Second Annual Parks Report Card 10-21-06

The Park Advocacy & Recreation Council of Nassau (PARCnassau) has completed its second annual report card for Nassau County Parks. Chairman Bruce Piel announced that the grade is a disappointing “D”. Despite the sincere efforts of the Chief Deputy Commissioner and the few remaining annual employees, our parks and facilities remain in unacceptable condition. It is readily apparent that the county has financially abandoned the park system.

The limited personnel, equipment and resources have been concentrated in Eisenhower Park and a few larger parks with active and vocal advocates. “Lesser” parks, preserves and historic sites have been largely ignored. A couple of hundred employees in a system that once boasted 1,200 obviously cannot do the job. While hundreds of essential entry level jobs go unfilled, the addition of new Deputy Commissioners continues. Added to the roster this year were Deputy Commissioners for Museums, Finance and Golf. In addition, a new Commissioner was appointed. None of these have any park experience continuing the inexplicable policy of the current administration.

The county again hosted the PGA Commerce Bank Golf Tour this year. This is the tournament no one wants, that loses money and denies residents access to the Red Course at Eisenhower for several weeks. The public response was so bad this year that the administration allowed county workers to be spectators for free upon presentation of their employee identification.

Vandalism and trespassing after hours in the parks have increased dramatically. This was highlighted when picnic tables were piled up in the children’s Playground gazebo in Bay Park and set afire.

Historic sites remain on the verge of collapse. Little or no maintenance is done to keep these important reminders of Long Island Heritage around for future generations. The highly touted Bethpage Restoration Village has become the Bethpage Desolation Village and is slowly crumbling to the point of no return. After freeing this facility from the administration of a notorious “friends” group, the county has yet to find a vendor for the gift shop or snack bar further dissuading visitors.

Preserves are also ignored. Volunteer groups seeking trash removal, cleanup supplies and equipment are offered nothing but lip service. Here again, vandals, dirt bike enthusiasts and other ne’er-do-wells have taken over and are systematically destroying these pristine areas. Pond clean ups, highly publicized, have ground to a halt, leaving ugly mud flats for months at a time.

Museum Row at Mitchel Field has been a continuing embarrassment all year. Mismanagement and poor fund raising have finally galvanized some members of the legislature to action. The privatization of the Cradle of Aviation and other facilities has not worked. The county has had to bail the museum out financially over and over. Enough is enough. It is time to return museums to the Museum Division of the Parks System. After all, there is a new Deputy Commissioner (albeit without any museum experience) who is charged with administering such sites (and paid accordingly). Those prominent citizens now sitting on the museum board should turn their efforts into developing private financial support and leave operations to park professionals (yes, there are still a few).

In summary, through patronage and benign neglect the taxpayers of Nassau County are losing a major ingredient in our suburban life style, our parks, preserves and historic sites. A first glance, most look good. It is only when you check the filthy lavatories, and examine the facilities closely that one sees the deterioration and negligence our parks have suffered. It is past time for our taxpayers to demand that budgeted moneys for parks be spent there and not sequestered for more politically advantageous projects.

Let your County Executive and Legislators know how you feel about the travesty occurring daily in what once was one of the finest park systems in the country.

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