Talks End Between Fair Board and Kentucky Kingdom Redevelopment Company

The plan to expand, refurbish and re-open Kentucky Kingdom has hit another snag.Talks have broken down between the state Fair Board and businessman Ed Hart's Kentucky Kingdom Redevelopment Company.Fair Board president Harold Workman says the two sides couldn't agree on where certain revenue streams should be steered, but declined to elaborate. The board will now look for other operators."Obviously the news is out about the plight of the kingdom and I'm sure companies will know that we are getting ready to seek operators," says Workman, who doesn't believe it will be difficult to find another partner."There are operators that are out there. We had inquiries before from five or six companies, so we would anticipate there might be some interest from those," he says.Hart previously owned the park and had hoped to use a combination of city, state and private dollars to double the park's size and re-open it two phases beginning in 2013."We just received a copy of the statement provided to the media from Mr. Harold Workman of the Kentucky State Fair Board," says the KKRC in a statement released this afternoon. "This is the first contact we have had with Mr. Workman since  Ed Hart  presented to a meeting of the Fair Board last week. Apparently, the Kentucky State Fair Board has decided not to pursue an agreement with Mr. Hart and his company."Hart and the Fair Board had been in talks since shortly after Six Flags gave up its lease on the park in February of last year. Workman says he believes 2013 is still a realistic goal for re-opening the park.A spokesman for the mayor says it's in the city's best interest for the park to re-open, but Metro Government has not been at the table in recent talks.