Eastchester REVIEW THE
July 28, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 30 | www.eastchesterreview.com
SEAS THE DAY Rye moves forward on county, Playland appeal By JAMES PERO Staff Writer After a tight vote of the Rye City Council, an appeal seeking to overturn a court’s decision granting Westchester County more authority over renovations at Playland could be imminent. The 4-3 vote, which came on July 12, will prompt the city attorney to draw up an official appeal. The drafting of a resolution will mark the first step toward locking into another legal spat with the county. Council members voted to file a notice of appeal in April; granting the city six months to solidify an official appeal. The city will now have approximately two months to of-
ficially file the appeal before a statute of limitations runs out. According to Rye City Councilman Rich Mecca, a Republican, barring a change in the way negotiations between the county and Rye have been conducted—members of the City Council have repeatedly stated that they were not given a seat at the table when it comes to negotiations with Playland on capital projects and infrastructure work—an Article 78 challenging a state court’s decision rendered in April is likely. In May 2016, county lawmakers voted to strike a deal with the investment firm Standard Amusements—spearheaded by Harrison native Nick Singer—to transfer management of the park
and inject $60 million of capital into improvements and new rides. Of that total investment, $30 million is slated to come from county funds. In August of that year, the city filed a lawsuit against the county claiming the county incorrectly declared itself lead agency on an upcoming round of capital projects at the park. That lawsuit was thrown out by a state judge in March of this year, prompting the city to consider filing an appeal. Although owned by the county, Playland sits within the city of Rye and adjacent to residential neighborhoods. So far, the prospect of an appeal pitting the city against the administration of County Exec-
utive Rob Astorino, a Republican, has drawn mixed sentiments from the council, however. From the council dais, Rye City Councilwoman Killian, a Republican, voted against the move, stating during roll call “absolutely not.” “In an appeals case we can win the battle, but lose the war,” she told the Review. “It’s highly unlikely that we’ll win the battle and win the war.” Further, Killian said the downside to appealing the March ruling could far outweigh the benefits. “It’s going to make the relationship with the county worse, and our relationship with Standard Amusements worse,” she said. CONTACT: james@hometwn.com
Families lay out beach chairs and towels on Stephen E. Johnston Beach as they enjoy the village of Mamaroneck Recreation Department and Larchmont-Mamaroneck Community Television’s second annual Tiki Invasion. For story, see page 6. Photo/Taylor Brown
Town introduces mobile payment Eastchester has contracted with PANGO to provide a new and better way to pay for parking using your smartphone. The town board unanimously supported the agreement based upon the convenience and security of paying for your parking via your phone which would quickly replace the parking meter. There is no need to carry around spare change or look around for a meter to feed, however, coins will still be accepted at all meters as in the past. With PANGO’S mobile app, starting your parking transaction takes just a few seconds. You can control your entire parking session with ease and easily extend your session from anywhere as well. You can also opt-in to receive notifications 15 minutes prior to your parking session ending. You
can opt-in to receive customizable alerts as well. Customers can sign up for PANGO using their credit card through an app and can include as many vehicles as they want on their account. In addition, Complus, the company which provides the police department with parking enforcement hand held computers, and PANGO have teamed together for greater accuracy and convenience for our officers working throughout the town. PANGO will also work in the villages of Tuckahoe and Bronxville as well. There will be a brief program aired on the local cable stations further explaining the PANGO process and features. It is anticipated that the PANGO program will be up and running in September. (Submitted)