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Astroland opens Sunday for likely final season

By Ryan Chatelain | rchatelain@am-ny.com

March 11, 2008

Visitors to Astroland park enjoy a spin on the Cyclone roller coaster on opening day of the amusement park in the Coney Island section of the Brooklyn borough of New York, in this April 1, 2007 file photo. With the property already sold to Thor Equities, Astroland's owner, Carol Albert, is in negotiation with the developer to keep the park open one more season. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Coney Island's Astroland Amusement Park will open Sunday for what is likely its final season.

But much like a year ago, when it appeared the storied park was embarking on its farewell season, co-owner Carol Hill Albert is holding out hope Astroland will survive beyond 2008.

Developer Thor Equities, which purchased the land from Albert and her husband in November 2006, granted Astroland a one-year reprieve last year while its redevelopment plan, which the city has since effectively axed, sought rezoning. Now Mayor Michael Bloomberg is trying to acquire Thor's 10 acres as part of a privately invested $2.5 billion project, which would turn Coney Island into a year-round destination with new thrill rides, restaurants and hotels.

While Carol Albert remains hopeful Astroland will see 2009, she's reluctant to guess how that might be possible, just saying, "There are a lot of unknowns."

Janell Patterson, spokeswoman for the city's Economic Development Corp., declined to comment specifically on whether the city would allow Astroland to remain open past this year -- even temporarily -- after acquiring the property from Thor.

"We're doing our best thing for all the amusements and to improve the amusement district," Patterson said.

Even if the park were to defy the odds and be given a chance to stay open, Albert hinted another one-year lease might be challenging to pull off.

"It's really tough to run a business year to year," she said. "There's people's futures on the line. They want to know what's going on."

Astroland employs 370 people during the summer, 90 of whom work year-round.

Starting Sunday, the park will be open on weekends until June 15, then every day until Sept. 3.

Astroland's famed Cyclone roller coaster, as well as the separately owned Wonder Wheel and Parachute Jump, are protected landmarks and not endangered by any future development.