Nearly 1 in 4 Playland rides are closed. Lawmakers just started asking why.
Head to Playland this summer and you might not get to ride what you came for. Nine of the park's 40 rides were closed as of early June. Taxpayers are footing the bill to fix them. But Tuesday was the first time county legislators publicly questioned park officials about it — a full year after Westchester took over the park.
Acting Parks Commissioner Peter Tartaglia and Director of Park Planning Rob Lopane appeared before the Board of Legislators' Parks & Environment Committee. The meeting took place at the Michaelian Office Building in White Plains. It was the first formal oversight session on Playland since the county took control in 2025.
What legislators asked, and what officials promised, isn't public yet. Formal minutes haven't been posted.
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Westchester didn't choose to run Playland. It got stuck with it. Standard Amusements walked away from its operating contract in 2025. That led to a legal dispute. The county ended up responsible for a park that needs tens of millions of dollars in repairs, according to news reports.
That means it's now a taxpayer-funded operation. Tuesday was the first real chance for county government to explain what residents are getting for the money.
The damage has been hard to miss. A March storm tore into the park's original 1928 music tower, exposing its steel frame. Tartaglia said at the time there would be "no delay or postponement of activities or operations during the upcoming 2026 season." Earlier this year, the dragon figure atop the 97-year-old Dragon Coaster was replaced. County spokesperson Catherine Cioffi said the parts were "severely deteriorated due to lack of maintenance."
Ten rides have been removed since 2019. Add the nine closed as of June 5 — per MyRye.com's ride tracker — and nearly half the park's original rides are gone or out of service.
The committee also reviewed Merestead, a 130-acre estate in Mount Kisco. The Patterson family deeded it to the county in 1982.
The county announced June 22 it had begun a $5.4 million restoration. More than $3 million is going toward the historic farmhouse's exterior and foundation. That work should wrap by the end of 2026. Tartaglia said it "will help protect the farmhouse and its surrounding structures for decades to come."
Planning a trip to Playland?
- Open: Wednesday through Sunday (opened May 23)
- Spectator admission: Free
- Big Park Ride Band: $27 for Westchester residents, $32 for non-residents
- Parking: $15, weekdays and weekends
- Fireworks: Every Friday night through Sept. 4
- Beach and pool: Open daily through Labor Day, Sept. 7
