City considers roller coaster on downtown Great Lawn

What do you think about a ride called "Hunting the Gowk?"

That's just one of the names being tossed around West Palm Beach city hall for a new downtown economic development concept that is under consideration.

The city is considering building a permanent roller coaster on the Great Lawn at the waterfront. The idea is to create an attraction that will set the city apart from others and draw people to the downtown area.

The idea follows the success of a traveling art project called "The Swings" that was a recent attraction on the 500 block of Clematis Street.

"The Swings were proof positive that rides are a great way to drive visitors to our downtown," said West Palm Beach Parks and Recreation Director Leah Rockwell. "What we are looking at doing is taking it to the next level and making something permanent."

"Several cities in Europe have had success with similar ideas," said West Palm Beach Economic Development Director Chris Roog. "This was something that originally came up during the city's recent trip to Copenhagen."

The city is looking at the Great Lawn because it is the only downtown space large enough to accommodate a roller coaster. Discussions have also included plans to incorporate the coaster into several of the downtown events that take place such as SunFest, and Clematis by Night.

City officials say no definite plans have been set, but they anticipate it may be placed on an agenda one year from today on April 1st, 2017.