Big ark could mean big business
ERLANGER - The giant Noah's ark tourist attraction will be physically imposing, and according to those leading the charge, it will have an even bigger economic impact on the region.
The man in charge of the organization that will run the theme park being built in Williamstown, Ky., told the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday that the ark could attract between 1.4 million and 2.2 million visitors annually. That could help create more than 21,000 new jobs for the region over the next 10 years, said Ken Ham, co-founder and chief executive officer of Answers In Genesis.
"We know that people will want to come and see this," Ham said. "And our head researcher says it will be more in the two million range.
"And the ultra conservative estimate on the economic impact is more than $4 billion and we think it will be more than that."
NKY Chamber president and chief executive officer Trey Grayson said he knew the project would have a positive economic impact on the region beforehand, but the latest numbers still surprised him.
The numbers are "certainly bigger than I thought," Grayson said. "It's pretty amazing. Even if they are half off, it could be transformative to our region and further develop Grant County as part of that corridor between Northern Kentucky and Lexington."
An announcement on when the park will open is expected sometime in November. Ham said the park is on schedule to open sometime in late summer of 2016. Answers in Genesis also runs the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, and Ham said that attendance there could be boosted by an extra 500,000 annually because of the ark.
Admission prices have yet to be set for the Ark Encounter, Ham said. But prices probably will be slightly more expensive than at the Creation Museum, where an adult ticket costs about $30.
As for the actual ark, construction is well underway, with Ham showing videos taken by drones of the structure. When finished, it will feature four decks with 132 different exhibits. It is expected to stand 104 feet tall from the bottom to the top of the main sail, and will be 410-feet-long by 85-feet-wide. The actual structure will be more than 50 feet high. Plans are using the measurement of Egyptian cubits, which equate into 20.4 inches apiece.
Ham said that the outside planking, laid end to end, would stretch from Williamsburg, Kentucky, to Philadelphia. It will be the largest timber-framed structure in the world, Ham said.
"After the flood, God said it wouldn't happen again," Ham said. "And that's a good thing, so we don't have to worry whether ours floats or not."
Ham added said that developers are already starting to show interest in the area because of the ark. A new hotel and steak restaurant are planned for the nearby interchange on Interstate 75.
The project is being funded by a combination of private donations, advanced sales and a bond offering worth $62 million. In addition, individuals can purchase a peg, plank or beam on the structure and have their name on it. The state of Kentucky decided against giving the project tax incentives earlier this year due to the religious nature of the project, leading to a lawsuit by one of the project's financing companies.
