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Santa Clarita Mountasia Family Fun Center At Risk Of Permanently Closing

Officials with the Santa Clarita Mountasia location say that the family entertainment center is at risk of permanently closing its doors as a result of the continued closures issued by county and state officials due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After nearly 25 years of offering family entertainment to the Santa Clarita Valley, the Mountasia Family Fun Center in Canyon Country is in danger of closing permanently, as the lucrative summer months that normally propel it into another year pass by with doors shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

“We are closed temporarily, but we’re getting to the point here where if we are not able to reopen within the next six weeks, we will not be reopening at all,” said Mike Fleming, general managing partner of the Santa Clarita Mountasia location. “We received PPP money, but really, it was designed to work for businesses when they are able to stay open, because you are able to recoup funds you lost.”

If Mountasia were operating at their full seasonal summer capacity, it would have between 40 and 50 employees. This year, it only has two besides Fleming himself; a general manager and a bookkeeper. 

Fleming was forced to furlough eight more employees recently for 30 days in order to stretch the remaining PPP funds for another six weeks for his two remaining staff members. 

All operations for family entertainment centers, including bowling alleys, arcades, mini-golf and batting cages are closed by L.A. County health orders. California requirements state that Family entertainment centers, such as Mountasia, can continue outdoor operations as long as safety requirements are met. County guidelines take precedence in this situation, preventing Mountasia from operating in any capacity. 

Fleming noted that were Mountasia to close, this would be yet another blow to the shrinking family entertainment and recreation options in the Santa Clarita Valley, considering the recent loss of the Valencia Ice Station skating rink and a laser tag facility. 

See Related: Residents Start Petition To Save Valencia Ice Station After Officials Announce Closure

He noted that he and his staff have sent information to County officials in order to plead a case for reopening, but have yet to receive an answer. Fleming said he recognized that these authorities are under enormous strain, likely handling thousands of businesses like his own, but that he had to do something before it was too late. 

“We have everything ready,  we have sent in information to the Board of Supervisors with outlines on how to follow all requirements,” Fleming said. “We’re literally just ready to open, with sanitizers, social distance spacing marked, plexiglass for staff, and cleaning solutions for the facilities.” 

Fleming added that many similar industries and businesses have been allowed to reopen while family entertainment centers have not. He particularly called attention to golf courses, which are allowed to operate, whereas Mountasia’s two-acre outdoor mini-golf course was not.

“We have the ability to control it, spacing and how many people, but they’re allowed to open and we’re not,” Fleming said. “Our batting cages are separated by almost 20 feet, why isn’t that allowed? If we could present that, I’m sure someone would allow it just like the golf courses, but we aren’t even given that chance.” 

The majority of profitability for Mountasia is the summer season, which runs from June through August and bleeds into September, during which funds are collected to make it through the less profitable rainy season, according to Fleming. 

According to Fleming, even if Mountasia were to reopen this summer, it would only be taking in about 30-40 percent of the average profits that would normally be expected for the entertainment center. It would be these profits that ballast Mountasia through the slow winter months, a season that Fleming believes the business is unlikely to survive if they are unable to operate for much longer. 

If Mountasia is unable to resume even partial operations this summer, the family fun center that has been a staple of Santa Clarita entertainment will likely not survive to see the next one. 

“It’s sad, I really never expected this,” Fleming said. “Our name is ‘family fun center’ so the majority of our business is families, young kids and parents with strollers, and our business is on a respirator right now.”

Fleming expressed frustration that Santa Clarita and other cities like it, which have much lower COVID-19 rates related to positive cases and deaths, are placed under the same restrictive guidelines as hotspots with greater risk.

According to Fleming, during the 25 years that Mountasia has been open, the family entertainment center has welcomed more than 2 million visitors, and employed over 10,000 people since 1995.

Mountasia also serves as a fundraising partner for many charities in the Santa Clarita Valley and surrounding communities, including the Boys and Girls Scouts organizations, Little Leagues, the Michael Hoefflin Foundation, and even helping raise over $500,000 alone for local schools.

“I think if we’re gone, people will realize all that we do, and realize, ‘what we are going to do?’” Fleming said.  

Fleming noted that Mountasia and other local entertainment businesses like it need the help of the public in order to survive.

“The only way that our voice, my voice, is going to be heard is if I have other voices behind me. Let their voices be known as well, back us up,” Fleming said. “Our city council has done a lot, but I really hope that I can get their ear as well, to get them to stand up for not only us, but other businesses like us, such as the bowling centers.”

Fleming noted that he plans to comment during the upcoming City Council Meeting on July 14, although he stated that it was “like singing to the choir” because city officials have indicated understanding. However, Fleming hopes to gain support to approach the policymakers at the County level that prevent Mountasia from opening. 

Mountasia staff have previously organized, implemented, and presented a plan for operations that fall within state and county guidelines for operation, as well as within the guidelines offered by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), the global organization that promotes operational standards and resources for the amusement-industry. 

“Just give us the opportunity to get in front of you and tell you what we have prepared and what we can do,” Fleming said. “Put more restrictions on us if you have to, but just let us open the door.”


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Santa Clarita Mountasia Family Fun Center At Risk Of Permanently Closing

16 comments

  1. An outdoor mini golf still can’t open it’s doors?! This is a joke. The numbers are being manipulated, patients being tested daily in hospitals, show a positive and add to the numbers but it’s the same person. The numbers are being inflated. Not to mention the jails. Sad to see business fail, meanwhile massive building developments are in the works. What family would want to pay top dollar for a city without mini golf, ice rink, lazar tag and many more potential closures. And defunding of our sheriff dept. AwesomeTown not so much after Newsom’s closure orders. Based on data nobody has seen but him. Political games at there worst. These leaders should be helping us not playing political games. Sad to see Mountasia May be closing permanently.

    • Isabelle you sound like an idiot. I work with n the health care industry and the testing you’re speaking of does not exist. I’ve seen several people loose their lives to this disease alone not being able to say goodbye to their loved ones and you’re upset over a family fun center. You should be ashamed of yourself and I hope your loved ones don’t get COVID-19.

  2. I would like to know where this is, i think the people of Santa Clarita needs to step up and say enough is enough, let’s fight back against it all, stop letting the Local government do this to us, now,please let me say a word about it all. Thank you

  3. Doktor Ferrer and her overpaid gestapo don’t care if things close permanently since they’re still getting paid. They have no clue how normal people survive.

  4. I understand business owners and employees are suffering financially but ask yourself how would you feel if you contracted the virus while indulging in an unnecessary pleasure and brought that to your family/friends and someone had to needlessly suffer or die? What price do you put on another persons life? Think back to what Americans had to endure during WWI & WWII and ask yourself how does this compare.

    • Life MUST go on, people! Yes this virus COULD be fatal to many, but even CDC data shows recover ability at over 99% for under 55 and recovery rate of over 90% for those over 70 years. Yes it is sad when people die from this disease or ANY disease. I had an uncle who died in June in a nursing home. We couldn’t see him since the lockdown– THAT was VERY sad. However, the shutdowns are producing MORE death of a more sinister kind– the kind of death that only those in places like North Korea and Communisr China know about– the death of OUR liberties, personal autonomy AND the American rights to Life, Liberty AND the Pursuit of Happiness. Merely surviving is NOT Life or Living.! This IS an experiment by the mostly Democrat government officials who want to see how much they could control us! This virus is AIRBORNE. It is now in the atmosphere. The direct death rate from this virus does NOT justify the ridiculous lockdowns destroying families and communities. Those who can still work from home remotely or able to work in hospitals do not understand fully the fear, loneliness and mental anguish of families who have lost EVERYTHING especially those who owned small businesses and those who worked in them. This ridiculous practice will also DESTROY the great American Health Care system. They have been brainwashing doctors! How do I know? I’m a caretaker to 2 elderly parents with multiple serious health issues and they need me to go to the doctor with them because they are forgetful and English not so good. I recently switched them from a long time cardiologist in Kaiser who entered room in July wearing 2 masks, a face shield, 2 lab coats and gloves and so clueless on how she is not inspiring confidence because other doctors and nurses in the department were not dressed like her. It’s sad really because she’s also my doctor and BACK IN MARCH THIS SAME DOCTOR TOLD ME DURING AN APPOINTMENT that MASKS DON’T WORK AND I SHOULDN’T WEAR MASKS BECAUSE IT WOULD BE UNHEALTHY FOR ME UNLESS I HAD A COUGH! Also SHE was furloughed, working only 2 days every other week! On Friday I accompanied my mom to her oncologist which by the way they had to reschedule so many times because they kept on changing the appointment to a phone appointment. Original appointment was back in April and was canceled and rescheduled 6 times! My mom was getting frustrated because my mom wanted a face to face visit and wanted me there. When we got there, we were both screened, we sat in the waiting room with other cancer patients but when my mom was called, they wouldn’t let me in saying it’s for the protection of their patients yet my mom was ushered into a room. My mom asked to have me there and at first they gave us a hard time. It was only after I accused them of bullying and putting their own fear mongering agenda over their patients’ comfort & safety and I asked to speak to a supervisor that I was allowed to be with my mom. Other caretakers were not as assertive. There was an 80 yr old man who wanted his daughter to come because he forgets but was told, no I’m sorry no visitors allowed for patient safety–yet these “visitors” like me were sitting out in the waiting room with other patients! This is RIDICULOUS! Also, the L.A. zoo is OPEN because it was exempt from closing because city wants the REVENUE but the city does NOT care about small businesses who were struggling and spent money adapting to outdoor seating just to be told to close– but it was ok for a movie production to set up tents to feed a production crew? WAKE UP AMERICA– THEY ARE EXPERIMENTING ON US TO SEE HOW MUCH OF A BACKBONE WE HAVE AND IF WE CAN BE CONTROLLED! DO YOU WANT TO SUBMIT TO THIS NEW SLAVERY? How can you even think that slapping a mask on a healthy toddler or even healthy 5 yr old for most of the day is acceptable? You want your kid to be subservient to Tyrants? This is NOT scientific! Plus they STOPPED talking about the Flu! Many people DIE of the Flu every year, and right now it’s Flu season BUT they call everything COVID because it gives more money to the hospital plus they’re also in a way HALF truthful because the FLU is also caused by a coronavirus! Look I’m high risk, so I’m NOT discounting the seriousness of this China virus. I was wary about the Flu even before this Wuhan virus arrived and I took precautions to AVOID the Flu including NOT getting vaccinated because of horrible flu illness I used to get within weeks of getting the shots. BUT afterwards when I stopped getting the shots and just focused on good hygiene, avoiding people who cough, literally social distancing and eating healthy, I haven’t had the Flu in over 8 years! Compare that to getting it every year sometimes twice a year I was sick with flu even hospitalized for pneumonia a couple of times- and those were the years I took a flu vaccine. When my surgical gynecologist 10 years ago told me that his hand problem was not carpal tunnel but actually was caused by a lesion on cervical spine that was a “rare” side effect of Flu vaccines, it got me thinking so after 2 more years of getting Flu after 2 months of getting vaccines, my husband and I stopped getting the vaccines after our son at 3 months old baby was diagnosed with whooping cough 3 weeks AFTER he got the whooping cough vaccine and hospitalized. Later at 14 months, he got his 12 month vaccine schedule, and he ran fever for 31 days and also stopped talking and for 2 weeks started staring at the wall, just changed personality. His Kaiser doctor just brushed it aside when we called after 1 wk and gave excuses saying he must have caught a virus. We took him to a pediatrician that has a background in immunology and epidemiology who advised us to withhold vaccines from him until he’s old enough to express himself because the personality change really concerned him too. Since then we all stopped getting vaccines except and it has been a good decision for my husband, me & our kids. My mom and Dad who are elderly still got vaccines every year and they too were getting the flu 2 months or so later and would always have bad bronchitis every year.. last year they decided to forgo the flu vaccines last year and this year AND interestingly, they too did NOT get the flu this past year and have not had bronchitis since Fall last year. Vaccines are NOT harmless. A very good (and expensive) Veterinary specialist told me that when we saw him a few years ago for our cat who had leukemia. In fact he even told us that after the first year of vaccines, he doesn’t recommend vaccinations for pets, and the ones for the first year should be spaced out not all given at once so you know what they may have reacted to instead of giving a vaccine cocktail. Those words came to mind to me later on looking back at my son’s vaccine issues. So when I had my youngest, I opted to not get her vaccinated but breastfed her directly for 3 1/2 years NOT bottle fed. She is so healthy, hardly gets sick. Even if she gets exposed to others, she recovers in 2 days just with breastfeeding and now that she’s older and no more breast milk of course, she does well with vitamin supplements. My point is WE SHOULD NOT BE AFRAID TO LIVE! If we let the Tyrants in government control us, we will be enslaved by them controlled by fear of the virus and then we will be merely SURVIVING NOT LIVING. It is time for us to take our country back!

  5. “Dude! Where’s my family fun center”?

  6. This is devastating for a city based on family values, and what’s the lure of moving here anymore if there aren’t going to be any family entertainment places to go to anymore? Then you want to defund our local Sheriffs and now our services will be reduced?! No reason to move here, crime going nuts, and now they want to make everyone who lives here drive into the Valley or further for any entertainment and fun?! Seems like they want to tear our community apart, and what good can come of that? So many opportunities, so much potential, and this is what we get?! Mountasia has been a cornerstone here for at least a quarter century for families, kids, and kids at heart, and even though IMO the Farrells was a big disappointment here, (as I’m old enough to have had the full blown experience of the REAL thing in the Valley years ago), it still had its charms! A lot of potential here over the years never seemed to be realized, and an air of apathy on the owners’ part was and continues to be apparent. How often would they change out the carpet on the golf course? To me, it feels run-down and tired. Still, irregardless of its shortcomings, I can’t help but feel sad that a place like this might go under. After the Ice Station shut down and now this, there a real gap around here and a more pressing need for businesses to invest in this area! There certainly is a need and a demand, and people DO have money to support things like this. Hopefully, soon, after all this Coronavirus thing is over with, whenever THAT is, some smart businesses will see the opportunities here and other places will open up with children and family entertainment in mind, and they will do well!

  7. Let’s hope it doesn’t close for good! A great place for families, friends, visitors!! Oh I know, 1,000s of more homes and wonderful apartments!?!?

  8. Used to work here. They kept employees on the string, never giving enough hours to qualify for proper pay – the best 2-week check was 210, the worst was 89.

    Considering they treated their employees as disposable, I really don’t feel bad about this place closing.

    • Thanks for the first-hand truth. The owner wants sympathy and pity but what you say sounds very true considering how run-down everything always was — the owner obviously didn’t want to put any money into maintenance — or people — as opposed to putting it in his pocket.

      • That’s sad, because really, it’s not only the owner who loses, but all of us as well, losing one of the last places for families to go and have some clean, good fun like that!

    • Used to work here too. I am sad to see it go, but it is far from its glory days. Perhaps if people miss it enough they will buy the property from the bank and make it better. I am not surprised to see it go though.

  9. As the managing partner of Mountasia, due to weather related slower sales last year, then closing now for 4 months due to Covid-19, I have not taken any pay for almost a full year. I was able to get Mountasia the Federal PPP loan/grant to enable me to pay the staff. But this cannot go on forever. There are certain bills we must continue to pay like utilities, phone, insurance, etc. and the PPP funds are almost gone.
    I hope everyone who reads the article understands it is not only Mountasia that is in jeopardy right now. Some of the remaining entertainment businesses in SCV are in the same boat with me. If you want to help us, make your voices heard to the city and especially the County Board of Supervisors. Google their number and call them. They need to know our businesses can’t remain closed much longer. Thank you all for your support.

  10. Unfortunately Mountasia has gone out of business. But the city is buying the ice Station for the use of a few residents and non locals.

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About Jade Aubuchon

A Santa Clarita native, Jade has spent her whole life involved in community outreach. After graduating from Learning Post High in 2015, she went on to College of the Canyons to pursue a double major in English and Marketing. Jade spent several years as a ballroom dance performer for a local studio and has performed at public and private events throughout Santa Clarita. As KHTS Co-News Director Jade oversees the KHTS news team, which covers all the latest news impacting Santa Clarita. Along with covering and writing her own news stories, Jade can be heard broadcasting the daily local news every weekday morning and afternoon drive-time twice an hour on KHTS 98.1FM and AM-1220. Jade is also instrumental in reporting on-the-scene local emergencies, covering them on-air and via Facebook Live and YouTube. Another dimension to Jade’s on-air skills and writing are her regular political and celebrity interviews, including her bi-monthly interview with our Congressman Mike Garcia and many other local politicians and community leaders.