Rides for a new amusement park on Ocean Boulevard in North Myrtle Beach will start being set up as early as mid-July, one of the park's planners said Tuesday.

Mark Lazarus, who also owns a water park in Surfside Beach, spoke one day after North Myrtle Beach City Council approved new amusement park guidelines that will pave the way for the park, which is being called the O.D. Pavilion and Amusement Park, to open Aug. 1.

Proponents of the park, which will include a Ferris wheel and small roller coaster, say it will help re-energize the city's downtown and be a new attraction for visiting families. The park will be open through Labor Day weekend, Lazarus said, with plans to operate a full summer schedule next year.
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"It's a good idea because it brings something back for the kids to do and the families to do," said North Myrtle Beach City Councilman Terry White, who represents the Ocean Drive section of the city, from where the park is taking its name. "That's something that we've missed."

The park will be on the oceanfront between First Avenue South and Main Street. It is a joint venture with H.G. Worley, who owns the land with his family and is the son of Horry County Councilman Harold Worley. A company called Dreamland Amusements is providing the rides, which will be taken down when the park closes.

The city guidelines approved Monday include limiting hours of operation, limiting the height of amusement ride structures to 70 feet and controlling noise. The park's planners must also submit a site plan to city staff, which would sign off on the plan if the guidelines are met.

Prior to the change, the park's planners would have had to go before the city's zoning board of appeals for a special exception because an amusement park is not typically allowed in areas, like the park's proposed site, that are zoned resort commercial. The board also had little guidance on how to make the decision.

Lazarus said the park's planners would put about $100,000 into the site for improvements such as better landscaping, fencing and flags. A parking lot across the street will also be spruced up, he said.

Lazarus said the site plan should be submitted to the city in the next week or so, and work will begin on the improvements in July.

Admission will be free, and guests will pay per ride - about $2 - but Lazarus said that has not been finalized. Lazarus said the park would be open from 4 to 11 p.m. all week and would rely on foot traffic from some of the nearby hotels.

A similar amusement park was on the site decades ago. Lazarus said a restaurant on the site will continue to operate for now.

"We think there's a need for North Myrtle Beach to create some activity, some excitement in the downtown area," said Lazarus, a former county councilman who used to own the nearby Grand Prix Family Thrill Park until it closed a couple of years ago. "We think it's a great use for the property that's just basically sitting there vacant right now."

Contact MIKE CHERNEY at 444-1765.