BY TODD MAISEL
As summer months begin to
wind down, the owners of Coney
Island’s amusement park rides
are bracing for the increasingly
likely prospect of missing out on
their entire money-making season
— which, they fear, could
send them into “fi nancial ruin.”
“We are hanging by a thread,
waiting to hear the news,” said
Dennis Vourderis, the owner
of the iconic Wonder Wheel.
“Bowling alleys and gyms are
reopening, but I didn’t hear
anything about amusements.”
Business owners like Vourderis
— whose family has owned
the historic landmark since
1983 — are appealing directly
to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, arguing
that they could open the
100-year-old ride while adhering
to stringent social distancing
measures.
Business owners’ pleas to
Gov. Andrew Cuomo comes after
state regulators gave the
go-ahead for the New York
Aquarium to reopen on Aug. 27
— giving the operators behind
the amusement district some
hope that they may be able to return
this year.
“We thought oh, the amusements
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may be next week — but
nothing,” said Vourderis. “So
it’s hard to understand rationale.
Time is ticking, and it’s
getting closer to Labor Day, our
traditional end.”
Coney Island Councilman
Mark Treyger, citing the potential
damage to the neighborhood
if the amusement district
goes under, called on the various
levels of government to help
support business owners like
Vourderis however they can.
“This was supposed to be
a historic year, to celebrate
the 100th birthday of Wonder
Wheel. But now, Dennis is asking
the city leaders how he will
survive,” Treyger said.
Alessandro Zamperla, who
serves as the president of Central
Amusements International,
which owns Luna Park and
other Coney Island attractions,
said their “fi nancial situation is
devastating,” and claimed that
they “won’t make it” through
the summer without help.
“This is a family-owned
business, and to survive, we
will need a fi nancial lifeline or
we won’t make it,” Zamperla
said, noting that Luna Park had
The Coney Island amusement district faces an uncertain future as it remains
closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Todd Maisel
recently completed a $13 million
renovation. “The season is
almost over, we are here at September,
and we are fi nancially
done. The federal government
needs to come through with a
small business program.”
And on top of losing out on
the revenue — which they typically
generate only between
Memorial Day and Labor Day
— the park closure has caused
substantial job loss in the neighborhood.
While Zamperla usually
employs over 1,000 people,
they’ve cut that number to less
than 100 for the 2020 season.
Zamperla’s company leases
and manages the amusement
park, as well as some surrounding
storefronts, from
the city’s Economic Development
Corporation — prompting
Treyger and others to call
for the city to provide rent relief
to the struggling amusement
district.
“We don’t need platitudes,
Tweets, statements — we need
concrete actions,” he said.
‘WE NEED A
LIFELINE’
Coney amusement parks face dire future
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