WHITE PLAINS, NY –Members of the Westchester County Board of Legislators (BOL) toured Playland Amusement Park as part of their review of the amended private management agreement with Standard Amusements.
The tour focused specifically on 11 capital projects that Standard Amusements has asked the County to undertake as the owner of the 88 year old park. As proposed, the capital projects are estimated to cost $58 million and would be funded through low-interest bonds.
The Legislators were joined on the tour by members of the County department of Parks and Recreation and representatives of Standard Amusements. Legislators gave special attention to some of the “big ticket” projects like $20 million for rehab of the historic colonnades and towers, $10 million for parking lot redesign and improvements, $10 million for structural restoration and $4 million to remove the pool and rehab the fountain at Playland’s main entrance.
The goal of the review process is to shrink the price for capital projects significantly from the $58 million amount. The management agreement calls for Standard Amusements to make a major capital investment of $30 million at the park as well.
Legislator MaryJane Shimsky (D) Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Edgemont, Hartsdale, Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington, Chair of the Infrastructure Committee said, “It was very useful to go to Playland today and place the proposed projects in context. However, I found myself growing increasingly concerned by the deteriorating condition of portions of the park, caused by years of neglect; and by the lack of specificity for the proposed capital projects. We need to take a thorough look at the details, to ensure that the deal with Standard Amusements – which has changed materially by the near tripling of the County’s capital project budget – will benefit the taxpayers.”
Legislator David Gelfarb (R) Harrison, Port Chester, Rye Brook, Chairman of the Labor, Parks, Planning and Housing Committee said, “Today’s site tour at Playland demonstrated something that we all know. There are some serious problems both structural and aesthetic that need to be addressed at Playland. I accept that the County will need to invest millions of dollars into capital projects at Playland. We need to continue extensive our review and questioning in order to determine the right amount for taxpayers to invest in the Park and to ensure that we have the best possible deal for management of the Park. I am hopeful that in working with my colleagues, the County Executive and the executives Standard Amusements, we will be able to reach an agreement on investments and on management that will be fair to Standard but more importantly, fair to the taxpayers of Westchester County.”
The BOL’s Budget and Appropriations Committee, Labor, Parks, Planning and Housing Committee and Infrastructure Committee have been meeting jointly to review the amended agreement. The next scheduled meeting is this Friday, March 18th at 10:00AM. You can watch video of the meeting at…
http://westchestercountyny.iqm2.com/Citizens/default.aspx