The Cyclone roller coaster has stood in Coney Island for over 80 years, but the loss of Astroland Amusement Park could rattle it to its core.
That’s the fear of Cyclone operator Carol Hill Albert this week as she wonders whether or not she’ll have to begin selling off 24 Astroland amusements and saying goodbye to over 200 employees at the end of this season.
“I’d like to be able to keep the lights on in Coney Island,” Albert told the Bay News. “If Astroland isn’t here this will be a vacant lot.”
Albert and husband Jerome sold the 3.1 acres of land underneath Astroland Amusement Park at West 10th Street to Thor Equities in 2006, and have been leasing the site ever since.
Last year negotiations to extend the lease went all the way to October. But this time out, Albert says she can’t wait that long to find out if Thor will grant Astroland another extension on its lease.
“I spoke to them [Thor] in June and they said they were not able to make a decision at this point,” Albert said. “I heard from them recently and they said they still weren’t sure.”
The Albert family has operated Astroland Amusement Park since 1964. In 1975, Dewey and Jerome Albert signed a lease with the city to operate the Cyclone as well. Over the years, the Alberts have invested millions of dollars in maintaining and upgrading the landmark roller coaster.
Family spokesperson Joe Carella said that visitors to Astroland account for about one third of all of the Cyclone’s business.
With the clock clicking down, Albert also fears that if she is forced to get rid of Astroland’s 24 rides in the eleventh hour, many will be virtually worthless on the open market.
“Some rides will be worth nothing past September if they think suddenly we’re running fire sales,” Albert said.
Offers to donate the 270-foot tall Astro Tower to the New York Aquarium and the City of New York have both been declined, according to Albert, making it very possible that the gigantic Coney Island marvel could one day rise high over an Asian theme park where the market for used rides is better.
Albert says she wants to keep Astroland running until the Coney Island rezoning process is completed.
When the Alberts decided to sell their land to Thor Equities in 2006, Carol Albert says that she was “under the false impression that the zoning was about to be completed.”
“I never expected to be in this position,” she said.
The Coney Island Development Corporation’s (CIDC) best scenario for the new plan would be to start ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure) early next year and have it done by Labor Day 2009 so that building could begin in the fall.
“I think that any vacating of the amusement district is premature,” CIDC President Lynn Kelly said.
Dennis Vourderis feels secure holding both a long-term lease with the Ward family and a deed for the roughly two acres that constitutes Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park. But even he wonders what kind of effect a season without Astroland might have on his business.
“They should leave the two amusement parks alone and let them operate,” Vourderis said. “Just build up on the vacant lots that are here. There’s plenty of room to build.”
Carol Albert says she still loves the amusement park business.
“It’s a quirky and strange business and I really enjoy it,” she said.
At the time of this writing, a small number of inflatable amusements began to appear on vacant land owned by Thor Equities located near the boardwalk on Stillwell Avenue. Last week the site of the company’s “Summer of Hope” lay barren after operators of several rides and attractors packed up and left.
Thor Equities did not respond to requests for comment on the status of their “Summer of Hope” attractions or Astroland’s lease.