Westchester issues emergency order to reopen Playland after contractor exits

Westchester County has issued an emergency order to expedite the reopening of Playland amusement park after a messy fallout with its former operator, Standard Amusements, officials said.

The order allows the county to skip competitive bidding and hire Zamperla, Inc., a global amusement ride manufacturer, to inspect, repair and maintain rides ahead of the 2025 season. The company, which also worked on Coney Island's recent renovations, will supply critical missing parts, according to officials.

County leaders said the move was necessary after Standard abruptly terminated its contract and left the nearly 100-year-old park in disrepair.

“Standard left little or no spare parts in inventory,” the order reads, adding that “a number of rides were left disassembled” or not properly winterized.

The emergency intervention follows weeks of political finger-pointing.

Standard blamed the county for failing to make promised infrastructure upgrades despite $150 million in public spending. In a January statement, the company accused Westchester of repeatedly missing construction deadlines, saying it had “squandered” months and placed the 2025 season at risk. It also said the county was resorting to “obfuscating legal and PR tactics” that had previously cost taxpayers nearly $10 million in a failed court battle.

County officials have accused a prior Republican administration of striking a lopsided deal that leaves taxpayers responsible for repaying Standard’s investments.

A Standard spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

Current County Executive Kenneth Jenkins has pledged to open the park in some form this summer. If it doesn’t open, it would mark only the second time Playland has missed a full season — the last being in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Playland is located in Rye, about 30 miles north of Manhattan.