GRAND ISLAND, N.Y. — For the past couple of days, we have heard hundreds of complaints about the conditions at Fantasy Island. On Tuesday, 2 On Your Side’s Kelly Dudzik took those complaints right to the top and asked park officials the tough questions about how they are going to fix everything.
A day after we started asking you for feedback on Fantasy Island, the park allowed us in for a guided tour with marketing director Doug Mandell. We brought a stack of your emails with us.
"There are a bunch of people in here who say, I visited, and half the rides were not working and were broken," explained Dudzik.
"Well, occasionally, some of our rides will experience temporary stoppages and that really is an indication that our ride safety systems are working as designed," said Mandell.
"When rides are down, is it usually a maintenance issue, a weather issue, or a staffing issue?" asked Dudzik.
"It really depends on the scenario. So, safety is our top priority and our rides are thoroughly checked," replied Mandell.
Mandell says rides down for maintenance are posted online and listed on a sign before you enter the park. Tuesday, only one ride wasn't working.
He also noted that on lighter days, the park closes some concession stands if those menu options are available elsewhere.
But what about the park's cleanliness?
"She says the bathrooms were disgusting, no toilet paper, sink overflowing, and dirty," said Dudzik as she read another email.
"We have a parks services team that does thorough checks of our restrooms each morning and throughout the day. If a guest ever finds a restroom that is not to standard, they can let one of us know, and we will clean it immediately," said Mandell.
Then, there's the pond, which several viewers complained about.
"My 12-year-old constantly compares the smell to cooked broccoli. So, we got a lot of comments about the pond being gross," said Dudzik.
“Okay, so, the pond is actually a natural waterway that does run through the park," said Mandell. "That allows us to hire a professional licenses contractor to come and provide twice monthly treatments to the pond in order to promote water clarity. So, we have hit the max number of treatments for July."
Management says it welcomes your feedback either at the park or after you get home.