White Plains, NY – Convinced that Westchester residents wanting to enjoy a visit to Playland should not have to pay over and over again for the pleasure to do so, Westchester County Board of Legislators (BOL) Chairman Ken Jenkins (D-Yonkers) promised today County Executive Rob Astorino’s veto of a new entrance fee structure to the park recently approved by the BOL will be reconsidered.
The next meeting of the BOL is Monday, June 6. The Westchester County Board of Legislators (BOL) approved a bill on May 23 that eliminated the spectator entrance fee for county residents at Playland for this summer season, while returning the non-resident entrance fee to five dollars.
“The residents of Westchester should not pay a $5 spectator entrance fee to Playland after the Board of Legislators already approved to eliminate it,” said Chairman Jenkins. “Perhaps there is some consolation in the fact that in a few days the Board will do the right thing for everyone in Westchester and vote to override the county executive’s wrong-minded veto.”
Two years ago, the County implemented, for the first time, a spectator entrance fee of $3 for residents and $5 for non-residents. The fee allows visitors a one-day entry to Playland, with rides, amusements and food costs all extra. In 2010, Playland had $11.2 million dollars of revenue. In the 2011 budget, the fee was increased to $5 for residents and $10 for non-residents as a means of increasing revenue. Higher gasoline and travel costs, along with better financial projections and worries about pricing visitors away from the park, caused the BOL to modify this policy.
“County taxpayers and hard-working residents shouldn’t pay admission at a park they financially support already,” said Chairman Jenkins. “The higher entrance fees for spectators will turn many people away, including seniors visiting the park with grandchildren.”
The creative accounting that suggests Playland is losing $4 million annually is based on debt service and county costs that are not in any other county park balance sheets, noted Chairman Jenkins, or otherwise all of the parks would also show they are run at a loss. Last year, Playland actually netted $900,000 for county coffers before the debt and County-related costs were applied to the bottom line.
Changing signage and refunding a few dozen season-pass holders who paid for a spectator-only season pass is not a problem, Jenkins added.
“If there is a bigger issue that the County Executive would like to address in wanting Westchester residents to dig deeper into the pockets in order to visit Playland, then he should address them publicly around the Committee table,” said Jenkins. “As far as ‘moving forward, or not’ in terms of Playland’s future, the County Executive knows the Board of Legislators will make the final decision on any direction of the County-owned park.”
Budget Director Laurence Soule has indicated that Westchester County will close the 2010 financial year with at least a $60 million dollar surplus. “The people of Westchester deserve this financial relief,” said Jenkins.
