photo tower has been located for decades at the Junction and Main intersection. The zip line starting platform will be erected there and the photo tower will be moved just west of it. The approximate 500-foot zip line will run east over Junction in the center lane of Main St. in front of the National Motorcycle Museum etc. The line will be approximately three stories high. Friday night, Ainslie said the exact zip line specifications were still being designed by a professional engineer. The Chip will carry liability insurance and list the city as an additional insurer. Ainslie estimated that approximately 60 bike parking spots will be lost due to the zip line. But he believes much of the downtown congestion will eased due to Easyriders construction of large parking lots. The city has also approved having a dancing traffic cop downtown.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 21:04:39 +0000
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