WHITE PLAINS, NY (May 3, 2025) — Westchester County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Commissioner Kathy O’Connor has issued an emergency order to expedite the opening of Playland Amusement Park for the 2025 operating season, following the abrupt departure of its previous operator.
The order allows the county to hire Zamperla, Inc., a worldwide amusement ride company, to inspect, repair, replace, and maintain specific rides at the park. “The Emergency order will allow the County to hire a company to inspect specific rides, secure all necessary supplies and parts to operate the rides, repair and thereafter maintain the rides,” the order states. It notes that “Standard’s abrupt departure leaves the County with little time to properly carry out all of this work.”
Standard, the park’s former operator, left Playland in disarray, according to the county. The order highlights that “Standard left little or no spare parts in inventory, in some cases did not properly winterize rides and a number of rides were left dis-assembled.” Due to the urgent nature of the situation, the Parks Department determined that competitive bidding could not be pursued and selected Zamperla, Inc. to carry out the necessary emergency work.
Westchester County owns 11 rides manufactured by Zamperla, as well as several others made by a company that is no longer in business, making Zamperla a critical partner in the park’s revival efforts.
This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.