County Parks Begin Accepting Picnic Reservations on February 1
Picnic reservations for the coming season may be made at Nassau County parks beginning Monday, February 1, 2010, announced Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano. Reservations can be made for the following parks:
Reservations must be made in person at park locations, and a valid Leisure Pass and appropriate payment (fees depend upon group size) must be presented to obtain a confirmed reservation. Payment can be made by cash, check (made out to “Treasurer of Nassau County”) or credit card (at some locations). “Rain-or-shine” shelter areas are available at Cedar Creek Park, Rev. Arthur Mackey Sr. Park, Nickerson Beach Park and Wantagh Park.
County regulations require that 75% of all picnic participants be Nassau County residents. A special permit is required for the use of alcoholic beverages, and this permit must be purchased at least one week in advance of any reserved or unreserved picnic. To make catering arrangements, patrons must contact the park concessionaire, Dover Caterers, at 516-933-4444, ext. 12 or 16. Picnic reservations must be secured from the individual park before catering can be arranged.
In Survey, Long Island Press Touts Two Country Parks Among Top Three,
Eisenhower Golf No. 2 Among Public Courses
The Long Island Press has named Eisenhower Park and Wantagh Park among its top three parks on Long Island and the Eisenhower Park golf facility as No. 2 among public golf courses, announced Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano. The rankings were provided by the weekly newspaper in its “Best of L.I.” survey for 2010, published in January. The comprehensive annual survey covers 215 categories and is based on voting by tens of thousands of the newspaper’s readers.
For Eisenhower Park, the second-place finish comes on the heels of being selected for the top spot in 2009. Wantagh Park placed right behind Eisenhower at No. 3 among Long Island’s best parks. In designating Jones Beach Park No. 1, the Long Island Press acknowledged the difficulty of selecting a top finisher. “There are so many great parks on Long Island that it’s really hard to pick the best one,” the newspaper said. “So let’s just consider this list the best of the best.”
Centrally located in East Meadow off Merrick Avenue and larger than Central Park, 930-acre Eisenhower Park (516-571-0348) is the flagship of the Nassau County parks system. The park offers a variety of recreational opportunities, including a swimming pool and fitness center at the world-class Nassau County Aquatic Center (571-0501); mini-golf; a batting cage; athletic fields; playgrounds; a 2-mile fitness trail; basketball and tennis courts; bocci and lawn bowling; and the Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre. In addition, the park includes large and beautiful memorials to the nation’s veterans and victims of the 9/11 attacks.
There’s also the Eisenhower Park golf facility, one of the metropolitan area’s busiest courses and selected second-best in the Long Island Press survey of public golf courses. Golf at Eisenhower consists of three 18-hole courses –including the championship Red and White courses, along with the Blue course – as well as a driving range with 60 bays. During the winter, the White and Blue courses (571-0327/28) are open as weather allows, along with the driving range (571-0336).
Wantagh Park (571-7460), located off the Wantagh Parkway by Merrick Road, is one of the most scenic spots on the South Shore, offering 111 acres on beautiful East Bay. The park provides numerous opportunities for recreation, including ball fields and athletic courts, a playground, picnic areas, a two-mile fitness trail, a marina, and a fishing pier. During summer, Wantagh’s spectacular water theme park (previously named “Best Public Pool” by the Long Island Press) has an Olympic-sized main pool, a diving pool, a “kiddie” pool, training pool, an interactive water-play area and two 30-foot waterslides.
County Announces Beautification Project and Creation
of Bike Path, Pedestrian Walkway at Eisenhower Park
Nassau County on October 13, 2009, announced plans to create a pedestrian walkway and bike path that will extend from New York State's existing bike path along Hempstead Turnpike to Eisenhower Park, adding approximately 10 total miles. This project will beautify the corner of Old Country Road and Merrick Avenue and open up the historic Hempstead Plains to the public for the first time.
The $5 million cost of the plan will be funded by the Obama administration's American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) project and by money from the County's capital budget.
The improvements will ultimately result in a connection between the "Hub" area by the Nassau Coliseum and Museum Row and Eisenhower Park, Cedar Creek Park and Jones Beach State Park. The project will include connecting the existing multi-use path along Hempstead Turnpike with Nassau Community and Museum Row, where paths will be reconstructed along Charles Lindbergh, Earl Ovington, and James Doolittle boulevards. Additionally, the paths will be widened to accommodate two-way bike and pedestrian traffic, and vegetation will be cleared and a new half-mile fence will constructed in the Hempstead Plains.
The project is expected to be completed in three phases in 2010, with Phase 1 beginning this month.
Let All The Children Play Breaks Ground On New Partnership with Nassau County
For Accessible Playgrounds
Let All the Children Play Foundation (LATCPF), a not-for-profit charitable
foundation that promotes inclusion of children with disabilities and their able-bodied peers, broke ground
on October 9, 2009, on a state-of-the-art, two-acre universally accessible park and playground at Eisenhower Park.
The site will provide accessible recreation and out-of-
school opportunities for children with autism and physical, cognitive and
developmental disabilities. The playground site is being spearheaded by LATCPF and developed in
partnership with Nassau County government, with funding for the $1.3 million project largely financed
through the voter-approved Nassau County Environmental Bond Act of 2006and private
donations. The playground is expected to be completed by summer of 2010.
The site offers a broad range of inclusive play opportunities and challenges for all children, including
adapted structures, ramps and swings. Design plans will provide accommodations for parents with
disabilities, including accessible parking, washroom facilities, pathways, and seating.
“All children should be provided with play environments that engage their imaginations," said LATCPF Executive Director David Weingarten. "We need this playground in order to break down barriers, not only in playgrounds, but in the way people think, so that inclusion of all children is a priority, not an afterthought.”
LATCPF will also develop year-round programs where the playground will create a truly integrated
environment, allowing children with disabilities to play side-by-side with their able-bodied peers. “Our vision is
to create an environment where everyone feels included, no matter what their disability.: said Michael Alon, LATCPF’s founde. "This is a great
stepping stone for LATCPF, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to work with Nassau
County.”
For more information on Let All the Children Play Foundation, visit www.LATCP.org.
Long Island Press Calls Eisenhower Park Tops on Long Island
The Long Island Press has named Eisenhower Park the top park on Long Island in its annual “Best of L.I.” survey. The “Best of L.I.” survey, published in the January 15-21, 2009 issue, covers dozens of categories, from restaurants to doctors.
The weekly also cited the Eisenhower golf course and driving range among its “Best of L.I.” picks in those categories.
In naming Eisenhower Park Long Island’s best park, the Long Island Press noted the “stiff competition” from Jones Beach Park and Bethpage State Park. “But Eisenhower takes the best parts of both runner ups – the various fields at Jones Beach and the golf course at Bethpage – and combines them, then adds lush greeneries to complete the scene,” the newspaper said.
Centrally located in East Meadow off Merrick Avenue and larger than Central Park, 930-acre Eisenhower Park is the flagship of the Nassau County Parks system.
The park offers an extraordinary variety of recreational opportunities, including a swimming pool and fitness center at the world-class Nassau County Aquatic Center; three 18-hole golf courses, a driving range and mini-golf; a batting cage; athletic fields; playgrounds; a 2-mile fitness trail; basketball and tennis courts; bocci and lawn bowling; and the Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre. In addition, the park includes large and beautiful memorials to the nation’s veterans and victims of the 9/11 attacks.
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| Newsday referred to the "ideal family atmosphere" of Eisenhower Park's Sled Hill in naming it a top sledding location. |
Newsday Touts Eisenhower Park Among "Top Sledding Spots"
As the snow fell on January 15, 2009, and Newsday hit Long Islander’s front doorsteps, the newspaper contained a timely article on “LI’s Top Sledding Spots” in which it singled out Eisenhower Park as particularly appropriate for very young children.
While noting that the small hill at Eisenhower Park did not make for a “thrill ride,” Newsday said, “But if you’ve got young children and want an ideal family atmosphere for your fun in the snow, this is where to go. Sled Hill in Eisenhower Park is wide and long, with a gentle grade.”
Sled Hill is located by Parking Field No. 1 in the vicinity of Safety Town, off Merrick Avenue.
Newsday also mentioned Cedar Creek Park in Seaford (516-571-7470), where the steep hills are a perennial favorite among youngsters, and Grant Park in Hewlett (516-571-7821), where children use the hill behind the baseball field.
Although Newsday mentioned Christopher Morley Park in Roslyn-North Hills (516-571-8113), the Parks Department does not encourage sledding on the hill there because of the presence of plantings and the boat basin below.
Eisenhower Park, the 930-acre flagship of the Nassau County Parks system, is centrally located in East Meadow and offers a number of opportunities to stay active in the winter, including the world-class pool and fitness center at the Nassau County Aquatic Center; two 18-hole golf courses (open as weather permits) and a large driving range; and a 2-mile Fitness Trail. For more information about Eisenhower Park, call 572-0348.
Nassau County Unveils Nassau County’s 9/11 Memorial in Eisenhower Park Honoring Residents Who Died in 9/11 Attacks
Marking the sixth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Nassau County unveiled a $2 million memorial — the largest in the nation to date — honoring the 344 Nassau County residents who lost their lives on that day.
The unveiling ceremony was held at Eisenhower Park's Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre, across from the memorial, on September 9. On March 11, 2003, President Bush – along with then-Gov. George Pataki and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani – helped break ground for the memorial.
The memorial features a wall with the names of the 344 Nassau residents who died in the World Trade Center and on Flight 93, which crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Several Nassau communities suffered a particularly large number of deaths that day: Rockville Centre lost more than 20 people, Garden City, 19, Manhasset, 17, and Valley Stream, 14 residents.
“This memorial could not have been built without the commitment and dedication of all involved,” said Janet Wexler-Magee, a Nassau County resident whose husband, Charles Magee, died in the World Trade Center’s North Tower, where he worked on the 88th floor. Magee also served as a board member of the Nassau County Memorial Foundation. “I hope that everyone who lost someone on September 11, 2001 will find comfort in this memorial,” she said.
Nearly five years ago, the Nassau County 9/11 Memorial Foundation was created to fund raise and oversee construction of the memorial. A design contest was held to find the winning design. Since then, the foundation has received financial support from the County and from hundreds of local residents and businesses. In addition, over 500 union members from Long Island’s building trades volunteered thousands of hours of labor to help build this memorial.
The members of the building and construction trades unions and their signatory contractors, who volunteered their time, materials and expertise, have a personal commitment to this memorial and community,” said Bobby Bonanza, president of Laborers' Local 66 and board member of the Nassau County Memorial Foundation. “Many of the members of our unions live and work in Nassau County, and each was affected in their own way by the events of 9/11. The 344 Nassau County residents killed on that tragic day were part of our family and community. The engineers, electricians, lathers, carpenters and laborers who labored to see this fitting memorial built are proud of their contribution. We will always remember.”
The memorial features two semi-transparent stainless-steel towers, representing the World Trade Center towers, rising 30 feet from a fountain, and also contains two pieces of steel from the World Trade Center's wreckage. The program for the unveiling consisted of various performances from children who lost parents on September 11, the reciting of the 344
names that are part of the Memorial.
News 12 Long Island Names Eisenhower Park Mini-Golf Course
"Best of Long Island"
Long Island's local newscast, News 12 Long Island, has named Eisenhower Park's mini-golf course "Best of Long Island" in its August 17 broadcast. Best of Long Island is a regular feature on News 12 that focuses on some of the area's best attractions in a range of categories. The selections are made on the basis of viewer nominations and surveys.
The mini-golf course features two 18-hole courses ("Mountainside" and "Overlook") with terraced landscaping that incorporates what may be Nassau County's only waterfall, along with small ponds, flower beds and a number of challenging holes.
The course is wheelchair and baby-stroller accessible and includes two gazebos with picnic tables that are available for children's parties.
The course's size, attractiveness and central location have made it a popular destination since its construction a decade ago, drawing thousands of visitors each week during the summer. After playing mini-golf, visitors can choose to practice their hitting at the adjacent outdoor batting cage, take a swim at the world-class Nassau County Aquatic Center, head over to the large playground near Hempstead Turnpike, take a stab at the new 2-mile fitness trail, and enjoy all of the other activities the park has to offer.
The course is open from April through November. During the summer, hours at the course are as follows: Mon. - Sat., 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. (last round sold at 9 p.m.); Sun., 10:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. (last round at 7:30 p.m.). The fee is $7 foradults and $4 for children (age 12 and under) and seniors. For information, call 572-0407.
Nassau County Unveils New Fitness Trail in Eisenhower Park
Nassau County on August 2 unveiled a new two-mile Fitness Trail in Eisenhower Park. The trail provides 20 attractive and simple fitness stations that incorporate a variety of exercises, such as stretching, pull-ups, sit-ups and balance walking. Each station has posted instructions that include additional information, such as a target heart beat guide.
The trail is on the west side of Park Boulevard bisecting the park, with the first station located near the field house and playground by Parking Field No. 2 (near Hempstead Turnpike). From there, the trail winds north past the Aquatic Center and Lakeside Theatre and then heads south back toward the starting point. The trail will be open during park hours, sunrise to sunset.
The low-maintenance fitness stations are made of a mix of treated Southern yellow pine timbers and steel tubing. The $10,000 cost of the stations was underwritten by the Manhasset-based Nassau County Sports Commission.
A second Fitness Trail, underwritten by Goldman Sachs & Co., was also recently completed in Christopher Morley Park, a hilly 98-acre park in Roslyn-North Hills. The County plans to add additional fitness trails, also at no cost to taxpayers, in other parks on the South Shore.
At 930 acres, Eisenhower Park is the largest park in Nassau County, providing a range of attractions, including three 18-hole golf courses, a driving range, the Nassau County Aquatic Center, dozens of athletic fields and courts, picnic areas, and playgrounds, among other activities.
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