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Posts Tagged ‘NYCEDC’

Steeplechase Plaza Under Construction in Coney Island

Posted in amusement park, Amusement ride, Redevelopment, tagged B&B Carousell, Coney Island, Economic Development Corporation, New Construction, NYCEDC, Parachute Jump, Steeplechase Plaza on August 10, 2012| 1 Comment »

B&B Carousell Pavilion Under Construction in Steeplechase Plaza, Coney Island. July 30, 2012. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

When the B&B Carousell reopens in Coney Island next season, the restored 1919 ride will spin in a glass pavilion next to the Parachute Jump. The progress of construction on the pavilion and its new home Steeplechase Plaza can be seen in the above photo. Large-scale neon lettering spelling B&B CAROUSELL will encircle the top of the completed pavilion. Coney Island’s last hand-carved carousel was saved from auction in 2005 when the City purchased it for $1.8 million from the McCullough family who operated it on the north side of Surf Avenue since the 1970s.

The Parachute Jump, the sole survivor of Steeplechase Park, is also a focal point of Steeplechase Plaza. The red, yellow and blue sheet metal panels and medallions at the base of the Jump are getting a redo as you can see in the photo below.

Construction at the Base of the Parachute Jump. July 30, 2012. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

While fans of the Jump continue to hope that the landmark ride will someday be restored to operation, we don’t see that happening due to liability concerns and high costs. In an article that we wrote for Preservation Magazine in 2002, independent ride engineer and certified safety inspector Ed Pribonic expressed concerns about stress on the structure and the viability of reusing original components. “As a visual icon, it’s probably fine,” he said. “When you’re talking about turning it into an operating amusement ride that carries passengers and is subject to thousands of dynamic load cycles a day, then it becomes a different engineering problem.”

Besides, Coney Island is getting a 2.2 acre public plaza on the old Steeplechase site, not a new Steeplechase Park. According to the NYCEDC’s press release issued at the time of last November’s groundbreaking, the plaza will be the western gateway to the revitalized Coney Island and will be large enough to host a variety of events. For the first time, visitors will be able to walk directly underneath the Parachute Jump and gaze up at the latticework structure from the inside. The landmark will also get a new lighting scheme to “bring the bling to Coney Island,” in the words of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.

Artist Rendering of Parachute Jump Gateway. NYC Economic Development Corporation

Coney Island Carousel Horse Naming Contest: Cotton Candy vs Ravishing Ruby?

Posted in Amusement ride, historic preservation, tagged B & B Carousell, B&B Carousell, carousel, Coney Island, contest, Economic Development Corporation, NYCEDC, Partners in Preservation on May 6, 2012| 1 Comment »

The B&B Carousell’s first restored horse returns to Coney Island! Photo © Coney Island History Project via flickr

This sweet pony, the first restored horse from the B&B Carousell, looks happy to be back in Coney Island! What’s his or her name? That will be up to the popular vote on Facebook. At the moment “Cotton Candy” and “Ravishing Ruby” are the front runners. “Home Sweet Home,” “Thunderbolt,” “Tornado,” and “In Memory of Mike Saltzstein,” who operated the carousel for decades, are some of the other suggested names.

There’s also “William,” for the carousel’s builder William F Mangels, and “Marcus,” for Marcus Illions, the carver of the lead horse. This horse, as well as the others, was carved by Charles Carmel.

The name “Ravishing Ruby” is being championed by Brooklyn-born actress Annabella Sciorra, who writes on her Facebook page: “They’re looking to name the first restored carousel horse in Coney Island. If you like my page please vote for the name ‘Ravishing Ruby’ after one of my best friends who grew up on the beaches of Coney Island!!” Ravishing Ruby is also the title of a country song from the ’70s! Our guess is that some who are voting for the name are associating it with Coney’s beloved Ruby’s Bar and Grill.

“Cotton Candy” is a cute choice, but please be advised if it wins that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to bring actual cotton candy on the ride.

Inspired by the creative names of the horses at the Kentucky Derby, which was run yesterday, ATZ’s choice is “Home Sweet Home.” We think it’s the perfect name since this B&B horse is the first to come home to Coney from Ohio, where the carousel has been undergoing restoration, after an absence of seven years. Go, Go, Go, Home Sweet Home!

As for “Mikey” or “In Memory of Mike Saltzstein,” we agree with a commenter on the voting page who writes: “May the last horse in be named ‘In Memory of Mike Saltzstein.’ Mike kept those horses going … God rest his soul.”

Today is the second and final day of the B&B Carousell Open House presented by the City’s Economic Development Corporation at the Coney Island History Project, where you can get your picture taken with the horse and cast your vote in person. If you live too far away to visit, you can still vote on Facebook to name the horse.

The B&B Carousell is also in a very competitive online horse race with 40 historic properties for a share of $3 million from Partners in Preservation. New Yorkers as well as anyone who loves New York may cast one vote daily on the Partners in Preservation New York City website or via Facebook, smartphone or tablet.

UPDATE May 7, 2012:

Congratulations to Dano Panariello, who suggested the name “Ravishing Ruby” in honor of his mother! The Open House and the naming contest are over, but everybody please remember to vote for the B&B Carousell every day thru May 21 at Partners in Preservation, where it is in a horse race to win a grant.

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The Lowdown on Sodexo’s Sweet Deal in Coney Island

Posted in Redevelopment, tagged Central Amusement International, Coney Island, NYCEDC, Sodexo on March 3, 2011| 4 Comments »

Sodexo Kiosk at Luna Park Coney Island. May 31, 2010. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

While Coney Island’s veteran Mom & Pops hammer out a deal for one last summer on the Boardwalk, French food and facilities giant Sodexo has a sweet 10-year sublease with Luna Park operator Central Amusement International. A copy of the confidential sublease agreement between Sodexo and CAI was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request to the NYCEDC.

Sodexo’s contract with CAI is dated April 26, 2010 and says it had to be approved by the NYCEDC since the sublease is subordinate to the underlying lease between the City and the amusement operator. Here are some of the terms of Sodexo’s sublease:

–Last season, Sodexo paid Luna Park operator CAI a “flat rental fee” of $75,000 to operate food kiosks in the park. Sodexo keeps all cash receipts and pays all operating expenses. What was the City’s cut? According to the Economic Development Corporation’s (NYCEDC) lease with CAI, the City receives 15% of the fixed rent paid by any subtenant. If you do the math, 15% of $75,000 is a paltry $11,250. By comparison, last year the City received 100 per cent of the rent paid by the Boardwalk businesses, which was $100,000 each for Paul’s Daughter, Ruby’s and the other food concessions.

–Sodexo’s initial investment of $1.432 million is considered a “Reimbursable Initial Capital Investment” for the purchase of four kiosks, a concession trailer, beer and liquor license, and equipment necessary for remodeling and operating the restaurant under construction at Surf Avenue and 10th St. The Reimbursable Capital Investment will be owned and depreciated by the amusement operator.

-In 2011, Sodexo will pay CAI a flat rental fee of $225,000, which means the City’s 15% cut will be $33,750. Pocket change! Beginning in 2012, Sodexo will pay a fee based on the prior year’s net sales. For example, if the prior year net sales are $2.7 million, then Sodexo would pay a flat rental fee of $432,000, or 16% of the net sales.

–CAI gets to decide whether Sodexo will have the option of operating “Branded Concepts” in the park. According to the contract, the term refers to “food and beverage systems operated by Sodexo through national and regional third party license agreements or franchise agreements or through Sodexo’s own in-house trademarked brands.” As ATZ reported in January, Sodexo is known for its cafeterias and individually branded restaurants, but nationally branded subtenants are also brought in under franchising or licensing agreements for the appearance of variety. Branded Concepts frequently mentioned in Sodexo’s ads are Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Sub Connections and Panera Bread.

—Luna Park cannot require Sodexo to use products from “non-Sodexo approved vendors” and suppliers. As we reported previously, Sodexo has a completely centralized purchasing system, which requires clients to choose from a list of “Right Products.” Another term used internally by Sodexo is “Compliant.” Vendors who offer rebates are “compliant” while those that do not are “locked out,” according to investigative reporter Lucy Komisar in “Cafeteria Kickbacks: How food-service providers like Sodexo bilk millions from taxpayers and customers.” Last July, then-Attorney General Cuomo issued a press release announcing “a $20 million settlement with food services provider Sodexo for overcharging 21 New York school districts as well as the SUNY system.”

–Sodexo is an independent contractor and has its own employees. The lease contains more than a dozen clauses to insure compliance with non discrimination and affirmative action policies as well as City programs such as Minority and Women Business Owned Enterprises. According to NPR, Sodexo executives say they are trying to create a more diverse workplace after settling an $80 million class action discrimination lawsuit brought by African-American employees in 2006.

–After 3 years, either party is free to terminate the lease. If the agreement is terminated by Sodexo for convenience or by CAI for cause, at the end of the third year CAI would have to reimburse the remaining unamortized value of the Reimbursable Initial Capital Investment ($1.432 million) over a three year period, payable on a monthly basis, with interest accruing at the prime rate in the Wall Street Journal plus 2%.

CAI’s Luna Park and soon-to-open Scream Zone are on City-owned land in Coney Island purchased from Thor Equities for $95 million and leased to the amusement operator for ten years. As the Sodexo sublease makes clear, CAI has a pretty sweet deal too. Their base rent is $100,000 annually plus a small percentage of the gross receipts. For example, ten percent of gross receipts over $7 million.

However, Central Amusements is also investing nearly $30 million in building and operating the park. According to CAI’s contract with the City, Luna Park also received a subsidy of $5.7 million from the City for “among other things, facilitating the purchase of certain equipment necessary for the Tenant to operate the Premises as a first class amusement park.”

Sodexo, which is the 21st largest corporation in the world, has a market value of 7.7 billion euros ($10.59 billion). The French food and facilities management giant has been CAI’s partner for “On Site Service Solutions” since Luna Park opened last May, though the partnership was not announced by the City or CAI. Sodexo’s presence was known only within Coney Island until ATZ first reported the news in November after the Boardwalk businesses received eviction notices on November 1st, the day after the 2010 season ended.