White Plains, NY – The members of the Westchester County Board of Legislators (BOL) serving on the Budget & Appropriations Committee unanimously approved two bond acts today to fund critical repairs at Playland, the County’s amusement park and recreation facility, for infrastructure damaged during Hurricane Sandy in late October 2012.
The two separate repair projects, which were added by the BOL to County’s 2013 Capital Projects Budget, were categorized by the Administration as necessary for emergency contracts, which is why the BOL’s Budget & Appropriations Committee, chaired by Legislator Judy Myers (D-Larchmont), moved quickly on the items. Both bond acts will be taken up in the BOL’s Government Operations Committee meeting tomorrow, where they are expected to gain similar approval, before heading to the full BOL for a vote at its next regular meeting on January 28.
The first bond act approved at today’s committee meeting was in the amount of $4,925,000 to fund the cost of design and construction of roofing, boilers and structural work at the Playland Ice Casino. The County’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation had reported that the Ice Casino, used by thousands of residents annually, suffered extensive damage during Hurricane Sandy. The roof structure, which showed significant cracking in a February 2012 inspection, now requires major repairs before the facility can be re-opened. Also, high winds blew off two doors on the Ice Casino facing the Long Island Sound, and a fifteen foot storm surge flooded the basement and damaged the boilers.
The second approved bond act, totaling $7,575,000, will go toward repairing the boardwalk at Playland, which also was 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, which is normally open to county residents during the off-season, has been closed to the public.
“There is no doubt that we need to move ahead as quickly as possible with these repairs so Playland can be opened on time for the 2013 season and the Ice Casino be made available to residents and others for use,” said Myers. “Playland is an important asset and a major revenue producer for the County, and investments in our infrastructure along these lines makes good short- and long-term sense.”
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To see photos of Sandy's damage at Playland, click here.
