Internet Petition Started to Save Rides and Not Reduce the Size of Playland Amusement Park
RYE, March 5, 2013
A group of Westchester residents has created an internet petition to Save Playland Amusement Park in Rye, New York. 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 drastically reduce the size of the amusement park and remove rides. Over a thousand people have signed the petition (http://www.change.org/petitions/save-playland-amusement-park) since it went live February 21, 2013. A majority of the signers are from Westchester County but the petition has also attracted people from all around the country, demonstrating the unique and wide appeal of the amusements at Playland.
Signatories agree that 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 Amusements and CAI propose to invest in and make additional capital improvements to the property while continuing to run Playland primarily as an amusement park. Supporters of the petition believe either or both of these proposals offer stronger choices for the financial success of Playland than SPI’s plan.
Signatories of the petition are opposed to SPI’s proposal which seeks to remove 30% of the amusement rides. SPI’s proposal will demolish 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 amusement park by approximately 50%. SPI’s plan calls for areas from which these amusements will be eliminated to become “a great lawn.” Additionally, more than half of the northern portion the parking lot, which is filled to capacity during busy amusement park days will be removed, leaving inadequate parking facilities to support a successful amusement park. 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.
Links to presentations of the above-mentioned potential Playland operators for further information and fact verification can be found at: http://westchesterlegislators.com/committees.html?id=2029
About the petition: The petition was started on February 21, 2012 by a group of Westchester residents who began discussing the proposals online within the SAVE RYE PLAYLAND Facebook group after the recent Board of Legislators information session on the Playland proposals. The SAVE RYE PLAYLAND Facebook group has over 800 members.
Contact: saveplaylandamusementpark@gmail.com Petition: https://www.change.org/petitions/save-playland-amusement-park Website: http://www.saveplaylandamusementpark.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaveWCPlayland
SAVE RYE PLAYLAND Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/ArtDecoPLAYLAND/
Internet Petition Started to Save Rides and Not Reduce the Size of Playland Amusement Park
RYE, March 5, 2013
A group of Westchester residents has created an internet petition to Save Playland Amusement Park in Rye, New York. 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 drastically reduce the size of the amusement park and remove rides. Over a thousand people have signed the petition (http://www.change.org/petitions/save-playland-amusement-park) since it went live February 21, 2013. A majority of the signers are from Westchester County but the petition has also attracted people from all around the country, demonstrating the unique and wide appeal of the amusements at Playland.
Signatories agree that 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 Amusements and CAI propose to invest in and make additional capital improvements to the property while continuing to run Playland primarily as an amusement park. Supporters of the petition believe either or both of these proposals offer stronger choices for the financial success of Playland than SPI’s plan.
Signatories of the petition are opposed to SPI’s proposal which seeks to remove 30% of the amusement rides. SPI’s proposal will demolish 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 amusement park by approximately 50%. SPI’s plan calls for areas from which these amusements will be eliminated to become “a great lawn.” Additionally, more than half of the northern portion the parking lot, which is filled to capacity during busy amusement park days will be removed, leaving inadequate parking facilities to support a successful amusement park. 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.
Links to presentations of the above-mentioned potential Playland operators for further information and fact verification can be found at: http://westchesterlegislators.com/committees.html?id=2029
About the petition: The petition was started on February 21, 2012 by a group of Westchester residents who began discussing the proposals online within the SAVE RYE PLAYLAND Facebook group after the recent Board of Legislators information session on the Playland proposals. The SAVE RYE PLAYLAND Facebook group has over 800 members.
Contact: saveplaylandamusementpark@gmail.com Petition: https://www.change.org/petitions/save-playland-amusement-park Website: http://www.saveplaylandamusementpark.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaveWCPlayland
SAVE RYE PLAYLAND Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/ArtDecoPLAYLAND/
