By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune managing editor
With construction of the Ark Encounter well underway in Grant County, it’s no longer a question of if the life-sized Noah’s Ark-themed attraction will be completed, but when.
Answers in Genesis co-founder and CEO Ken Ham had an answer (sort of) to that question and others at the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Eggs ‘N Issues event at Receptions in Erlanger Tuesday.
“It’s somewhere between January and December next year,” Ham said jokingly.
He then added the attraction is scheduled to open in mid-to-late summer and that a target date will be announced in November.
The Ark, at 510 feet long, 85 feet wide and 51 feet high, will be the largest timber-frame structure in the world when competed.
It will have four decks and include 32 different exhibits and a restaurant. The distance from the ground level to the top of the bow sail will be 104 feet.
Ham said a petting zoo and a zip line are also planned for the site.
“The Ark itself is an ingenious design. There are three towers, each of those towers are about eight stories high and those towers actually anchor the Ark,” Ham said. “It’s built on piers, 15 foot above the ground.”
Equally impressive are the projected attendance and monetary numbers associated with the project.
Ham said anywhere from 1.4 to 2.2 million people are expected to visit the Ark each year. The attraction is expected to create as many as 21,000 new jobs, most of which will be in the surrounding communities.
The projected economic impact over a 10-year period is estimated at more than $4 billion and Ham said those figures are conservative.
Ham said construction has begun on one hotel and a steakhouse in Grant County, and he believes there are at least two other hotels targeting the area.
“It’s going to very much change Williamstown and bring an incredible economic impact to Grant County and the state of Kentucky,” Ham said.
Eric Summe, president and CEO of meetNKY, said inquiries from developers continues to increase as the project nears completion.
“We are getting two or three calls a month from hotel developers that are basically interested in statistics,” Summe said. “As a bureau we supply them with countywide occupancy levels, a sampling of rates and that sort of thing. It isn’t limited to the Ark and the project itself, but we have noticed an uptick in the number of inquiries.”
Even with additional hotels, Grant County will not be able to accommodate the number of visitors anticipated at the Ark Encounter, which Summe said will benefit other parts of Northern Kentucky.
“The bulk of our hotel inventory is in Boone County, so just given the proximity, southern Kenton County and southern Boone County are the primary areas that will be targeted for stays,” Summe said.
Answers in Genesis also owns the Creation Museum in Petersburg and plans to market the attractions as a package, further enhancing the impact on Boone County and surrounding areas.
While some remain skeptical of the attendance and economic impact numbers, Ham pointed out that America’s Research Group, the same firm that provided projections for the Creation Museum, also conducted the study for the Ark Encounter.
The 75,000-square-foot Creation Museum has exceeded its projected attendance figures and Ham said the Ark Encounter could add as many as 500,000 visitors per year to the Petersburg attraction.
Answers in Genesis is currently involved in litigation with the Kentucky Tourism Arts and Heritage Cabinet hoping to have up to $18 million in tax breaks restored.
In December, the Cabinet said AIG’s hiring policies did not meet state requirements for the tax incentives.
The park’s mission, the agency said, had become more a ministry than a tourist attraction and its hiring practices discriminate on the basis of religion.
Answers in Genesis countered that while the Ark Encounter had transitioned from a partnership to a ministry project, hiring practices had not yet been determined.
Oral arguments were presented in July and Ham said he expects a decision on the litigation very soon.
“We are just waiting on the judge to rule and I’m sure whoever he rules against will appeal to the Sixth Circuit and that’s what we expect,” Ham said. “We thought a decision might come in September, so we think it is getting very close.”
Regardless of how the matter is ultimately resolved, Ham said Answers in Genesis has sufficient resources to complete the Ark.
In addition to a $62 million bond offering, the project is being funded with private donations and through the sale of lifetime passes, which will only be offered until the attraction opens. The Ark Encounter website indicates $22.6 million of the $29 million in private donations needed has already been raised.
Supporters can also back the project through the tax-deductible purchase of pegs, planks and beams used in construction.
Those who make a purchase will have their names placed on a recognition wall inside the Ark and will be able to locate their peg, plank or beam at an onsite kiosk or on the website.