ROCKLIN, Calif. — Update:
Legacy Family Adventures (LFA) is countersuing the City of Rocklin in an ongoing battle over operation of Quarry Park Adventures.
Rocklin filed a suit in Placer County, on Wednesday, against LFA and its Founder/President David Busch for breach of contract and failure to make payments.
LFA’s countersuit includes claims for lost management fee, lost net revenues and punitive damages for defamation against LFA and Busch.
In part of their response to Rocklin’s allegations, LFA stated, in part, “The City’s attack on LFA and Mr. Busch’s reputation is a desperate ploy to coverup the real issue – the City’s negligent misuse of taxpayer money. The City has severely damaged the Rocklin taxpayers and LFA by its conduct.”
Original:
After opening in mid-October, Quarry Park Adventures suddenly shut down for the winter, less than three months into operations. This came as a surprise, since Rocklin’s outdoor adventure park was supposed to be year-round.
At that same time, the city of Rocklin – which owns Quarry Park Adventures – quietly terminated its agreement with the park’s operator, Legacy Family Adventures, an affiliate of Legacy Family Entertainment.
Now, the city says it is suing Legacy Family Adventures (LFA) and its founder and president, David Busch, citing breaches of contract and failure to make required payments.
As ABC10 reported Tuesday, the city wants to contract with a company called Bonsai Design to be the park’s new operator. Bonsai designed and built the park, and now it could take a more active role in the attraction’s future.
The city council will vote on the contract at its March 12 meeting. Meanwhile, Bonsai Design general manager Dylan Burt said his company would re-open the park sometime in April and honor any existing passes, tickets and gift cards purchased from the previous operator.
The city’s lawsuit against LFA and Busch, filed Wednesday in Placer County Superior Court, “alleges fraud, negligent misrepresentation and breach of contract, among other claims,” according to a news release from the city.
“Quarry Park Adventures is important to Rocklin’s future and it is our responsibility to ensure that the Park delivers a great experience for residents and the region,” Rocklin City Manager Steve Rudolph said. “The City decided to move decisively to protect the investment made in the Park and took legal action to officially rescind the Master and Operating agreements with LFA as soon as we understood they were not a capable partner.”
The City of Rocklin says that within weeks of taking control of the park, LFA told city officials that it would never be able to meet the financial and attendance requirements laid out in the operating agreement. The City of Rocklin also alleges that Busch, on several occasions, misrepresented his experience with water parks and adventure parks, as well as the amount of money that would be needed to build and operate Quarry Park Adventures.
Additionally, the city says LFA breached its contract by operating the park at limited and unpredictable hours, plus it failed to make required payments to the city, provide financial reports and track park attendance.
You can read the whole complaint on the city’s website, HERE.
ABC10 reached out to LFA for comment but has not yet received a response. However, at Tuesday’s city council meeting, Busch spoke in the public comments section during the discussion of hiring Bonsai Design as the new operator. He launched some stern critiques of the potential incoming operator.
“There’s no way on this Earth this is going to make money, and you are naive to take the staff's word for this,” he told council members and the city manager.
He pointed out Bonsai still needs to hire staff to operate the park. Indeed, Burt noted his company is looking to hire a manager, marketing coordinator, adventure course manager, and sales manager.
"We plan to hire as many local people as possible and provide training," Burt said.
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