Mark Lungariello

mlungariel@lohud.com

RYE - The company set to manage Playland wants to build a new steel roller coaster and a second marquee ride that would be visible to parkgoers as soon as they step from their cars in a refurbished parking lot.

Standard Amusements shared renderings this week with The Journal News showing the company’s vision for the future of the embattled and financially neglected county-owned park.

“This place is going to be a gem, it’s going to be an absolute gem and a huge asset to Westchester County for generations to come,” Nicholas Singer, the investor behind Standard, said in a telephone interview.

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A plan is in place to hand over management of the park to Standard, pending approval by the county Board of Legislators of an amended contract that includes a promise that Westchester, as the landlord, will invest $58 million into the park's deteriorating infrastructure.

Price tag a focus

Some legislators expressed “sticker shock” at the county’s contribution — Standard will invest $30 million in addition to that figure — but a spokesman for County Executive Rob Astorino said it shouldn’t be a surprise.

“These are the county’s capital projects,” spokesman Ned McCormack said. “These are things we contemplated on our own.”

The $58 million represents 11 different projects, including redoing the parking lot and removing the miniature golf course from a refurbished fountain plaza, where Standard plans to open a boardwalk-fronted new restaurant. Two projects totaling nearly $20 million would repair the colonnades and towers in the park — but lawmakers and the company can opt to put off that work to reduce Westchester's price tag.

The pool factor

Aspects of the plan, including a proposal to replace the public pool with a waterfront vista, have drawn some scrutiny as the review gets underway. Legislature Vice Chairman Jim Maisano even said he wasn’t prepared to vote for an amended plan that would raze the pool.

The company is amenable to keep the pool and have it repaired, but prefers to keep it as a vista. Representatives have expressed concern that repairing the pool, which has low average daily attendance and has been known to leak up to tens of thousands of gallons of water a day, could cost the county more than $10 million rather than the $4 million needed to make the area a Sound-view vista.

Deadline approaching

The company has an opt-out clause in the deal that expires at the end of this month, after it was extended from the fall. Although the legislature is reviewing the amended deal and associated construction projects, the deadline might need to be extended again.

Astorino has sought a company to take over management of the park since he came into office in 2010. Standard was chosen last year after a nonprofit set to run the park backed out of the deal.

Singer said his company has "never been more excited" and is aiming to take over as sole operator by October 2017.

“We just can’t wait to get going,” he said. “We need to get through this last hurdle and we’re off and running to make this place great.”

Twitter: @marklungariello