Park News
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Saving Playland Council executive pledges to reduce burden on taxpayers
Following up on his pledge to “reinvent Playland for the 21st century,” Westchester County Executive Robert P Astorino has signed a letter of intent with Sustainable Playland Inc, a not-for- profit organisation, to manage the iconic but troubled amusement park in Rye, New York, overlooking the Long Island Sound. “Saving Playland has been a priority for me since the day I took office,” says Astorino. “What do you do with one of the most beautiful pieces of property anywhere, whose amusement park has become an untenable drain on county taxpayers? We started with a blank sheet of paper and asked experts – ranging from industry professionals to school kids who love the rides – to help us draw a new future. We have arrived at the new future – a civic-commercial partnership that preserves tradition by embracing innovation to keep Playland vibrant and financially sound for generations to come.”
The historic amusement park will remain and Sustainable Playland is committed to making an initial investment of $34 million in capital
Whirlwind
strikes again Following our story last month on the new d'wervelwind (Whirlwind) coaster at Toverland in the Netherlands, we are delighted to bring you these pictures highlighting the ride’s theming, overseen by P&P Projects.
The spinning coaster from Mack Rides forms part of the new Magische Vallei (Magical Valley) expansion of the park, which will be completed this spring with the addition of a further seven additional attractions including a river rapid ride, water-themed carousel, Heege tower, a survival course, climbing towers, trampolines and water balloon challenge.
A combination of outdoor and 365-day a year indoor park, Toverland is located outside the town of Sevenum near Venlo and the German
improvements including new elements such as a mini waterpark called Aqua Zone, outdoor ball fields and an indoor field house, a renovated indoor ice rink and a new outdoor winter rink, together with new restaurants and an indoor multi-use facility, which can be rented for parties, weddings, meetings and conferences. The process to select Sustainable Playland as the park’s new operator began in August 2010 when Astorino formally sought ideas to address chronic losses that have been running at $3 million to $5 million annually. Out of the 12 proposals reviewed by the county and a citizens’ committee, Astorino said Sustainable was chosen because it had the best vision for the park financially and operationally, as well as far- reaching experience and strong local ties. Under a proposed 10-year management agreement, the county will receive an upfront payment of $4 million from Sustainable, as well as a minimum payment of $1.2 million a year. The money will go toward retiring the county’s existing $32 million of debt on Playland.
Sustainable will in turn charge the operators it will hire to run various elements throughout the park.
Coaster catches shoppers’
border. We hope to feature an interview with Toverland director of development Pieter Cornelis about plans for the Magische Vallei in an upcoming issue of Park World.
magischevallei.nl
attention Romania’s leading FEC operator recently took delivery of a custom-designed rollercoaster from IE Park. The ride is now appearing at the AFI Cotroceni Mall in Bucharest, where it appears as part of Zorky’s Planet. The Italian ride manufacturer describes the installation as one of its most challenging rollercoaster projects to date as it was supposed to be constructed inside a unit with a ceiling height of just 5m (16ft). The solution was to take the ride, called Zorky’s Space Train, out onto the mezzanine level. Following a detailed engineering design concept created in conjunction with structural analysts and civil engineers, five attractions – including a bumper car track, three children’s rides, some trampolines plus a selection of video games and skill games – were repositioned to make way for the coaster and its supports. As can be seen from our picture here, the resulting ride is a real eye-catcher for curious shoppers at the mall. Britta, which operates the FEC and also has its headquarters in Bucharest, boasts a second Zorky’s Planet outlet at the Baneasa Mallo close to the Otopeni Airport. “IE Park’s technicians and production department did an excellent job for us,” notes Britta’s Lucia Prajisteanu. “We have also been extremely happy with the sales and after sales service provided. As we plan further expansions, we certainly intend to continue working with IE Park.”
iepark.com
14
NOVEMBER 2012
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