If you've never made it to Mt. Ararat to search for remnants of Noah's Ark; visited Johan's Ark, a Noah's Ark-themed mobile structure in the Netherlands, built by Dutch creationist Johan Huibers, or the Noah's Ark theme park in Hong Kong; stopped off for a slide or two at Noah's Ark watermark -- "America's largest Waterpark" -- in Wisconsin; or didn't catch Noah the movie with Russell Crowe, do not despair. Set to open in 2016 is Ark Encounter, a Christian fundamentalist theme park in Kentucky, which will feature a 510-foot replica of Noah's Ark. Ark Encounter has been dependent on property tax breaks, donations and bonds to get off the ground, but its highly anticipated tourism tax credit worth millions of dollars, may be at risk, as questions are being raised about its discriminatory hiring practices.
Besides the 510-foor replica of Noah's Ark, the Ark Encounter project is unique in that it has received: "preliminary approval for $18 million in state tax incentives to offset the cost of the park's construction; a 75 percent property tax break over 30 years from the City of Williamstown (a town of about 3,000 near where the park will be located); an $11-million road upgrade in a rural area that would almost exclusively facilitate traffic going to and from the park; a $200,000 gift from the Grant County Industrial Development Authority to make sure the project stays in that county; 100 acres of reduced-price land and, finally $62 million municipal bond issue from Williamstown that Ham claims has kept the project from sinking," Simon Brown reported in the October issue of Church & State, a publication of the Washington, D.C. –based American United for the Separation of Church and State.
According to Brown, "the bonds received junk status, which is the lowest possible rating for an investment. ... [making] it highly unlikely that anyone who buys them will actually get money back." Although the bonds "initially sold poorly," Ham announced earlier this year that "the bond offering had succeeded."
Ark Encounter is a project of an organization called Answers in Genesis, which is based in Petersburg, Kentucky and headed by Ken Ham, one of the country's foremost deniers of evolution. While by no means a household name, Ham recently soaked up national attention when Answers in Genesis sponsored his highly- publicized, and well-attended and watched via the web, debate at the Creation Museum, with Bill Nye, the Science Guy.
One of the reasons for all this government largesse is that Ham has promised to create hundreds (perhaps as many as 900) of new jobs. However, according to Brown, in order to qualify for these jobs an applicant must sign a Statement of Faith. "'Per the required Statement of Faith, an applicant must profess, interalia, that homosexuality is a sin on par with bestiality and incest, that the earth is only 6,000 years old, and that the bible is literally true in order to be considered for the job,' read the requirements for employment posted until recently on AiG's website."
Now, thanks to the determined work of Americans United, the Noah's Ark theme park's tax incentives are being placed on hold.
Kentucky.com's Linda B. Blackford recently reported that, "In a series of letters with Ark Encounter LLC, Kentucky's top tourism official said the preliminary tax credits are stalled because of language in the park's job application that requires 'salvation testimony' and a 'Creation belief statement.'" The job posting, according to Tourism Arts and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Bob Stewart, would be against state and federal hiring laws.
"The commonwealth does not provide incentives to any company that discriminates on the basis of religion, and we will not make any exception for Ark Encounter LLC," Stewart wrote in an exchange with Answers in Genesis.
As expected, Ark Encounter's parent company Answers in Genesis is not giving up the fight. "We're hoping the state takes a hard look at their position, and changes their position so it doesn't go further than this," Ark Encounter's Executive President Mike Zovath told Reuters.
Reuters reported that "Zovath, who is also co-founder of Answers in Genesis, said that if tax incentives for the project are withdrawn because it does not give written assurances the state now seeks, it would violate the organization's First Amendment and state constitutional rights."
The oft-put-off groundbreaking ceremony was finally held on May 1. Many doubt that Ark Park will open in the summer of 2016 as scheduled.
According to Simon Brown's recent post at American United's "Wall of Separation" blog, Answers in Genesis is "going on the offensive – claiming it has a 'religious liberty' right to taxpayer subsidies!"
Brown pointed out that "In a post-Hobby Lobby world, one has to wonder if there are any limits to religious freedom claims under the U.S. Constitution – at least as far as the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority is concerned. But even in the wake of that ruling, it seems pretty hard to imagine any court deciding that an American business has a constitutional right to a taxpayer-funded handout."
