Roswell UFO theme park hovers in limbo

State funding for project pulled after appropriation determined illegal

Tim Korte | The Associated Press

4/9/2008 -

ALBUQUERQUE — For now, plans for a proposed UFO-themed amusement park in Roswell have been sucked into a black hole.

The project is going nowhere after state officials withdrew a $245,000 legislative appropriation intended for initial planning, saying the outlay would have violated New Mexico's anti-donation clause.

Under state law, New Mexico cannot donate to private individuals or entities.

The money had been designated for Roswell city government. But because city officials never intended to run the park, the state Department of Finance and Administration determined the appropriation was illegal.

"We were headed down the road and DFA told us we couldn't go there," City Manager John Capps said Wednesday. "The money is not necessarily lost, but as appropriated, it could not be used for the purpose we intended."

Capps said the city might ask lawmakers for another appropriation next year, but that decision would have to be made by city councilors.

City officials have been looking for ways to boost tourism from the town's ties to the Roswell Incident, a supposed UFO crash on an area ranch in 1947. Military officials later said recovered debris came from a weather balloon.

Mayor Sam LaGrone said city officials still support the UFO theme park, but Capps said it cannot move forward unless a private investor such as an amusement park company shows interest. "We hope to demonstrate the feasibility of the project and use that to entice private investment," he said.

A Florida man who initially pitched the UFO amusement park concept to city leaders three years ago said he plans to pursue the project through private financing as well.

Bryan Temmer of Land O' Lakes, Fla., said he also feels entitled to some kind of royalty payment if the park is built, since he presented the idea for what he calls the Alien Apex Resort.

Like city officials, Temmer hopes private investors will surface. "I have prospects, but it's like knocking on doors, selling insurance," he said. "It depends on what their mood is. I just know I'm not going to quit."

Capps disputed Temmer's intellectual property claim, saying the city isn't committed to Temmer's concept. "If we do find a private operator to come in, they may adopt a different theme or a different name," Capps said.

If the project continues, the park could open as early as 2012.