Latimer Terminates Playland Management Deal

RYE, NY — Westchester County has notified Standard Amusements that it is terminating the agreement to have the company take over management of Rye Playland, the county-owned park. The decision comes after an extended review and discussion of the provisions of the agreement put in place by the administration of Republican Rob Astorino three years ago.

It is also after negotiations between lawyers for the county and Standard Amusements, according to a county spokesman.

County Executive George Latimer said the county was unhappy with the way it has all turned out and never wanted this kind of conflict.

"However, we are simply not satisfied with what we have been seeing," he said. "We wanted to see the energy, excitement and drive in Standard Amusements' vision for Playland. We didn't want just a real estate deal."

Latimer said the administration believes in the park and its future and is not looking to liquidate the park as a liability.

"We want what is best for Playland, to see it succeed and thrive," he said.

"After 16 months, we believe this arrangement will not deliver a better tomorrow for Playland," Latimer said.

A statement released by Standard Amusements call Latimer's decision "deeply disappointing and devastatingly false."

The company said its conduct was never controversial under Astorino's administration, "and this move is nothing more than a means to improperly terminate a 30-year contract that was twice approved by super majorities of the Westchester Board of Legislators."

The company accused the county of negotiating in bad faith and said Latimer has been unwilling to meet with it since November 2018.

Latimer said that Standard is in material breach of the contract and has improperly claimed it invested money in the park, when in reality the money was not spent on purposes allowed under the agreement.

The reasons upon which termination of the contract was based were laid out in a Dec. 7 letter from the county to the company:

• Standard Amusements improperly claimed millions of dollars as part of its contractually defined manager's investment obligation, which is supposed to represent capital improvements at the park.
• The company claimed it invested more than $5.7 million in the park, but an audit proved otherwise, and was spent on salaries, meals, travel and consulting and legal fees.
• Standard Amusements has prevented the county from completing an audit as per the agreement and has not provided necessary documentation.

A spokesman for Standard Amusements said the company has worked for nine years and spent more than $10 million on its mission to save Playland. He said this course of action also directs attention away from the county’s complete mishandling of food safety, failure to secure the wooden Dragon Coaster and lack of proper fire suppression technology at Playland.

"Despite Mr. Latimer's mismanagement and complete disregard for visitor safety, Standard Amusements remains more committed than ever to restoring Playland to its former glory," the company said.

"By this action, the county executive has chosen the worst path possible for Westchester County taxpayers, Playland and Standard Amusements," the company said.

A spokeswoman for the county said the safety issues Standard raised date back to 2016 and 2017, under the previous administration, and were fixed in 2018.

Board of Legislature Minority Leader John G. Testa called Latimer's action "ill-advised."

He said the county executive's administration said they would negotiate in good faith with Standard but that it seems the opposite was true.

"Along with returning to past practice of having complete financial burden for Playland Park, Westchester taxpayers face a very expensive and long litigation process that will end up costing Westchester millions," Testa said.

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