ARUNDEL — Raptor Falls, the dinosaur-themed mini-golf course on Route 1, is nearing completion, with a tentative opening day in the third week of August.

Bree and Cliff Gajtkowski, the organizers of the project, said they are optimistic that Raptor Falls will be open for part of the 2019 summer season.

Originally planned to open in July, the course ran into a few problems that slowed down the building process, Bree and Cliff Gajtkowski said.

“During construction we hit ledge,” Cliff Gajtkowski said. “That put a monkey wrench in things a little bit. We had to get a blasting company in there, drill, blast and then clean up.”

Bree Gajtkowski said that the weather has also caused a hindrance on the process.

“We’ve gotten a lot of rain, too,” she said. “So anytime it rains it kind of slows things down.”

The animatronic and stationary dinosaurs that will be featured on the course, according to the couple, are being produced overseas, which is another reason for delay.

“Our dinosaurs are being shipped from China,” Bree Gajtkowski said. “They were supposed to be here July 12 and now they won’t be here until July 31.”

Cliff Gajtkowski said there will be 11 to 12 dinosaurs on display, with the majority being animatronic.

“They’re pretty big,” he said. “The biggest one, the Brachiosaurus, is 18 feet tall.”

The mini-golf course will also include a couple of smaller statuary dinosaurs that children can sit on to pose for pictures, Bree and Cliff Gajtkowski said.

“We’ve joked about naming some of the dinosaurs after the people who have helped us,” Cliff Gajtkowski said.

The goal for this season is to be open through Columbus Day, Bree Gajtkowski said.

Cliff Gajtkowski said that the Chamber of Commerce is setting up a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the course’s grand opening.

“We have a friend who has been helping us with this,” he said. “He optimistically told us to expect the first couple of weeks to be overrun a bit. Fingers crossed that happens.”

So far, Cliff Gajtkowski said, the support from the community has been far more than the two ever expected.

“We turned on our Facebook page several months back, and it took on a life of its own within a few days with people liking and following,” he said. “It’s pretty crazy. Some local radio stations have picked us up.”

Recently, the Raptor Falls website has gone live.

The couple added that Raptor Falls will be a much-needed attraction for children and families.

“Right now, there aren’t a lot of things for kids to do in the Kennebunk area,” Bree Gajtkowski said.

Cliff Gajtkowski said that they look forward to providing entertainment for the locals.

“We’ll be working for ourselves in a job that’s both fun and gives back to the community,” he added. “Our office is going to be a golf course and everyone there will be super happy all the time.”

Bree Gajtkowski agreed.

“The hope is to have a successful business that’s our own to run,” she said.

For more information on the progress of Raptor Falls, visit www.raptorfalls.com. The website features updated construction photos.

-Catherine Bart can be reached at cbart@mainelymediallc.com.

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