Wonderful day in the neighborhood

"It's such a shame, really. We all used to just love the peaceful quiet," stated Carol Killian.

The Boardwalk Bullet, a 96 foot-tall wooden roller coaster, opened this past Labor Day weekend in suburban Houston TX and it seems the quiet is gone now. For 12 hours a day the Killian family has had their peace and quiet shattered.

The Killian's, who built their weekend cottage facing the ocean in 1962, now listens to the squeks and rattles of the coaster and the screams of nearly 800 passengers and hour, twelve hours a day. This weekend, they were driven from their deck from the noise and Carol doesn't believe that they will able to barbeque anymore.

The compact roller coaster was built on a one acre lot right next to the Killian's cottage after they refused to sell their home to allow for it to be built on a larger parcel. Landry's Seafood Restaurants Inc, had the ride built on the boardwalk in Kenmah, which they run as well. There was no public hearing to inform residents about the coaster but the city has no zoning and the coaster meets all the setback laws.

"As long as I live, it will not be sold to him," stated Carol, referring to Landry's President Tilman Fertitta.

There are those who sympathize with the Killian's but in what is described as dying town, the ride is seen as a way to draw money back to the area. the fact that it is a new wooden coaster and in such a compact area also draws coaster riders.

As for the Killian's who live directly beside the coaster, there are some benefits they may not have thought of......... think of the resale value of all the items that will be flung off the riders and into their yard. It could become a lucretive side business on the weekends at the shore. Or you could just learn to watch the water from inside, till you die.