Cypress Gardens Adventure Park

Winter Haven, FL

The Challenge
Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, Florida's first theme park, was reopening under new management and new direction after months of abandonment.  The park owner's mission was to recreate the grand atmosphere of the historic vacation destination, with its rich, vibrant foliage amid adrenaline-pumping thrill rides.  The park was in need of a seasoned, full-service facilities maintenance provider, with expertise in theme park management, to restore Cypress Gardens to the tropical wonderland so fondly remembered by previous generations.  The park demanded true professionals that could provide exceptional service, including restoring and tending to the infamous native and exotic plants, maintaining and securing the numerous rides and roller coasters and providing general clean-up and grounds management.  Aware of OneSource's superior work at theme parks around the United States, the park owner felt confident that OneSource could bring life back to Cypress Gardens.

The Solution
With years of theme park maintenance experience, including Busch Gardens in Tampa, Fla. and Williamsburg, Va., OneSource had a clear understanding of the goals and mission of Cypress Gardens.  OneSource outlined a plan that encompassed a full-scale restoration of the park, including foliage revitalization and ride maintenance.  The extensive park renovation began in March 2004 with a timeline of five months for completion.  They inspected every ride in the park on a daily basis and implemented preventive maintenance tactics, including oil filter, pulley and sprocket changes, and managed all repairs.  Security fences also were monitored and OneSource provided additional security recommendations. 

OneSource seamlessly administered the park's entire landscape scheme by carefully planning and using the latest tools and equipment available.  With their meticulous landscape knowledge, care and "green thumb" capabilities, OneSource transformed Cypress Gardens into a lush oasis with the rejuvenation of delicate greenery and 8,000 varieties of flowers from more than 90 countries. 

In August 2004, the park was struck by the disastrous hurricanes Charley and Frances over the course of a couple of weeks, followed by a third destructive hurricane, Ivane, all (3) three storms damaging more than 50 percent of the park's vegetation and incurring $18 million to $20 million in structural damage.  The destructive hurricanes altered the entire tropical landscape, which forced OneSource to drastically change its plan.  OneSource quickly assessed the damage and brought in reinforcements from Florida, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.  The maintenance team quickly went to work to clear debris, secure undamaged trees, repair rides and restore the park's overall landscaping.  As a result, the cleanup was completed swiftly and efficiently, putting the park back on track for an early December opening.

OneSource continued to enhance the park after completing the initial renovation, implementing improvements such as restoring numerous water gardens and the wedding gazebo.  OneSource continues to provide landscape maintenance with 26 full-time maintenance professionals who provide more than 54,000 man-hours a year. 

The Benefit
OneSource met the customer's needs with a clear vision and sense of urgency, and pulled an emergency team together when two natural disasters occurred.  Prior to the hurricanes, the park was 95 percent ready due to OneSource's efficiency, but after the catastrophe, OneSource had the ability to quickly alter its direction by implementing a disaster recovery plan to reconstruct the damaged vegetation and put the park back into working order.  As a result of OneSource's commitment and ability, Cypress Gardens Adventure Park was swiftly restored to an enchanting destination, filled with beauty, lush foliage and exciting rides.  The park welcomed guests only four months behind its original open date, which would not have been possible without the hard work, effort and knowledge of the OneSource team.  The superior quality, expertise and skill demonstrated during the park renovation and disaster recovery effort left an indelible impression on park management, reassuring them in their decision to outsource with OneSource for all their facilities maintenance needs. 

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