September 21, 2007
Randall's Island Water Park Plans Waterlogged
Plans for a water park on Randall's Island are on the verge of collapse as the developer granted a state concession to build the amusement complex missed its second deadline in seven months to secure financing. According to the Daily News, many East Harlem residents and park advocates were ecstatic at the project's possible failure. Tickets for the water park would have been priced at $37 a person and would result in a de facto reduction of public park space for those unable to afford admission. The neighborhoods closest to the proposed water park are the South Bronx and East Harlem.
Aquatic Leisure LLC was supposed to begin construction of the park in February, but the company was granted a seven month extension to line up funding for the project. Critics say the second failure to do so should leave Aquatic Leisure's plans for a pricey park dead in the water. There are also allegations of a bankrupted project in the company's past and a failure to repay an economic development loan made by the city of Albany.
Opponents of the water park plan hope that this is the end of a project that has been a non-starter for almost a decade. They're hoping that the Parks Dept. will return to square one of the planning stage, at which point any proposal of a private park on public land will be nixed immediately.
UPDATE: We've heard from the office of City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr.and the Aquatic Leisure LLC contract is officially killed.
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but Splish Splash is so far away!
Glad you posted this. A few facts.
Admission is over $50, as the waterpark consists also of a private beach, both having dual admission fees.
The bankruptcy and unpaid loan are not "allegations" but facts.
This has been a "nonstarter", it has been fought tooth and nail on a variety of fronts to get to this poiint even.
It is SEVEN months after a contract was signed, whihc is ocntested nayhow, and no compliance. SEVEn months, and where has everyone involved in oversight on this been?
Just one glaring example of what the residents of this City must ocntend with as we work to protcet public space and the public god.
In general I'm not a fan of granting private concessions in public parks, but I go cycling through Randall's Island and it's quite empty most of the time. Seems they could fit a water park out there and no one would miss the space, and the money paid for the concession could be used to spruce up the park (and provide better public transport access, one of the main reasons it's so empty, I'd guess). It's so empty sometimes it's a little scary/creepy -- I think also a little more action out there would make it actually more accessible to a lot of people rather than less.
$30+ is expensive.
Thank God. My wife used to work at MPC on the Island -- they have a sewage treatment plant there (either on Randall or Ward's), and the Godawful smell would occasionally waft over the entire place. When I heard they were making a waterpark in the vicinity I had to laugh.
empty, you're crazy and not going at primetimes is one reason, another is that so much of it is fenced off and closed, like still the snetire farmaid rea is locked off to the public!
so "empty" it is "scary/creepy"?
I consider that a boon, in such a city. There are pheasants there even.