The smiling midsummer throngs at Playland blithely went about their business Tuesday while a hundred yards away, the fate of the county-owned amusement park and its environs got a splashy airing on the boardwalk.
A bright-and-prosperous picture emerged, but it comes with a five-month ticking clock.
If a festering legislative dispute is not resolved by January, Playland”™s future becomes gauzier.
As County Executive Robert P. Astorino sees it, he has brokered a deal ”“ after issuing an RFP and receiving a dozen responses ”“ that will shift the financial burden of the money-losing, county-owned park to the private sector for the benefit of all.
He enunciated a vision of a once-seasonal attraction dating to 1928 becoming year-round, managed on the day-to-day level by the same outfit ”“ Central Amusement International L.L.C. ”“ that runs Luna Park and the Cyclone at Coney Island and Central Park”™s Wollman Rink, among other high-profile ventures. Other private concerns will play other roles. A new children”™s museum in the former men”™s bathhouse was repeatedly referred to as the anchor for all of Playland”™s 100 acres; it is slated to open in two years.
Astorino spoke before county legislators, members of Sustainable Playland Inc., the Rye nonprofit whose management plan calls for $34 million in private investment, and the press. He said a finalized plan will arrive for Board of Legislators”™ scrutiny in the next 30 days. Should legislators fail to embrace the management deal before year”™s end ”“ a lawsuit contesting Astorino”™s ability to strike the deal is wending its way through the courts now ”“ the developer has the right to pull out come January.
And therein could be found the rub.
Board of Legislators Chairman Kenneth W. Jenkins said, “The issue is not with recommending Sustainable Playland; the issue is there was no input from the Board of Legislators.” He added: “These signatures today are not legal.”
Jenkins noted the legislators got on board with revitalizing Playland in 2010. “The concept and footprint will remain the same,” he said at the event. “But we should always be analyzing and looking for better ways to do things. Unilateral decision-making is the issue.” Jenkins doubted, however, the lawsuit seeking to upend Astorino”™s authority to strike the Sustainable Playland/county agreement would find a court docket before this election-year November. Jenkins is a Democrat, Astorino a Republican.
Astorino contended there has been complete transparency, a point taken up afterward by John Ravitz, vice president of The Business Council of Westchester and a former state senator.
“The Business Council met on this issue early in the process,” Ravitz said. “We saw the vision and we are excited by the prospects. I would say the Board of Legislators has been involved and there has been transparency. The same documents went to everyone.”
Astorino was playfully silent on what would happen if the deal collapses, saying he would remain focused on reaching fruition.
If it sounded something like a turf war, Ravitz urged resolution. “The argument should not be an obstacle to getting this done in a timely fashion,” he said.
Astorino”™s November opponent, New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson, quickly issued a statement of grudging appreciation for the museum agreement (after citing obstructionism) and said, “Regarding Playland as a whole, Rob Astorino”™s review process to date has been badly broken, without measurable goals or transparent analysis. Today”™s announcement includes a significant change in the proposed configuration of the park, with little or no explanation. Before any conclusive agreements are reached, the County must conduct an independent, professional examination of marketing assumptions, attendance projections, business models, and financing to ensure that Playland has a successful future.”
Astorino used his microphone time to sell the deal as good for all. He was a Playland enthusiast as a child and remains one as a parent; the Dragon Coaster is a favorite. “Nothing says summer like the Playland boardwalk in July,” he said. But he hewed to fiscal conservatism, saying, “Running Playland is not an essential government service and memories don”™t pay the bills.”
As with the ice arena, great lawn, kids”™ aquatic park, rides, beach and concessions, the Westchester Children”™s Museum would operate under the Sustainable Playland aegis with the signed management agreements. With nonpartisan flair, museum Executive Director Tracy Kay said, “We”™re happy to work with whomever the county or Board of Legislators designates.”
