A preservation group dedicated to saving Coney Island’s Sunlite Pool says it made an offer to buy the pool from the property’s new owner, Music & Event Management Inc. (MEMI).
In December, MEMI, a subsidiary of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO), announced it had bought the former amusement park and would be demolishing it to develop a new, state-of-the-art music venue. Since then, the grassroots organization Save Coney Islanders say they have been gathering petition signatures, writing letters and emails, posting to social media, fundraising, holding meetings and rallies and more in an effort to save the historic pool.
The group says, in 1984, 10 acres of land that MEMI’s Riverbend Music Center sits on was donated to the CSO by Coney Island and that the CSO has benefited financially ever since.
"The Save Coney Islanders had hoped that the CSO would acknowledge this generous history and as a thank you to the citizens of Cincinnati for their support, would DONATE Sunlite Pool to Anderson Township for continued operation,” Save Coney Islanders said in a press release. “In January, Anderson Township ‘made it clear to the CSO that we are interested in the property within Anderson Township, which obviously includes Sunlite Pool.' Yet the CSO and MEMI have made no public acknowledgment of this history of goodwill or their intention to donate the pool to Anderson Township.”
Because of this, the Save Coney Islanders say they are offering the CSO a fair market value of $145,454 for the 2 acres of land Sunlite Pool occupies.
“As the pool was never listed for sale on the open market it seems only reasonable that the CSO should consider this offer, or make a counteroffer. CSO, show your gratitude to the citizens of Cincinnati and sell Sunlite Pool to the SCI, so that we can preserve our community pool for future generations,” the press release says.
CityBeat reached out to MEMI for comment on the offer to purchase the pool’s 2 acres and received this response:
“We are proceeding with the development of the property into a state-of-the-art music and entertainment campus. The property is not for sale."
Earlier in March, the CSO also took to social media to address the controversy following its purchase of the amusement park’s property, writing:
“While our focus remains on bringing this vision to life, we also acknowledge the shock and loss that many felt when Coney Island announced that it was closing. We understand why Coney Island’s closure was met with a range of emotions. It’s important to emphasize that the CSO and MEMI did not close Coney Island. The previous owners closed Coney Island and Sunlite Pool. We bought the property, not the business that was on it, to ensure that this space remains in service to the community through music and realize our vision for Cincinnati as one of the most vibrant destinations for live music and entertainment.”
