Aquatic Center, Marina & Ball fields

Aquatic Center dispossess early swimmners.

The Aquatic Center at Eisenhower Park has closed as per schedule for cleaning from August 17 until September 6th. Members can use the other county pools during that period. There is one problem. Swimmers that use the center from 6:00am to 10:00am each day have nowhere to go during those times. At one time the county would open Cantiague Pool early to accommodate them, but not this year. The reason they state is insufficient life guards. Where are the life guards that are assigned to the Aquatic Center? It would seem that a little planning could have provided one county pool to open early for those who exercise before going to work or other activities.

Wantagh Marina loses its juice. Boaters in the Dark.

Yesterday a boater noticed his shore power was only 60 volts instead of 120. He checked with other boaters in the area and found the problem was everywhere. He notified the park administration an they notified DPW. This problem, we are told, is usually caused by an "open neutral". DPW told the park administration that they would be shutting down all the power today to make a repair

No effort was made to notify all the boaters! The reduced voltage can damage boat electrical systems, cause refrigerators to run inefficiently, etc. Today's shutdown will allow perishables in those refrigerators to spoil and batteries to run down. The electrical shutdown also shuts down the park telephone system so no one can call in to find out the problem. This is the third year in a row with electrical problems in the park.

Since virtually everyone has a cell phone, we had asked the park administration to use them and notify at least the 2 boating organizations in the marina and they would in turn notify their members who could then notify their boat neighbors. This would minimize the damage. Better yet a list of boaters and their contact numbers should be kept in Eisenhower or DPW and when this power outage begins, each boater can be called and be made aware. Not letting people know causes unnecessary financial hardship in these uncertain times and the county fails in its fiduciary responsibility.

Update on the County Ball field issue

We were informed today by the Parks Department that they found a provision in the 2007 agreement between the County and Friends of Nassau Recreation that allows the County Comptroller to audit their books. In any case, effective immediately, ALL revenues collected by parks will henceforth be sent to the County Treasurer and not to the Friends Group.