White Plains CitizeNetReporter - County Exec Names Local Sustainable Playland to run Playland Next 10 Years

WPCNR County Clarion-Ledger, By John F. Bailey. October 11, 2012 UPDATED 6:05 P.M. October 12, 2012: County Executive Robert P. Astorino named Sustainable Playland, a locally organized, but highly mobilized non-profit group as his choice to run Playland for the next ten years, starting next year, if the Board of Legislators approves the contract. The group will (according to the Letter of Intent signed today by Mr. Astorino and Dhruy Narain, President of Sustainable), pay the county an upfront payment of $4 Million and $1.2 Million a year beginning in 2014. This is a total of guaranteed revenue to the county of about $15 Million dollars for exclusive rights to the 100-acre Playland complex. Sustainable Playland will hire Biederman Redevelopment Ventures, headed by the executive who revitalized Bryant Park in New York, to oversee the operation of the property. Revenues from vendors and developers agreeing to run the concessions, restaurants and attractions envisioned will fund the county payments. The Sustainable payments to the county will be used, Astorino said to pay down the $32 Million the county owes on bonds outstanding on Playland, and will result in $18 Million in savings in debt and interest. The county retains ownership of the land. Sustainable, for its part, promises $34 Million in capital improvements to the park, to be paid for by outside developing companies who will be responsible for the profit or loss of the operations. Narain said the park will be open in 2013, that there will no longer be a general admission fee (now $35 per person). Patrons will be charged only for rides. Narain told WPCNR there will be parking fees, but Narain said the parking charges had not been worked out at this time, but assured me the parking fees would not be a factor in inhibiting attendance. The proposal includes an Acqua Park that will replace the swimming pool behind the bathouses, an indoor field house and outdoor playing field to be built on the present parking area; retention of the historic Playland promenade and historic rides including the Dragon Coaster and the Carousel, and KiddyLand. A winter outdoor ice rink will be built. The Ice Casino will be renovated on its second floor to accommodate public functions like weddings(upstairs rinks will be eliminated.). Some new rides will be brought in and some non-historical rides will go. It was not clear whether old attractions on the midway (fun houses like The Witch House, the Hall of Mirrors) would be retained unless they were historical landmark-designated. Apparently there is no "review" authority at county level to approve or disprove suggestions for rides and attractions to be eliminated. Sustainable will run the park and make all the decisions. A great lawn would be established alongside Long Island Sound. Astorino said in a response to a question by WPCNR how long it would take to put in all the proposals, he said he hoped less than three years. No specific timetable was laid out. County Legislator Bill Ryan of White Plains told WPCNR that any contract was definitely an Agreements and Contracts Committee matter for approval, but the Board of Legislators has to approve sending any contract to the Contracts committee. Ryan said the legislature had to take a close look at the proposal.


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