Harrison REVIEW THE
May 6, 2016 | Vol. 4, Number 19 | www.harrisonreview.com
Harrison community adds another film to lengthy list By ANgelA JOrdAN Staff Writer An upcoming independent film, “Trouble,” is being filmed at the Harrison police station on May 13. The production company behind the project, Trouble-Free Inc., has also applied to film at 69 Buckout Road in West Harrison, and it is the 12th project to be shot in Harrison this year alone. According to Town Clerk Jackie Greer, the town/village of Harrison has served as a film site for several dozen television shows and movies over the past few years. She said that in addition to
the 12 filming applications submitted to her office this year, it was preceded by 38 applications in 2015 and 36 in 2014. When asked why she thinks Harrison gets so many requests from filmmakers to shoot within the town, Greer said, “I work well with the location people, and since we have a good working relationship, we have a lot of people coming back.” Greer also said that this good relationship brings back many return filmmakers. She cited the Amazon Prime television show “Red Oaks” as an example, and said that they’ve applied to film in Harrison
about five times so far and will be back to film more “in a couple of weeks.” Some other popular shows that have filmed in Harrison include “The Following,” which aired on Fox until 2015, “Madame Secretary” and “Elementary” on CBS, “Billions” on Showtime, “Blind Spot” on NBC, and the HBO series “The Leftovers,” which also used the police station. The community has also served as a site for several movies, including the HBO film “The Wizard of Lies” about the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme and “Blue Angel,” an upcoming independent drama starring Stanley Tucci.
Toasting success The popular Taste of Mamaroneck Wine Trail held its 10th annual event on Sunday, May 1. Participants willing to brave the inclement weather had the opportunity to ride a trolley and sample drinks and cuisine from many of the shops along the trail. For more, see page 6. Photo/Kiley Stevens
To film a project in Harrison, there’s a licensing fee of $1,000, plus an additional cost of $500 per day that the license holder is filming. According to the town clerk, this has provided Harrison with $46,000 in revenue since 2014. In addition to paying fees, Trouble-Free Inc. has also given a $3,000 donation to the Harrison Police Department for allowing the company to film at the station. A representative from Trouble-Free Inc. could not be reached for comment as of press time. CONTACT: angela@hometwn.com
County board votes to cede control of Rye Playland By JAMeS PerO Staff Writer A roller coaster ride between the management company Standard Amusements and Westchester County came to a close on Monday night after the county Board of Legislators voted overwhelmingly to move forward with a 30-year agreement transferring control of Rye Playland. “I cannot be more thankful to County Executive [Rob] Astorino and the Westchester Board of Legislators for their vote of confidence,” said cofounder of Standard Amusements Nicholas Singer, who sat in the audience as the votes were cast. “This is a wonderful day for Westchester.” On May 2, the Board of Legislators approved the agreement—which has undergone several transformations since its introduction in June 2015— committing the county and its taxpayers to $32 million in capital improvements for the ailing amusement park. The final vote passed by a margin of 13-4. While many legislators from both sides of the political aisle accepted the agreement, touting its pragmatism, Democratic legislators Catherine Parker of Rye, Ken Jenkins of Yonkers, Catherine Borgia of Ossining and Alfreda Williams of White Plains outright rejected it. “When you have a partner, that means you’re sharing in the risk, and sharing in the reward,” Jenkins said at Monday’s meeting. “But if we want to sit here and try to suggest this is a partnership arrangement; our partner is putting up $5 mil-
lion in four months, we’re putting up $32 million, tonight… I don’t know what you call that.” The ratified agreement will see Standard expand on its initial investment of $5 million, which will go toward new rides, and eventually invest another $27 million of its own money into the park over the course of a 5-year period. For now, the county will continue to co-manage the park with Standard, and according to county administration officials, the company will take over full control of the park’s management after 50 percent of the county’s agreed to capital investments have been made. Tentatively, the administration has set a date for transition for Nov. 1, 2018. According to the agreement, when the county has expended 50 percent of the $32 million in proposed capital projects, they will also begin sharing 8 percent of Standard’s profits; a number that will incrementally rise to 12 percent by the deal’s end. Projects outlined in the deal include rehabilitation of the park’s shoreline, infrastructure and new rides. Some members of the Democratic caucus have repeatedly warned against the agreement’s lack of profit sharing throughout deliberations, however. “If Standard wants to have a good public-private partnership with the county, they should go back and think about what they could offer,” Parker told the Review last week. A former, more expensive iteration of the agreement, PlAYlANd continued on page 5
INSIDE Huskies join Eastchester Sports Field Day Story on page 14.