Will $58M Really Be Spent to Improve Rye Playland?

A deal between Westchester County and an amusement park company could mean the revitalization of Playland in Rye.

The county is hoping to have an agreement in place with Standard Amusements by March 31.

Taxpayer money in the amount of $58 million could be poured into 11 construction projects at Playland.

However, county legislators have said the dollar amount and the projects it will fund are something that haven’t been vetted, according to an article in the Journal News.

County Board of Legislators MIke Kaplowitz was quoted in the Journal News saying that there was “a bit of sticker shock” when that multimillion-dollar figure surfaced.

A spokesman for County Executive Rob Astorio said the projects discussed were already accounted for, but were put on hold because of the park’s uncertainty.

The Journal News said Standard Amusement was selected in April to take over managing the park, with an investment of $22.75 million over 15 years as part of the initial agreement.

The opening day for the 2016 season for Rye Playland is May 7. The park will be open, subject to change, on weekends and holidays in May. For a schedule of hours, click here.

For more details on the agreement between the county and Standard Amusement, read the Journal News here.