Fun Forest seeing sad times

It's not all fun and games at Seattle Center's Fun Forest these days.

A remnant of the 1962 World's Fair, the amusement park has lost business, fallen behind on rent. Its future "is very much in doubt" unless the city renegotiates its lease, said owner Stella Aubin in a recent letter to the City Council.

"We've been here a long time. We've invested a lot of money, and we'd like to stay here, but we need to make a profit," said Steve Robertson, Aubin's son-in-law and general manager of the Fun Forest.

City officials say they want to see recommendations from a Seattle Center task force appointed by Mayor Greg Nickels before discussing the amusement company's fate.

But officials do not sound sympathetic.

"Frankly, the downward trend of their industry is not something I control," said Seattle Center Director Virginia Anderson, noting that the company's lease, which runs through 2014, was the result of "hard negotiations" by both sides.

Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis said the amusements, which occupy almost 2 acres at Seattle Center, appear old-fashioned.

"The Fun Forest sits on pretty prime real estate in Seattle Center. But it's not been one of the prime attractions. I don't think they've kept up with the market. The rides don't seem too exciting," Ceis said.

The city can terminate its lease with the Fun Forest for failure to pay rent and force the company to remove all its property. But city officials have not suggested taking such steps yet.

Robertson and Aubin argue that they've invested $8 million in a new arcade and other improvements since they renewed their lease in 1996. But sales have been less than expected, causing the company to lay off employees, freeze salaries and fall behind in rent payments by $191,334, according to Robertson.

"We're not a major theme park. We never will be," said Robertson, adding that the Fun Forest aims mainly to serve families who want to "jump on the merry-go-round before visiting the Children's Museum."

Under a gray sky Saturday afternoon, dozens of adults and children seemed to enjoy the rides at the base of the Space Needle.

Holly and Shaun Lackey and their three children were visiting from Astoria, Ore. "It's perfect for the younger ones," said Shaun Lackey, as his son Shaun, 5, and daughter Tessa, 2, waved from Snow Convoy cars circling a small track.

Dibiasi, 31, a rap artist visiting from North Carolina, found the Fun Forest's bumper cars and Ferris wheel charming. "It looks like an old Southern town carnival. I don't see how anyone can complain."

Robertson said he's not sure why the company's sales have dropped almost 20 percent, from $5 million in 1996 to $4.1 million last year. He blames some of the dip on a regional recession and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

But the city has also played a part, he said. Two monorail accidents and extended closures have hurt the Fun Forest, he said, and the city scaled back the amusement park's hours during the Bite of Seattle festival.

The Fun Forest appealed to the City Council for help in a letter earlier this month. The company asked for a reduction in its rent, which was $693,822 last year. It also wants the city to waive past-due rent.

The Fun Forest employs 127 people — many of them teenagers — during peak season, said Robertson, who has worked at the amusement park for 38 years. The company also offers free rides to disabled children and provides discounts to school groups and military members, he said.

An outdated concept?

The Fun Forest request comes at a time when another long-standing Seattle Center tenant, the Sonics, have asked for a $200 million subsidy to expand KeyArena. Team officials have also said they would like a more favorable lease when their current one expires in 2010.

Robertson said he has seen no signs the city wants to redevelop the Fun Forest space for another use. But King County Executive Ron Sims did write a recent opinion column for The Seattle Times in which he said the Fun Forest was unappealing to teenagers and called for a dramatic makeover of Seattle Center.

Seattle City Councilman David Della, whose committee oversees the 74-acre city-owned campus, said he wants to follow through on a long-planned review of the center's financial stability before taking a position on the Fun Forest's request.

"My guess is it's outdated," Della said of the amusement park's financial problems. "Whether we extend this lease or redefine that space, I don't know yet."

Bob Young: 206-464-2174 or byoung@seattletimes.com