Wrather Could Help Put Ailing Flint Economy Back on Track
I was certainly pleased to read that Wrather Corp. of Beverly Hills may acquire the trouble-plagued Auto World Theme Park in Flint, Mich.
Flint is indeed fortunate that a specialized entertainment company with such fine credentials is interested in Auto World.
The idea for Auto World originated about the same time that Flint’s long-neglected redevelopment program began.
Flint, the city I was born and raised in, has seen a steady decline in its fortunes since the end of World War II.
When I visited Flint a few years ago, the city looked like a nuclear bomb had hit it.
Unemployment was at a record 21%, the nation’s highest, and some of the most influential media in the country were having a field day proclaiming Flint as the unemployment capital of the nation.
The recession of Flint hit bottom in 1982. Fortunately for Flint, though, community leaders and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation were planning a major comeback for the tortured industrial city.
The Mott Foundation is one of the nation’s most prestigious charitable organizations.
C. S. Mott, who died in 1973 at the age of 97, was once General Motors’ largest stockholder and one of the country’s richest men. He funded the foundation, which has a special interest in urban redevelopment, and especially, the inner-city Flint area.
Auto World started as a 300,000-square-foot indoor park managed by Six Flags, one of the nation’s largest theme park operators.
The $70-million downtown amusement park opened in 1984 with great fanfare, but the euphoria ended only one year later when the park closed for lack of attendance.
Flint has never been called a tourist mecca, and even Wrather has a job on its hands in righting Auto World. I think the company can do it.
The theme of automobile history has a place not only in America, but worldwide, and this may be the key to Auto World’s future success--successful promotion to draw visitors from around the world.
I say three cheers for Wrather Corp.
DICK M. BLUE
Camarillo
