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FORT MYERS — Pat and Lisa Ciniello, a Southwest Florida couple who own five branded bowling alleys in the region, are adding to their entertainment business with a new acquisition: Zoomers Amusement Park in Fort Myers.
The Ciniellos are purchasing the property and all its contents from Mike Barnes, who opened the park in 2012, according to a statement. Terms of the sale weren’t disclosed, and closing is expected to take place by mid-July.
The couple, which operates Bowling Management Associates, bought Zoomers partially in a COVID-19 strategy shift. Prior to the pandemic shutting down all entertainment-driven business, they were going to open Fast Trax, an electric go-kart track. “When I was made aware that the Zoomers complex was for sale, I thought it might be the perfect opportunity to pivot from our original Fast Trax plan and resurrect the project at Zoomers,” Pat Ciniello says in the statement.
Ciniello plans to replace the old gas-powered karts with the electric ones. In addition, he plans to upgrade the arcade, kitchen, outdoor bar and party areas in the 18-acre property, the release states. “A new feature we’re definitely adding is a number of lanes of Duck Pin Bowling,” he says in the statement, “which is a small bowling ball and squatty short pins. It’s a blast and perfect for kids and adults alike.”
Barnes, a Des Moines, Iowa apartment developer and area resident, bought Zoomers in 2012. After buying the then-partially completed and crumbling amusement park in an auction for $1.4 million, Barnes spent some $5 million more on renovations and upkeep.
“After eight years of operation Zoomers is ready for its next chapter,” Barnes says in the release. “Evie and I couldn’t be more pleased turning it over to the Ciniellos. It has been an exciting experience we couldn’t have accomplished without our exceptional team.”
Zoomers has been closed since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, and Ciniello expects to re-open as Fast Trax in early December. “I already have my design team looking at ways to modify the current layout,” Ciniello says in the release. “One thing that I really want to see is how we can create more shade and coverings over the outside spaces. It’s really hot out there during the summer months.”
Bowling Management Associates is the parent company of Bowland and HeadPinz Entertainment. Bowland centers are Beacon Bowl in Naples and Coral Lanes in Cape Coral, while HeadPinz centers are in Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Naples. The company has been in business since 1980, when Pat Ciniello first acquired Beacon Bowl.
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