A group of Westchester residents has created an Internet petition to Save Playland Amusement Park.
A group of Westchester residents has created an Internet petition to Save Playland Amusement Park. The petition, addressed to the Westchester County Executive and Board of Legislators, supports two proposals which would maintain the property as an amusement park in its current footprint, and opposes the proposal by Sustainable Playland Incorporated (SPI) which would reduce the size of the amusement park and remove rides.
Since the petition (change.org/petitions/save-playland-amusement-park) went live February 21, over 1,000 people have signed it.
To be viable as an amusement park, Playland must be operated by an experienced amusement park operator, which will maintain and improve the existing amusement park, including all historic buildings and structures, without shrinking the footprint of the amusement area or decreasing the number of rides.
Signatories support proposals by Standard Amusements and/or Central Amusements International (CAI), which were both finalists in the County Executive’s selection process. Standard and CAI propose to invest in and make additional capital improvements to the property, while continuing to run Playland primarily as an amusement park.
SPI’s proposal, they note, will eliminate some larger and more popular attractions, including all rides, games and arcades east of the mall midway (with the exception of the Carousel), thereby reducing the footprint of the amusement park by 50 percent. SPI’s plan calls for areas from which these amusements will be eliminated to become “a great lawn.” Supporters of the petition believe that decreasing the size of the amusement park by removing rides will reduce Playland’s appeal, decreasing attendance and revenue.
