RyeCity REVIEW THE
March 24, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 12 | www.ryecityreview.com
City suit over Playland thrown out by judge By JAMES PERO Staff Writer
From left, Natasha Caputo, director of Westchester County Office of Tourism and Film, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, and Juan Aguilar, the owner of La Chinita Poblana hold a signed Hudson Valley Restaurant Week plate during the wind down of the spring version of Westchester’s week of culinary treats. For story, see page 6. Contributed photo
City Council OKs $825K in Rye Golf Club improvements By FRANCO FINO Staff Writer The Rye City Council authorized the use of $825,000 in unreserved funds on March 15 for six major capital improvements to the Rye Golf Club, some of which include a continuation of the greens expansion project that kicked off last fall. The scope of work includes a package of improvements relating to curbing updates near the course’s greens and tee area; an installation of a privacy fence
behind the first practice green and maintenance area; drainage installments; walk bridge repairs on the fourth and sixth holes; and a continuation of the creation of a new practice green and tee area, totaling $308,000. “Those are really good projects,” said Councilman Terry McCartney, a Republican and liaison to the Rye Golf Club Commission, who explained that the greens expansion comes as a result of the increasing foot traffic on the course. McCartney said that while
the club was initially designed to sustain only 10,000 rounds of golf per year, the club has recently faced as many as 30,000 annually. He added that type of increase in foot traffic can cause the greens to become compacted, which can damage the growth of grass. “That makes a big difference,” McCartney said. “Now that we have more foot play, we need to expand the greens to avoid that.” The councilman told the Review that the golf club already institutes an “aggressive” aera-
tion program, in which the groundskeeper uses a machine to pierce small holes in the ground for the purpose of keeping the greens healthy and in good condition. The club will also spend $100,000 to design a replacement to its current irrigation system, which will be part of a much larger project that’s expected to occur in the future, McCartney said. City Manager Marcus Serrano GOLF continued on page 7
A lawsuit filed by the city of Rye seeking to overturn Westchester County’s authority over capital projects slated at Playland was thrown out by a state judge this week. The suit, filed by the city in August 2016, sought to overturn the county’s status as lead agency under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, SEQR, which would have given Rye a greater say in the approval of millions of dollars in improvements slated to take place at the park this year. The historic amusement park is located within the city. “We gave it our best shot, but we didn’t prevail,” said Rye Mayor Joe Sack, a Republican. “One thing that has not changed is that the residents of Rye bear 100 percent of the quality of life impacts at Playland.” Sack added that the city will not appeal the judge’s decision due to cost and time constraints. While the city has consistently argued that projects at the park—which abuts Rye’s residential neighborhoods—should fall under the scrutiny of the City Council, a state judge ruled in favor of the county, which owns Playland as a part of the county parks system. According to a decision by Judge Gretchen Walsh, among other things, the city failed to show reasonable evidence
that its neighborhoods would be adversely impacted by the projects. In a statement, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican, championed the decision to dismiss the suit. “This ruling means the county can get back to the business of saving Playland,” he said. “We are pleased with this ruling as it enables Standard Amusements, in collaboration with the county, to move forward on our plans to upgrade the grounds in support of our mission.” As per an agreement struck in May between the county and the management company Standard Amusements—the new operators of the nearly 100-year-old amusement park—the park is set to undergo $60 million in capital improvements, the cost of which will be split between the two parties. Under the terms of the deal, Standard would manage the park for 30 years and also pay the county a fee that rises annually by 2 percent. The agreement punctuated years of failed negotiations between the Astorino administration and prospective organizations or companies interested in managing the amusement park; most notably a previous deal brokered between Astorino and local nonprofit Sustainable Playland Inc., which dissolved in the wake of PLAYLAND continued on page 8
INSIDE Rye Town to appeal city tax case Story on page 5.