With County Attorney John Nonna at his side, Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins provided an update on the dispute between the county and Standard Amusements, which has been managing the Playland Amusement Park under a long-term contract.
Jenkins emphasized that Playland is a county park and will remain open to the public despite the unfolding dispute with Standard. In addition to the various rides and amusements, Playland has a beach, swimming pool, pier, boardwalk, restaurant, wildlife refuge, museum for children and a casino with an ice skating rink. The property is open year around with the amusement park operating during the warmer months.
Standard Amusements has notified the county that is terminating the management contract and claims that the county has breached the agreement. The county has declared that it is Standard that has breached the contract.
“The bottom line is this: Standard Amusements was losing money,” Jenkins said. “They couldn’t make Playland work, and now they are trying to place the blame on the county for their failure – after the county has invested over $144 million, close to $150 million into the capital projects in Playland. There is no question about the investments that have been made. Everyone tells us those improvements make the park look beautiful and we’re going to keep moving forward.”
Jenkins said that it appears as if there will be a complex legal battle ahead. He denied a claim by Standard that they had notified the county last November that they were terminating the management contract and would not be operating the park for the 2025 season. Jenkins said that the county did have a conversation with Standard Amusements in which they expressed an interest in potentially negotiating a settlement, but nothing came from that conversation.
Jenkins noted that the original management contract with Standard Amusements was executed during the administration of former County Executive Rob Astorino.
“t’s important to emphasize that the original contract stablished in the Astorino Administration required the county to repay all of Standard’s investments including travel, food and every expense related to raising $30 million to invest in the park without any restrictions,” Jenkins said. “While the original contract was flawed, we managed to renegotiate it to implement a cap on reimbursements, protecting taxpayers from an even greater financial burden. We ultimately were blocked from fully walking away from the deal due to a bankruptcy court ruling that sided with Standard Amusements.”
The county claims that Standard’s failures include: having inadequate ride operation with numerous rides closed throughout the seasons, a violation of industry standards; having insufficient maintenance staff that affected both daily operations and preventative maintenance; allowing several repairs identified in an October 2024 safety audit remain unfinished; withholding money that is owed to the county, citing delays in project completion buy the county with the county saying it provided proof that all projects were completed.
“We have long said that Playland is the crown jewel of this county,” Jenkins said. Since 2018 (when George Latimer became county executive) the county has made every effort to ensure this beloved park thrives for future generations and today that commitment continues. We’re planning on making sure that Playland Amusement Park moves forward in 2025. It is a park. We’re going to continue to make sure it is open to our county residents.”
