Sustainable Playland Inc., the Rye-based nonprofit chosen to “reinvent” Playland, submitted its improvement plan outlining a to-do list of construction projects that would begin next year at the county-owned amusement park.
The 80-page improvement plan includes the restoration and replacement of older rides and addition of new rides, but emphasizes an overall shift away from Playland as solely an amusement park.
Ned McCormack, communications director for the Westchester County executive, said that has been a goal since the start of the process. “The ultimate thing is to change Playland from a 100-day amusement park to a 365-day destination for residents,” he said.
County Executive Robert P. Astorino came into office in 2010, openly seeking to change the operations of Playland, which routinely runs in the red and has seen declining attendance in recent years. Sustainable was formed for the sole purpose of bidding on management of Playland by some Rye residents looking to have a say over the fate of the park within their city”™s borders.
Sustainable seemed a long shot early in the process, but emerged as the winner out of 12 bidders with various ideas of what to do with the 85-year-old park on the Long Island Sound. The group was chosen to enter into a 10-year agreement in which Westchester would continue to own the property and Sustainable would invest $34 million in the park.
The group”™s bid sought to downsize the amusement park significantly and instead transform the parcel to a more passive function, but after pushback from the public, the group now plans to maintain the amusement park at roughly the same size as it is today. It has enlisted to run the amusements Central Amusements International L.L.C., the group that runs Luna Park and the Cyclone on Coney Island.
The improvement plan calls for nearly $14 million to be spent over the first seven years on rides, including those in the Kiddyland section, which will be among the first areas targeted for improvement. “Rides that spin, drop, swing and give the sensation of flying will be added,” the plan stated.
Potential additions in Kiddyland and elsewhere in the park include 21 rides with names like Happy Swing, Sky Chaser and Mini Tea Cup. The plan also proposes the removal of 18 rides and attractions such as the Go Karts, Himalaya and perhaps most visibly the miniature golf course near the park”™s entrance. The plan said the fountain plaza, where the course is located, lacks a view of the sound due to the “dilapidated” golf course. “We propose to remove the miniature golf course entirely and restore the visual connection between the Amusement Zone and the Sound,” the improvement plan said.
The marquee change proposed by Sustainable would be the addition of an $11.7 million new field zone, including a 95,000-square-foot indoor field house with two 100-by-200 feet soccer/lacrosse fields, six volleyball courts and four 15-by-75 feet batting cages. A multipurpose outdoor area will include two fields lined for soccer, lacrosse and football. The area would be operated by a new company, Playland Sports L.L.C.
The existing ice casino, which has been closed since Hurricane Sandy last year, is viewed by Sustainable as a dependable, year-round revenue source. The group will invest $640,000 to upgrade the facilities, installing new rubber flooring in off-ice areas and improving lighting and sound systems.
Central Amusements would also build a 7,500-square-foot “water playground.” A new “aqua and beach zone” would see the installation of a bathhouse, beach, water deck and waterfront eateries.
After a parking study showed the 3,199-space parking lot was rarely at capacity, Sustainable is seeking to actually reduce the amount of spaces to 2,351.
The group was required to submit its improvement plan as part of its agreement with the county executive”™s office. Astorino will pass the plan along to the county Board of Legislators for approval within a month or so, according to the county executive”™s communications director.
McCormack said he believed the plan was a strong one. “It shows we have professionals that are the best in the business now engaged in reinventing Playland for the 21st century,” he said. “We”™re going forward in a very careful, but comprehensive way.”
Approval is not a foregone conclusion though. The plan comes with an exit clause at the end of the year, though the board can choose to extend that timeline. More significantly, the board”™s Democratic majority has clashed with Astorino on the proposed “reinvention,” going as far as contesting attendance and revenue figures.
Board Chairman Ken Jenkins, a Democrat, said the signed agreement between the county executive and management group wasn”™t legal without approval from the board. “The issue is not with recommending Sustainable Playland,” he said in a recent interview, “the issue is with there was no input from the Board of Legislators.”
