County legislators have approved $12.5 million in repairs at Playland, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy in October.

 

 

County legislators have approved $12.5 million in repairs at Playland, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy in October.

 

The County Board of Legislators unanimously approved two bond acts Monday night for major repairs to Playland’s boardwalk and Ice Casino at the County-owned amusement park and recreation facility.

 

The first approved bond act, totaling nearly $7.6 million, will repair the boardwalk, damaged extensively from Sandy’s high winds and storm surge, causing parts of the structure to heave, buckle, or completely wash away. Since the storm, the boardwalk has been closed to the public for safety reasons.

 

The second bond act, totaling about $4,9 million, will pay for design and construction of roofing, boilers, and structural work at the Ice Casino. The roof of the ice rink, which showed significant cracking in a February 2012 inspection, now requires major repairs before the facility can be re-opened. High winds blew two doors off the Ice Casino facing the Long Island Sound; a 15-foot storm surge flooded the basement and damaged the boilers.

 

“Playland is a major attraction in Westchester, and it is also provides substantial revenue for the county and jobs for our youth,” said Legislator Catherine Borgia of Ossining, who chairs the Government Operations Committee. “Getting things back to normal the park needs to be a priority, and I’m looking forward to regular progress reports on the repairs being done there.”