Air Date: Week of March 31, 2006

Oil rigs and nuclear power plants are just some of the family-friendly attractions in a proposed offshore theme park on Cape Cod.

Transcript

CURWOOD: While Cape Cod residents, scientists, and politicians are duking it out a proposed 130-turbine wind farm on Nantucket Sound, one local artist is forging ahead with a plan of his own: a Disney-inspired theme park complete with casinos, rollercoasters and much, much more. It’s a bid to lure tourism to the Cape, he says, and educate visitors about energy production – though not in the ways you’d think.

Jay Critchley is the artist and the self-proclaimed CEO of the proposed Martucket Eyeland – that’s spelled E-Y-E L-A-N-D – Resort and Theme Park, and he’s here to give us a virtual tour. Hello!

CRITCHLEY: Hello.

CURWOOD: So, what are the dimensions of this place? And where would it all go on the Cape?

CRITCHLEY: Well, Martucket Island, it’s actually an island off the Cape. It’s between Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket and Cape Cod. It’s three million square feet, which is relatively small considering the wind farm is 24 square miles.

CURWOOD: And what exactly would it look like?

CRITCHLEY: Oh, it’ll be glistening. It’s like a floating jewel. But it’s sort of triangular. It’s a third island, like a third eye, and it’s meant to work in collaboration with the Cape Wind Farm. It’ll be anchored by three of the turbines, which each are 420 feet high.

CURWOOD: Okay. So walk me through your fun park. What would we see on opening day?

CRITCHLEY: Well, of course, it’s meant to be a family vacation resort, Las Vegas-style with a touch of Disney. We’ve got the Exxon-Mobil Pirate Museum for the kids. And, of course, Tower of Terror, you can’t have a theme park without a Tower of Terror. You know, it’ll take you up, 400 feet up, to the top of the wind turbine and – boom! – down.

CURWOOD: Okay. Now, I understand you have quite an energy theme to this place?

CRITCHLEY: Well the energy park is one of the highlights, and the educational component of Martucket Island. Of course, we have wind energy and solar. But we’re also featuring a nuclear power plant, so we have a Meltdown Mall, and then we have an oil rig, and we’re actually going to be doing oil drilling.

CURWOOD: Wait a second. I’m taking my kids to this thing and I’m going to tell them, hey, you get to see a nuclear plant and an oil rig? I mean, they’re looking for a good time.

CRITCHLEY: Well, it’s meant to be educational.

CURWOOD: Hmm. So, how far along are you in this project?

CRITCHLEY: Well, I’ve developed a conceptual drawing and I’ve submitted an application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and they’re reviewing it. So I haven’t heard from them. That was about two weeks ago.

CURWOOD: I assume you’re going to advertise this? You got any music?

CRITCHLEY: Oh, absolutely. I have a theme park song. It’s from South Pacific, Bali Ha’i, the famous island from South Pacific musical. It goes like this:

[SINGING]

Martucket Isle may call you
Any night, any day.
Bring credit cards, you’ll hear it call you
Come to me for a fee.

And it goes on.

CURWOOD: (Laughs) And on. And on.

CRITCHLEY: (Laughs)

CURWOOD: Jay Critchley is an artist in Provincetown, Massachusetts. His proposal for Martucket Eyeland Resort and Theme Park was awarded a special citation by the Boston Society of Architects. Jay, thanks for speaking with me today.

CRITCHLEY: Thank you.

 

Links

Martucket Eyeland Resort and Theme Park proposal

Boston Society of Architects