Zip line course in North Park adds gathering space for guests
Visitors to the Go Ape treetop obstacle course in North Park will notice a new feature there this summer — but not in the form of zip lines, rope ladders or “Tarzan swings.”
The company is building its first off-the-electric-grid “operations cabin” that will replace the temporary metal structure it has used for storage since the course opened two years ago.
“We’re pumped about it. It’s something that will make the guest experience really enjoyable,” said Dan D’Agostino, USA managing director for Go Ape. The cabin, he added, fits with the park’s aesthetic and the company’s vision. “It’s one of our values to be environmentally sound and produce sustainable courses.”
At just under 400 square feet, the cabin, made by Lebanon, Pa.based Conestoga Log Cabins, will include solar panels and other sustainable features. Mr. D’Agostino imagines it as a gathering place during the post-course “celebration phase,” when visitors return their harnesses and reflect on the experience that allows them to explore the park from a different vantage point.
Go Ape North Park, open through November, is one of 11 courses the company manages in the United States since opening the first one in 2010 in Rockville, Md., near Washington, D.C.
The North Park site opened in April 2013 after Allegheny County signed a 10year contract with two fiveyear extensions with Go Ape.
The company paid the county $20,000 in its first year and will pay it an annual fee in amounts increasing up to $40,500 by the fifth year of the contract.
The company’s revenuesharing agreement with the county means that a portion of every ticket sale goes back to the county parks department.
This location, which employs 14 people and attracts visitors from as far away as West Virginia and Ohio, is among Go Ape’s most successful courses, Mr. D’Agostino said.
County parks director Andrew Baechle said the course and the OTB at the Boathouse restaurant are both private enterprises that have been welcome additions to the 3,000-acre public park in Hampton, McCandless and Pine.
“Go Ape and Boathouse working off of each other seems to be a good combination," he said. The Go Ape North Park experience takes two to three hours. Cost is $55 for people 16 and up and $35 for people between 10-15.
More information: http://goape.com/