Daily News from New York, New York • 82

--DAILY-' AUGUST 1962 m.i- tlx i i I sssMfcaafc aawfaag' HKO aiwfcjfritaa' Joseph LocLhart, 3, of Suffern, N.Y one of an iTcri( of 80 who get temporarily lost erery day at Freedomland, is comforted by guard Joxph Assenzio as he awaits parents at playground precinct. Managing director Art K. Mom keeps in touch with his offico by walkie-talkie while survey-ing crowd watching mock gun fight at Fort Cavalry, in Freedomland'a Great Plains area. Park has averaged 20,000 visitors a day since season opened May 26. St on rails laid as deep as 10 feet beneath the water.

Freedomland's police headquarters are geared to solace an average of 80 lost children a day. Its well-equipped "hospital" is staffed by six registered nurses, with a doctor always on call. Its privately operated bank accepts about $1 million in deposits a week -and its U. S. Post Office thrives.

One of Moss' pet peeves is weather forecasters whose storm predictions fail to come true, thus keeping thousands of potential visitors from the park despite a By ECKERT GOODMAN rpWO YEARS ago Freedomland, the 20oacre Bronx amusement park ballyhooed as a super-dujer East Coast Disneyland, was several million dollars in the red and seemed destined to wind up as the biggest single bust in entertainment history a $65 million flop. More than $33 million worth of picturesque streets and buildings, trails, lakes, rides, shows and exhibits sprawled across some $30 million worth of reclaimed swampland shaped like the continental United States appeared to be figuratively headed down the drain into Eastchester Bay. old-time movie shows, community sings and big-name bands with top popular vocalists in the Moon Bowl at night. But most importantly. Moss, who averages 15 hours a day at his job and keeps an electric shoe-shiner and a razor in his office, has encouraged the development of an understanding, friend-in-need attitude on the part of his staff.

THE $10 BITE THAT DIDN'T HURT "Not long ago," he recounted, "a distraught woman arrived at the Administration Building wearing an anguished expression and Today, things finally seemT guarantee of ram checks. "It's bad enough that we lose about $00,000 for each day of actual rain," he reflected. "Why can't they somehow manage to become more accurate, or at least conservative, in their predictions?" But what makes Moss' hackles really rise is any mention of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority or the City's Department of Parks. touch with his office wherever he to be looking up for the gigantic playground. The reversed trend is the result of a rescue operation involving months of intricate financial a clutching part of a ragged $10 bill.

"She said she'd opened her handbag in the Borden's Farm area to buy a food packet to feed the goats, and while she was rummaging through her purse for change, one of the animals nibbled the 10-spot. We were happy to replace it for her." The playground's management may be. "Over and out," Moss finally signed off, putting down the radio and continuing his report. "We have been averaging about 20,000 visitors a day since we opened last May 26," he said, "and if the good weather holds, we should wind up with a total of more than 2 million shortly after Labor Day. "That compares with 1,700,000 last year and only about 1,500,000 in It's a most encouraging DAIIXa NEWS SPECIAL FEATURE (XEWS fotos by John Dupry) Rose Amoroso sews up tear in clown's costume, one of 16,000 pieces of wearinf apparel kept clean and in repair by park'a NOT RESIGNED.

JUST UNSIGNED His resentment stems from their refusal to allow him to place directional signs to Freedomland at Bronx exits leading from parkways they control. "I see plenty of such signs pointing the way to Long Island race tracks and even the two- has frequently lent bus fare home to families or groups of young sters who have accidentally lost or run out of money during their visits. "More than 9095 of the wardrobe department. as much as 50c each. There were widespread beefs that it was virtually impossible to gauge in advance how much a family excursion to the park would cost except that it was sure to be exorbitant.

Now, an all-inclusive admission loans have been promptly repaid," trend. If Freedomland makes the grade and becomes a self-supporting venture, it will come after drastic operational improvements, most of them introduced by Moss. sain Running Freedomland. accord ing to its managing director, is somewhat like being mayor. The walkie-talkies are one of jue-gh'ng', plus a vital $8 million infusion of new capital and a dynamic new management team.

All this was engineered by William Zeckendorf, board chairman and mastermind of Webb Knapp, the far-flung, many-faceted real estate firm which now owns 61 Tc of the park's stock and runs it. NEXT: WINTER WONDERLAND? Freedomland's operators claim to be so encouraged by the outlook that they're already making plans to remain open during the winter of 1964, offering such divertissements as skating, skiing and dog-sled visits to Santa Claus at the North Pole. Eventually, they foresee the park becoming as permanent a his innovations. They enable the council president and planning brass and roving inspectors to charge less tax of $3.50 ($2.50 for children under 12 and $1.95 for everyone after 6 P.M.) entitles report over four separate wave bands to their bases. Thev can rears-off World's Fair," the director argued.

"They're not exactly what you'd call noncommercial enterprises either, so why should we be discriminated against?" He expressed his admiratiion for Traffic Commissioner Henry A. Barnes, who has allowed 23 Freedomland signs to be put up in city streets. It's a moot question when and how much Freedomland's 1,080,000 shares of stock, originally issued by the International Recreation Corp. at $17.50 a share, will rebound from their present low of around $2. thus call on the services of, among visitors to as many rides as they wish on 45 fferent vehicles, animals and devices.

It also ad others, no security guards, 68 maintenance men, 60 electricians mits them to more than 200 ex commissioner of a small city all at the same time. Everything from bills to billings and contracts to complaints finds its way across Moss' paper-piled desk. As random examples of the scope of Freedomland's operation, its sanitation department totals 99 sweepers and hose-wielders who start work after the park closes for the night. Vehicles, in addition to dozens of "ride" autos, and a 14-man fire department witn a motorized pumper whenever anything needs attention. COPTER CUES 'EM hibits and shows.

In addition, there's a sliding scale of discounts for larjje blocks of tickets bought in advance. It ranges up to a third off for groups aa big as that formed recently by members of the Electrical Workers Leal No. 3 and their families, who descended on the park In answer to complaints about food prices being out of liup. Moss not only made a personal survey of the playground's .27 restaurants and other eateries, but built and expanded picnic grounds in several areas. So families who wish to eat on their own can now find facilities.

He added to the playground's include 52 jeeps used for towing, carting and police patrolling. COSTUMES SUCH: THEY'VE GOT 'EM The playground's maintenance and production shops cover more than three acres of an off-the-grounds area some staffers call Canada. Among them is a ward IN ON QUEUES Capt. Hank Gurdberg, the sightseeing helicopter pilot, often uses radio to notify Operations when he observes a line growing inordinately long before, say, the Ore Bucket Ride or Elsie the Cow's Boudoir. One of the park's four bands, a couple of clowns or other wandering entertainers are then sent to the area to divert the waiting throng.

The radio network, Moss says, has helped him pare Freedom-land's original staff of nearly 3,000 by some 700 employes, while increasing its over-all efficiency. When Freedomland first opened, admission fees ranged up to $1.50 (for adults) and rides cost I But a lot of people would like to see the big park succeed, if only as a Summer Festival attraction and (hence) a generous source of local taxes and tourist revenue. Moss recently received a leather-bound Certificate of Merit from the City's Department of Commerce and Industrial Development, and last spring a letter from Mayor Wagner expressing his pride in the playground. "It's wonderful to know you're so appreciated," the director observed a little wryly. "But frankly, I'd be glad to swap both citations, along with the others we've received, for permission to put up a few, small parkway directional signs." year-around attraction as the United Nations or Rockefeller Center.

Our income "this season has been consistently exceeding operating expenses, if you disregard the depreciation factor," said Art K. Moss, the playground's managing director. "We estimate that total revenues may top last year's by as much as $4 million." The slightly graying former ad man and Hollywood promoter paused to take a call from a walkie-takie radio on the restaurant table beside him. He carries the shortwave Instrument with him at all times, as lo some 50 other park staffers in v-arious departments, to keep in robe department which keeps clean and in repair some 16,000 pieces of wearing apparel ranging from horse-car drivers' costumes to distinctive uniforms for the various work crews. original "educational-fun" rides and exhibits such new "pure-fun" Six police dogs help guard the park at night, and two skin-divers make emergency repairs on its various boats, which run attractions as a State fair Midway complete with kiddie rides, a four performance a day circus,.