Taken for a ride: Playland's future in jeopardy amid war of words

The Westchester County Legislature is set to convene this afternoon to deliberate on the future of Rye Playland Park.

News 12 Staff

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Jan 24, 2025, 4:58 PM

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Updated 1 hr ago

A heated dispute between Westchester County government and Standard Amusements, the company managing historic Rye Playland, has put the amusement park's future in doubt.

Standard Amusements is seeking to terminate its 30-year contract, just three years in, citing the county's alleged failure to meet construction obligations. However, Westchester County officials fired back, accusing Standard Amusements of being in default of the agreement and mismanaging the park.

"The county has invested $150 million to upgrade and restore Playland, while Standard Amusements has neglected its responsibilities," said Catherine Cioffi, communications director for Westchester County.

The Westchester County Legislature is set to convene this afternoon to deliberate on the future of Rye Playland Park.

Full statement from Standard Amusements:

For over a decade, we have tirelessly worked to revitalize Playland. Unfortunately, Westchester County has once again failed to live up to its end of the bargain. And once again, the County is publicly pointing fingers and misrepresenting facts instead of working towards solutions.

In November, we alerted the County that we were terminating our agreement based on their complete failure to meet the construction obligations under the contract. By its own admission, the County has missed the contractual deadlines, despite our consistent flexibility and patience, including a blanket one-year extension on all their project deadlines.

While we will no longer be the Park’s steward, we are committed to facilitating a seamless transition of Playland management responsibilities to the County. We sincerely hope—for the sake of Westchester County residents and visitors, our 40+ employees, and ultimately the taxpayer—that the County changes its attitude and decides to prioritize the Park and stops wasting time and money trying to spin and misdirect the public.

Full statement from Catherine Cioffi, Communications Director for Westchester County:

“For nearly 100 years, the people of Westchester County have cherished Playland, and since 2018, the County has made every effort to ensure this beloved park thrives for future generations. It is Standard Amusements—not the County—that is in default of the Playland Management Agreement. Their claim of working to revitalize the Park is an outright falsehood. The County has invested $150 million dollars to upgrade and restore Playland, while Standard Amusements has repeatedly neglected its responsibilities and mismanaged the Park. Just ask anyone who has endured a visit to Playland under their disastrous leadership.

We strongly reject Standard Amusements' Notice of Termination, as they do not have the legal right to terminate the agreement as the County has met all our obligations under the agreement. In a clear breach of the Playland Management Agreement, Standard Amusements has stated that they will not operate Playland in 2025 laying off hard working men and woman. It is clear that they have no business running the Park and took all of the residents of this County for a ride.

Standard Amusements’ poor performance is evident through the following failures:

Inadequate Ride Operation: Numerous rides were closed throughout the seasons, a violation of industry standards.
Insufficient Maintenance Staff: The lack of adequate staffing affected both daily operations and preventative maintenance.
Unresolved Maintenance Issues: Several repairs identified in the October 2024 safety audit remain unfinished.
Withholding Money from County: Standard Amusements is withholding money from the County citing delays in project completion. Despite the County providing proof that all projects, including the Switchgear, were completed.

While Westchester County Government has invested $150 million dollars in Playland, once again, Standard Amusements is prioritizing their own interests over the hard-earned dollars of County taxpayers. This situation was created by the Astorino Administration that saddled the County with an agreement that benefits Standard Amusements to the detriment of County taxpayers.

The County stands firm in its commitment to holding Standard Amusements accountable for their mismanagement and will explore all avenues to protect taxpayer funds.”