Name: Jack, aka "Jack"

Web Site: http://www.moreyspiers.com

Posts by Jack:

Jack’s Construction Blog: Concrete Carving

February 22nd, 2012

Take a ride with Jack Morey and see what we’re working on here at Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Waterparks in the first episode of Jack’s Construction Blog.

5 Comments "

Finally… Let the Rockwork Begin!

January 16th, 2012

After many months of research, planning, and preparation we have finally started to construct the walls and rockwork for the new River Adventure.



Let's Rock!

The research started with a visit to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon (still one of my favorite waterparks in the world) and literally walking the river with camera hand.

 

 



Oops.. wrong button.

While learning to use my new iPhone, I accidently hit the wrong button and took a picture of myself while walking in the river. Warning to all mid-age bald men…be careful when going in a lazy river alone with a camera!
It was on this “walk in the park” that I discovered something I must have seen 100 times before but never took notice…a water bench. To photograph this I asked my brother to sit in as a model which he gladly obliged, of course not knowing how exciting this discovery was for me.



Will Modeling on a River Bench

So how is it that I could get so excited about a bench? Well, have you ever seen a city park without a bench? You see by reshaping the river with rocks, waterfalls, fallen trees, and numerous benches we are able to completely change the environment of the river.
If you don’t believe what I’m saying check out the artist rendering.



Rendering of River Adventure by Neal McPheeters

If you still don’t believe, your just gonna have to wait and see for yourself.

Cheers,
Jack

14 Comments "

Some Things Age Gracefully, And Some Things Don’t

December 2nd, 2011

So…….the info has leaked that we are contemplating removing the Condor attraction permanently. Well, let me be the first to quash the rumor and say that it is now true. The Condor is leaving forever sometime in February. The truth of the matter is that the ride was in need of a major rehab which was starting to approach the one million dollar mark (imagine your pinky finger in the corner of your mouth like Austin Powers when saying this). Additionally, we have become increasingly concerned about how difficult it may be to perform a possible emergency evacuation of passengers on the ride.



The Condor in its Glory Days

So when you add this up along with the fact that ridership has steadily decreased over the years, it was both hard (due to historical reasons) and easier for us to say we can spend that “one million dollars” in better ways. It is likely that for 2012 we will fill this space with a temporary and not very glamorous ride, but have no fear as we are on the hunt for the right attraction that can have appeal for generations to come (like maybe a vertical swing).

We are both planning for and currently making huge investments in others areas, as I’ve written about before. A recent addition that we have just committed to at the annual IAAPA show is a complete replacement of the Sea Dragon attraction with the same type of attraction, but themed out as a Wildwood Lifeguard boat. Check out the new Rip Tide concept art below!



New Concept Art for the Rip Tide

Best,

Jack Morey (if you think this makes sense)

Will Morey (If you think this is the stupidest gubally gook you have ever heard)

P.S. Please don’t be mad at us.

58 Comments "

You Gotta Break Some Eggs to Make an Omelet

November 16th, 2011

Ok, so there has been a little mystery about why we have so many cranes, bull dozers and concrete trucks on the beach recently.  Well, there are a lot of moving parts to this jigsaw puzzle… oh, and did I mention that money does not grow on trees?

So from the beach to the boards here is a run down on what we are planning for 2012 and why.

Raging Waters

The endless river is being super significantly renovated to become an adventure that will enhance much of the entire park. Here is an artist rendering that gives you a peek into what’s in store as well as a picture of what a wreck the river looks like under construction.



Bieling's Rendering of the New Hurricane Hole



We'll Have This Cleaned Up for Memorial Day!

Ocean Oasis

A brand new 6 lane Proslide racer is being installed on the south side of the park (near the Shot Gun slides). Sorry, no artist rendering for this one yet, but here’s a picture of the demolition so far.



Clearing the Way for Something Awesome

 



Day Two

Surfside Pier

The Nor’easter has just been re-shaped in order to smooth the ride. If you have not ridden the coaster in a while, please try it next summer. I think you will really enjoy its new smoothness.

 



Testing the Smoothed Track

Mariner’s Landing Pier

After many years of service (starting at Surfside Pier) the Sea Dragon is being replaced with  ????????, another Sea Dragon. We may change the name, but this attraction is just such a classic that we decided to replace it with a brand new model. Check out the photo of the sign. No, we are not saving it to reinstall it on the new Sea Dragon, but rather to use it for Halloween in 2012.



Sea Dragon Sign

Adventure Pier

The pier that hasn’t quite decided what it wants to be when it grows up is also undergoing changes. To be completely honest, these changes are more about preparing for the new wooden coaster that connects Surfside Pier and the old Hunts Pier as shown in this rendering. To accommodate the coaster, much of Hunt’s Pier has to be torn down and the Sky Scraper attraction needs to be relocated. Hence, it is moving to Adventure Pier to join the other high thrill extreme attractions that exist there. This photo shows the Sky Scraper sitting on the beach awaiting transport to Adventure Pier.



Awaiting Transport

Ok, now the hard part. In order to make room for the Sky Scraper (which we also think is a classic) we have decided to permanently remove the Jersey Junkyard and the Mummy from Adventure Pier. I know this is hard for some of you to appreciate, but we just did not think these attractions were the quality that most people expected of Morey’s Piers. Fear not, as this will also give us the ability to focus more dollars and effort on the other dark attractions on Surfside and Mariner’s in addition of course to preparing for the new woody… which I can’t seem to get a straight answer from my brother on with respect to when it will be released for construction.

Lastly, this is a picture of my dog Rory.  We walk the beach to work every morning which helps to remind me just why I love to live in the Wildwoods so much.



Rory the Weimaraner

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

 

29 Comments "

How’s This for a DESIGN BUILD Project??

November 11th, 2011

To the shrieking of my brother’s and our CFO’s voice, I just gotta tell you how much I love a design build project.



Arist Pete Bieling

Pictured here is Pete Bieling, part of the infamous father and son team that successfully helped us to re-position the old Raging Waters at Surfside Pier into Ocean Oasis Waterpark and Beach Club. Pete is doing a sketch for what the old Hurricane Hole in Raging Waters will look like when we open Memorial Weekend of 2012.  In the background is the actually area that he is drawing a rendering of while the demolition is in progress.

Hey I love architects (especially Rich Stokes who, in all fairness, helped to conceive the master plan), but to watch the actual artist who will help carve the rocks in the field drawing the creation moments before the construction begins… ahhhhhh, that is really really exciting for me.  As the geeky computer tech said in Jurassic Park… “Boy this is Great!!”

 



Bieling's Rendering of Hurricane Hole

 

No Comments "

Thank you for your patience and understanding

June 15th, 2011

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this most difficult time.

Since the founding of Morey’s Piers in 1969 we have had the privilege of entertaining over 100 million guests and have never before experienced a guest tragedy of this nature. Our family of dedicated professionals remains in emotional pain. We recognize however that our pain can in no way compare to that of the Jones Family and our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with them.

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has finalized their preliminary investigation into this tragedy and has concluded that there were no mechanical or operational deficiencies on the ferris wheel. The DCA’s report however recommends that single riders no longer be permitted. We strive to be at the forefront of safety initiatives and as a result, we will incorporate their recommendation into our policy and procedures upon opening of the ride in the next several days.

The events of June 3rd, 2011 will be permanently engraved in our memories. They cannot and will not be forgotten. As a team and family we must however embrace a path forward. We will do so humbly and respectfully, but at the same time will not forget our mission, which is “To Provide a Spectacular Family Recreation Experience in an Exceptionally Safe, Clean, Friendly, and Unique Environment.” Our commitment to this mission will not yield.

Respectfully,
Will and Jack Morey
On behalf of the Morey Family and the entire Morey Staff

19 Comments "

Dear Friends and Colleagues

June 4th, 2011

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

In light of the recent tragedy on the ferris wheel the Beachfront Blog is temporarily offline.
Please join our entire staff at Morey’s Piers in keeping the family of the young girl in your thoughts and prayers.
Thank you for your continued support.

Jack Morey
On behalf of the Morey Family, Staff and Beachfront Bloggers.

17 Comments "

Weekend Work + Family + Sam’s Pizza = F U N !!!!!

April 13th, 2011

We have recently been analyzing and fine tuning the feasibility of pushing the proverbial green light for the proposed wood coaster that connects two piers.  While most of the coaster itself has been designed (with appropriate thanks going to all the input we received from the various coaster clubs and aficionados) we have only started scratching the surface on the very important subject of lighting design for the coaster.  As you know, we are mostly a nighttime park, hence lighting will be crucial if we are serious about truly creating a world class woody.

To accomplish this we have preliminarily selected our good friend and colleague Lars (aka “Large”) Koch from Eworks Pro in Orlando, Florida.  Lars is currently under contract to re-light the Ferris Wheel which begins this September.  The design team will include Lars, Rich Stokes (architect), Jeff Pike (Great Coasters), a show designer (TBD) and of course our own in-house team.  My job ………to lead and coordinate all this talent.  If you think this sounds easy just read up a little on the NYC theater production of Spider Man.



Picking up the Pies from Sam's Pizza Guys!



Will Morey (Our Pilot) Boarding the Plane

So with my brother, Will, at the helm we headed out to Orlando.  Also joining us was my bride, Karen, and our two college sons, Zack and Jordan, who were meeting us in Orlando for a little family time.  Before boarding we stopped by Sam’s Pizza to pick up two pies (one plain, one pep, both well done).  It was a beautiful 4hr 11min. flight down and provided a rare opportunity for Will and I to brainstorm strategic business challenges and opportunities.  Of course one always thinks better when “sharing” a piece of Sam’s Pizza……sorry kids, we just couldn’t help ourselves.

 



Getting Close!



Jersey to Florida Pizza Delivery



The best in-flight dining!

After delivering the pies to the kids we retired for the evening and prepared for our meeting with Lars on Saturday morning.

We met Lars at his manufacturing facility, which I must say is worth a trip in and of itself.  It is part robotic science lab, part fabrication facility and part electrical engineer/inventors paradise.  Lars runs it all with an iron, but ironically humorous fist.



At Lars' factory



Will and Lars reviewing the proposed woody

We believe the coaster lighting needs to be both classic and contemporary and must have good show value for spectators… oh and ideally it should never be the same twice.  To achieve this we have preliminarily assigned about $400,000 to the project which sounds like an awful lot of money until you compare it to the multi million dollars shows that inspire us such as the Eiffel Tower, the Hong Kong skyline light show and Disney’s new World of Color.

I fundamentally think you must start these brainstorm ventures as a dreamer (actually without a budget) and without regard to any pre-judged barriers.  Much of what we do is to provide an arena for theater and great theater can be as simple as a single mime on a street to the $65,000,000 production of Spider Man.

 

 

Our meeting was extremely productive and all I can say at this time is that I think we have assembled the right team.  Lars has come up with an idea that has never been done before which of course means we don’t know if it can be done………so wish us luck, we are gonna need it!!!!

And if you have any ideas, I would absolutely love to hear them.

 

4 Comments "

Why……“it”

March 28th, 2011

I have been asked on several occasions just that…..Why “it” for the name of our newest attraction.

Well, to tell you the truth, “it’s” a bit complicated, but here is my best shot at explaining “it.”  “its” a bit of a long story so I am also attaching a memo from one of my greatest mentors, Steve Izenour, to help me explain “it.”

“it” really comes down to this…..We are not a theme park.  Our goal is to be the best seaside amusement park in the world AND to redefine and carry on the celebration of the boardwalk as a unique cultural icon.

I would agree that the differences between a theme park and an amusement park can be subtle and that most guests could probably care less, but to me it is a vital distinction if we are to achieve our goals above.  I have learned a lot from my theme park travels (including practically growing up in Disney World), but what I have learned more than anything is that they all try to sort of control the environment and its surroundings.  We on the other hand are on the beach and ocean; nothing is ever going to take precedence over that.  Hence, my job is to celebrate the environment by selecting and placing our attractions in a manner that creates a one of a kind seascape for families to let their hair down a little.

So how does this relate to naming rides?  Well, again the subtle thing.  Yes some of our rides clearly have themed names, but that is mostly from the past, when we admittedly were once trying to be a theme park.  We now select names that are either based on a reinforcement of our environment (Great Nor’easter, Great White, etc.) or based on an “it is what it is theory” (The Giant Wheel) or based on some pop culture silliness that can be done without embracing a specific theme (“it”).   Mind you our first name for “it” was “sick-o,” but we had a little internal squabble on that one… and I lost.  The naming contest revealed some great names that were hard to say no to and some theme park names that were easy to say no to, but when Ed Peahota suggested “it” for a name I immediately fell in love with “it”… and my brother was just happy I gave up on “sick-o.”  So hats off to Ed, who I might add is quite a talented speed painter and if you have never seen this kind of art you must check it out.

Below is the memo by Steve Izenour from our recent book, A WILD RIDE, published by Jack Wright (another brainiac mentor of mine) who owns Exit Zero.



Memo from Steve Izenour

Lastly, please don’t share this with Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk (the currently ranked #1 Best Seaside Park) as we would not want to let them in on what we are up to.

 

4 Comments "

Spring is in the Air

March 25th, 2011

My bride and I decided to go for a walk on the BOARDS last weekend.  Near cloudless deep blue sky, about 60 degrees, breeze from the west just strong enough to create that special spray from the waves.  We parked our jeep on the beach behind Raging Waters (ok, so a little perk and privilege) and we started our casual walk.

First Stop…..Well we did not get too far as construction workers were busy building a new “under the radar” entrance to Raging Waters.  I can’t really talk about it as my brother and our CFO don’t really know anything about it.  Let me just say that if the solution to pollution is evolution the water park will continue to evolve.  Left there thinking about tree houses for some reason and have this overwhelming desire to build complex cabanas that take on the posture of a tree house.



Raging Waters Back End

Second Stop…..About 100 yards away we decided to tour the renovations going on inside the Ghost Ship.  As you may know we promised that if we won the Readers Choice Award for Best New Attraction in 2010 that we would develop some major changes inside to make the attraction scarier.  I think our spook team (Dino, Terry, Geoff) is really setting the bar high and I can’t wait to get the feedback from our guests.

Third Stop…..About 50 yards away (hard to call this a walk so far) we stopped to see one of my favorite contractors, Anthony DiDonato, whose crew was building a new accessible exit ramp and façade face lift on the Sea Serpent.  All I can say is that to know Anthony is to love him, but the process to getting to know him is, let’s just say, unique.  He asked me if he could simplify the architects spec on a beam detail and like a wimp I caved in and said ok. Hmmmm, wonder what he would have done if I did not accidentally run into him.



New Accessibility Ramp for The Sea Serpent

Fourth Stop…..About another 100 yards west we stopped to check out progress on the new renovations to Jumbo’s.  I took a picture of the new service bar and emailed it to the architect, Richard Stokes.  We need to figure out a way to weather proof this area in order for bartenders to operate during the wind and rain when the outside deck is not open.  Yea, it seems simple, but we truly agonize over details like this.



Jumbo's Facelift

Fifth Stop…..The boardwalk in front of Mariners’ Pier.  Lots of spring cleaning and façade upgrades going on to the buildings that were most recently part of Nickel’s Midway Pier and Splash Zone.  I understand that after 10 years of litigation there has been a final resolve and what a better way to evidence this than to see some fresh roofing and fresh paint.  Heard a rumor that Chickie and Pete’s might even be moving in………this would really be great for the boardwalk and will most certainly keep Curley’s on their toes.  At about this point my wife was wondering if there would really be any walking today at all.  Message taken and we journeyed almost a half mile til our next stop.

Sixth Stop…..Sam’s Pizza.  It is sort of the center of the universe this time of year.  You would think there was an upcoming worldwide ban on pizza in the near future based on how many people were there.  Kudos to Sam and the great Sam’s team for creating such an iconic institution………oh, and the pizza is da besta!!!  Adjacent to Sam’s, the old Gateway 26 façade is undergoing some terrific renovations and my hat goes off to all those involved.



The Pizza Magicians!

Seventh Stop…..Decided to check out the foundations and site prep on Surfside Pier that we are doing for the arrival of “it” (our new ride for 2011). The final concrete pour was done so I wanted to observe the final height we chose for the base of the ride.  No matter how many times we do this there is always an anxious mystery in how the ride layout will look.  In this case the ride had to be located in conjunction with what we hope to be a new wooden coaster in the near future.  I wouldn’t quite call this blind dart throwing, but it does have its abundant share of mystery and anxiety.  We then observed the work from the boardwalk north of the pier as we made some decisions to make sure several rides have good visibility from this vantage point.

Eighth Stop…..Believe it or not we did not stop again until the north end of the boardwalk at 16^th Street.  And this is where I met Joe from Williamstown, who approached and said, “Hey are you Jack Morey?” to which I answered…..utto!  Turns out Joe actually read a few of my blogs which has now given me the desire to write a few more.  So Joe, if you are out there and listening…..Thank you for choosing  The Wildwoods as your family resort!

We sat on the bench and did a few meaningless texts and emails and thought to ourselves how lucky we were to just be alive on this beautiful day.  Which then led to our desire to call our kids (one in California and one in Florida).

Tired from all the walking (or perhaps stopping) we strolled almost non-stop back to our jeep and headed home.

3 Comments "