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Decisions at the ballot box influence policies that support engineering standards and public safety.May 2014
COMMUNITIES: CONSTRUCTION
Construction-Themed Amusement Park to Open in New Jersey
A construction-themed amusement park with four locations in the United Kingdom is scheduled to open in New Jersey this summer.
The first of its kind in North America, Diggerland USA will give guests of almost all ages the opportunity to drive, ride, and operate real construction machinery in a safe environment.
The park is being brought to the states by New Jersey indoor and outdoor waterpark Sahara Sam’s Oasis, which is not at all surprising given its owners’ connection to the construction industry. The Girlya family has owned and operated Sambe Construction Co., a full service commercial general contractor, for more than 30 years.
“I grew up in the construction business,” says president and CEO of Sahara Sam’s Oasis Ilya Girlya. “I was born and bred in it; I drove all the heavy machinery; I was a diesel mechanic with my brother, who runs [Sambe], so when this opportunity was presented it was a natural fit.”
Ilya’s father Sam, a civil engineer, and his mother Betty started Sambe, an amalgamation of their names, in 1983. Today Ilya and his brother Yan do more than just operate and repair machinery, though. Ilya is president and CEO of Sahara Sam’s Oasis, while Yan is general manager of Sambe.
Equipment at Diggerland locations is modified for use on a course or made stationary for operation in designated areas, giving children and parents the opportunity to drive or operate skid-steer loaders, backhoes, tractors, mini dumpers, and small excavators.
Other equipment has been modified to provide an experience more like traditional amusement park rides. The Spin Dizzy, for example, booms the arm of a 20-ton JCB JS220L excavator up and down while spinning in circles with eight passengers harnessed into the seats of a modified bucket attachment.
Signage in the park will also provide information on the equipment, from its mechanical engineering to its uses in the construction industry. “All of that supplemental information will come along with the experience, whether it’s signage or direction from the ride operators and such,” says Chris Peters, director of marketing and public relations for Sahara Sam’s Oasis.
