Westchester County Executive George Latimer says he terminated the Playland Park contract with Standard Amusement due to breach of contract.

Latimer met with county legislators at a whole committee meeting Wednesday evening to defend his decision to terminate the Playland deal.

It's not typical for the county executive to attend a committee meeting, but Latimer said he wanted to explain his decision.

His team believes Standard Amusement breached the 30-year, $30 million contract to run Playland Park, which is owned by the county.

The agreement required both the county and Standard Amusement to invest tens of millions to build new rides and make the park relevant and profitable.

Latimer says Standard Amusement claimed $7.7 million was spent on investments required by the contract. An audit shows the money was spent on overhead and salaries.

Standard responded to Latimer's decision to terminate their contract, stating in part, "it has become clear that George Latimer seems personally determined that this will all end in expensive litigation. Litigation we continue to hope to avoid."

Latimer says while he's open to open talks with Standard Amusement, he's also considering other options like hiring a marketing manager. He says the county can't run the park alone, but he won't make a decision he believes could negatively affect future generations.

Latimer says he doesn't think the termination will result on long-term litigation.

Playland is set to open this season on May 11.