Westchester Okays Amended Playland Deal With Standard Amusements

RYE, NY — Standard Amusements will be taking over the day-to-day management of Rye Playland after all.

The Westchester County Board of Legislators voted Monday night to turn over the management of Playland in Rye to Standard Amusements after months of legal wrangling over a contract originally approved under former County Executive Rob Astorino. The company will take over operations of the amusement park in December after an amended deal was approved by the board.

Current Westchester County Executive George Latimer had threatened to void the deal if the company didn’t rein in expenses he considered excessive. Standard officials attributed some of the blame for its growing financial woes on the county’s failure to live up to the agreement. The New York City-based company vowed to sue if the county attempted to escape the existing contract.

The board voted 13 to 4 to accept an amended contract, setting the stage for Standard to begin managing the park in late 2021. Tweaks to the deal are said to better define the types of operating expenses the county will be on the hook for under the management agreement. Language has also been added to clarify exactly how the company will invest more than $27 million in capital improvements to the historic amusement park.