Children's Museum Lease At Rye Playland Approved

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- The Westchester County Board of Legislators voted unanimously Monday to approve a 10-year lease for the Westchester Children's Museum at Rye Playland's North Bathhouse.

"We are so grateful for the support not only from the community, but also from our legislators, who saw past the politics and voted in favor of our children,” said Corinne Zola, president of the Westchester Children’s Museum. “Playland is the perfect home for Westchester Children’s Museum."

The museum has now secured a physical space 10 years after it was conceived, but it may take another two years or so to officially open.

The county is currently renovating the North Bathhouse's exterior and the museum's lease will not begin until the work has been completed, which means no work can be done on the interior.

The museum’s executive director Tracy Kay said he hopes the exterior renovations will be finished within the next few months and that the museum would be open within 24 months of beginning renovations of the interior.

Kay added that the museum still needs to raise $5 million, having already raised $8 million. The Westchester Children’s Museum had been holding off fundraising efforts until they secured the lease and will not continue raising their remainder of their required funding.

"It's a great day for us," said Kay of the lease's approval. "Another step forward in the process, but we still have a lot of work to do."

The Westchester Children’s Museum’s next scheduled fundraising event is the "Charity Gold and Tennis Outing" Sept. 19 at the Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale. Professional tennis player James Blake will be participating. For more information visit www.discoverwcm.org or call 914-421-5050.

 

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