Seattle Center to host Ferris wheel next year

To usher in its 50th anniversary in 2012, Seattle Center plans to host a 196-feet-high Ferris wheel next year, the tallest year-round wheel in the country, officials said Thursday.

Made by a British company and similar to the famous "London Eye" wheel, Seattle's wheel will be here for 18 months, through the end of the Center's anniversary celebration in October of 2012.

"It will enliven our new public space, provide an additional reason for Seattle residents and tourists to visit our beautiful campus, and help support "The Next Fifty" six-month-anniversary in 2012," said Seattle Center director Robert Nellams in a statement.

The wheel will have 21 to 42 enclosed, eight-seat capsules wired for air-conditioning and sound. Tentatively called the "Great Seattle Wheel," it will occupy the north end of the old Fun Forest spot, where the roller coaster used to be. Center spokeswoman Deborah Daoust said officials will work on permits and inspections, and that any significant environment impacts will be vetted at a public meeting in February.

Adult tickets will be $10 to $15 for a roughly 15-minute ride. Daoust said the city's cost to host the wheel will be minimal. The wheel's maker - Great City Attractions, from Birmingham, England - will pay for construction, shipping and installation.

Daoust said an expected 750,000 to 1 million people are expected to ride the wheel in a year. The city will share revenue with the company, but Daoust didn't have immediate details on the arrangement.

The wheel will be the tallest on the West Coast and the tallest year-round wheel in North America, the city said. A taller wheel comes out every year at the Texas State Fair.