The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 39

Monday, December 26, 1988 THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Business MondayD-5 Designer puts new twists into nation's roller coasters A 'if ERSGIiL QCGLuT was all about. The Racer roller coaster featuring an 85-foot lift and about 3,800 feet of track was his first project at King's Island. Later he was involved in another King's Island coaster to be known as The Beast. After that came the Rebel Yell, similar to The Racer, for King's Dominion in Richmond, Va. Among the many coaster rides that followed was the world's longest, The American Eagle, which he considered "quite a challenge." Summers said it is important when designing a roller coaster to be careful with the transitions into the banks and the curves so the ride won't be jerky.

"You have to balance the forces so you give the people a thrill, but you don't scare them too badly and certainly you don't hurt them." One of those forces is the G-force, or the effect of gravity on the human body felt in any change direction such as going round a sharp corner, when accelerating, or switching abruptly from a plunge to an uphill climb. G-forces are measured in terms the weight of a person's body. Everybody lives normal life at one at three a person feels as though their body weighs three times normal. Fighter pilots can take several Gs in aerobatic maneuvers before they black out. "We don't go past the force of or less than 0.2," Summers said.

At a G-force of zero, the body feels weightless, as in that moment when a roller coaster stops hurtling uphill, pushes over the top, and plunges earthwards again. A negative G-force would be more extreme, even throwing people out of a roller coaster. "You don't want that to happen," he said. Limits on speed In addition tn wnrrvina ahnnt such complicated matters forces, the designer of a as roller Curtis Summers' "American Eagle" wooden roller coaster, at Six Flags Park north of Chicago, at nearly A PURE SPRING WATER XL W'fS FREE TRIAL OFFER' mainland China. "The Chinese always want to take everything out in trade," he said, noting that negotiations are hung up until he can find a trader in Hong Kong to convert bolts of silk to U.S.

dollars. Summers also has done some preliminary work for a park in Lahore, Pakistan, and is hopeful it will be possible to proceed on the project because the new prime minister is trying to run "a little more civilized country." It's not easy to build a thriller when the streets are filled with rioters, he pointed out. Among Summers other specialties is investigation. He puts his expertise to work for insurance firms, lawyers and others trying to to get at the root of such catastrophes as the Beverly Hills fire in Southgate, and the MGM Hotel fire in Las Vegas, Nev. That's right! We'll put a water cooler and 10 gallons of Tal-awanda Spring Water in your home or office for two weeks at no cost, nor obligation to you.

If, after two weeks, you're not interested then we'll pick up the cooler and empty bottles, no questions asked. If, on the other hand, you enjoy having Talawanda Spring Water "on tap," then we'll sign you up! Call us today for details: iS coaster must consider the foundations so the track won't "settle" over the years. The designer also must compute the wind forces and flood plains and make provisions for traffic within the park. On top of all that, a designer must take into consideration the amount of punishment that can be taken by the metal of the wheels. When the coaster is capable of traveling as fast as 70 miles an hour time after time in one day and sometimes all year around a lot of fatigue can get into the metal, Summers pointed out.

At any rate, the design of a roller coaster isn't something that can be brushed off quickly. Summers now does a great deal of amusement park work in the international arena. That started when he traveled to Paris to study the real thing before designing the Eiffel Tower at King's Island. He currently is pursuing a job in 1 3 1 MUST MEET NORMAL TTlt be a bargain hunter's paradise BY MARGARET JOSTEN The Cincinnati Enquirer Every day has its ups and downs for Curtis D. Summers.

That's what you would expect for one of America's top designers of roller coasters. But the structural engineer who created the world's longest roller coaster the nearly two-mile American Eagle at Six Flags Park north of Chicago made it clear there's nothing funny about making a ride that is both safe and thrilling. Summers is designing a $3 million wooden roller coaster for Worlds of Fun at Kansas City, Mo. That ride, covering seven acres and hitting speeds as high as 53 miles an hour, will boast a capacity of 1,200 thrill-seekers every hour. Another coaster he's designing for Dorney Park in Allentown, will feature the world's tallest drop giving riders the momentary impression they'll plunge right into the lake at the bottom.

Summers' work on roller coasters and on many other theme park rides and amenities is conducted from his comparatively small engineeringarchitectural firm, Curtis D. Summers located in the main business section of Madeira. The 18-employee company also works on such mundane projects as warehouses, manufacturing plants, office buildings and branch banks. When Summers was on active duty as a structural engineer with the U.S. Navy between 1953 and 1958, he visited Disneyland at Anaheim, soon after it opened.

"Little did I realize I would be involved in such things," Summers said. Coney Island projects Following his release from active duty, however, he broke into amusement park design on such projects as the Lake Como railroad, the Skyride and the Puppet Theater at the old Coney Island. When the owners of Coney built the huge Kings Island, Summers was in the happy position of knowing what the construction of rides Today will BY RICHARD GREEN The Cincinnati Enquirer hristmas 1989 may be 364 shopping days away, but Greater Cincinnati retailers today are bracing for a tidal wave of holiday shoppers. "It doesn't end just because Christmas is over," said Helen Schipper, manager of the First Issue store in Kenwood Towne Centre. "We're expecting a lot of customers today, primarily with returns.

But most people have the day off and will be anxious to spend some of their Christmas money." Those heading to the stores to return or exchange merchandise are likely to find other distractions slashed prices on remaining goods, predict analysts. "It's going to be a monster shopping day," said Chris Ohlin-ger, president of Service Industry Research Systems, a retail marketing and consulting firm with offices in Cincinnati. "We saw a lot of great prices toward the end of the Christmas season, now there'll be even more. From what I hear, shoppers haven't seen anything yet." The first indication of inventory clearance sales came in the waning days of the yuletide shopping season. Retailers cut prices by as much as 70 in some stores, hoping to attract last-minute buyers.

But if you woke this morning feeling hunger pangs for even more bargains, expect a feast of sales today. "I've got to clear everything out," said Stacey Vater, manager of Beechmont Mall's 'Tis the Sea- Home sales BY CHARLES JACKSON The Cincinnati Enquirer ast January, housing sales for the Greater Cincinnati area HnnkpH drearv so dreary that thp Wal real estate industry predicted that sales for 1988 would be off 6 to 10 and dollar volume would drop as much as 4. But for the third straight year sales topped $1 billion with that figure being reached in September, earlier than ever before. "Last year did not start well," said George Ballou II, president and owner of West Shell Cincinnati's largest real estate company. Ballou said he thinks many postponed decisions after the stock market crash in October, 1987.

"We saw construction going down in upscale housing those in the of of 3, a 4 The Cincinnati EnquirerDick Swaim two miles is the world's longest. 271-1790 CREDIT REQUIREMENTS. peaK 0120 the largest BNlWdealerin STORE 10 to 6131 Stewart Road 45227 513-271-8700 oh a For attorneys, physicians, owners of small businesses and professionals of all sorts people who work for themselves either full or part time. Keogh Plans continue to offer important tax advantages for self-employed people. And Keoghs continue to be powerful savings instruments for the self-employed.

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Time is of the essence. Because to enjoy the tax and savings benefits of a Keogh Plan for 1988, you must open one before the end of this year only days away! FDESnODTJGn SAVINGS AND LOAN COMPANY 719 Vine Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 2J kXwi 1 Helen Schipper, manager of the employees Sherry Schuler, left, son shop. "This will be my busiest day of the year because most of the merchandise will be 50 off." There are some, however, who aim to return part of Sunday's Christmas booty. If you're seeking cash return or charge credit, it's best to be armed with receipts, explained Jerry Gafford, vice president of corporate affairs for Lazarus. "Without a receipt, basically all you can expect is an exchange of and 721 FSLTCI Tne Cincmnau EnquirerDick Swaim Kenwood Towne Centre's First Issue store, center, instructs Denise Wright how to ring up returns on Christmas items.

i 4 i everybody," said Bob Davis, vice president of Swallen's. And if you do head out today, don't leave your patience at home, said Gafford. "It's important to remember that retailers will experience as many transactions today and the rest of this week as they did during the week preceding Christmas," he said. "Stores will be filled with people, so be prepared." strong faith in the economy," Guetle said. "Every time someone moves up to buy and there is a lot of that it trickles down to the first-time buyer." And though Domicile Realtors didn't have tremendous sales increases, brokerowner Winford Taylor said the firm averaged about the same as last year.

"We've had a lot of activity in November," he said, pointing out that houses that were in the low $50,000 range a year ago are now selling in the $60,000 range. "I think a lot of this rise in price has to do with supply and demand," Taylor said. "There are a lot of people out there looking, and anything that's nice on the market goes quickly." weren't supposed to be this good TODAY'S GERMAN EXCHANGE RATE GIVES YOU 32 MORE BUYING POWER. The 1989 168-HP BMW 325i delivers 32 more power than last year's 325 at about the same price. Come see what 32 more power does for performance.

And how much you can saw the same item in a different size or color, or something else equal in price," he said. "Without the sales receipt, most retailers' hands are tied." Gearing up for the onslaught of exchanges, most stores will have an army of sales associates on hand to ease traffic. Special areas also will be set up to make the exchanges simpler. "We want to make the whole process as easy as possible for beginning in sales for 1988. "1 think a lot of the press about the stock market had an unsettling affect on people.

But they seem to have overcome their indecision. "I think everybody's (in the Cincinnati area) sales will be up, unless they're doing something wrong," he added. Sibcy Cline Realtors general sales manager Mike Guetle said his firm had "an exceptional year. Sales are up 10 to 12. Our new listings were up 24 to 25." Guetle said the average sales price for the firms' listings increased 14, explaining that last year's average of $88,000 to $89,000 increased to $102,000 in 1988.

He said the industry nationally experienced an 8 increase in average price sales. "I think people the buying rfnd selling public have a real when you deal with the Midwest. $300,000 range and above, but those in the $750,000 range and above were very strong. This kind of buyer is not affected by the economic twists and turns," he said. And as the year progressed, many others joined the throngs who helped make 1988 another banner year for the Cincinnati real estate industry.

Through October, Comey and Shepherd's sales were up 30 over last year, said Roy C. Nelson, president and owner. "This does not take into consideration November and December," Nelson said. "We're looking at the middle of the month and we've already equaled last December's sales. I would anticipate our sales being up 50 over last year." Nelson agreed with Ballou on the primary reason for a slow THE BMW Take 1-71N to Exit Cincinnati, Ohio.