Aquatic Center, Bay Park, Wantagh Marina, et. al.

Despite the lousy weather, the gremlins in Eisenhower Park have been busy alienating the public they are paid to serve.

The Aquatic Center, Eisenhower Park will be open for only 3 months to schedule and complete repair work. This needed to be done and is understandable. However the fees for the 3 months have been raised 75 to 100% in an unpublicized move that contradicts the county's claim that only cabana fees at Nickerson Beach would be raised this year. Another falsehood revealed?

Solution: Swimmers and exercise buffs should quit the Aquatic Center and sing up at the town parks of Echo Park (Hempstead) and Michael J. Tully Park (North Hempstead), which are less expensive, even for non-residents, better maintained and are the product of more open government. In addition, many private indoor pools and gyms are available to Nassau residents. OR you can call your legislators and ask them to rein in a department out of control.

Nickerson Beach. Speaking of the cabanas at Nickerson. The fees have ben raised to $3,400 for a cabana and $765 for a cabinette (read closet) for the 2011 season. Three Thousand, Four Hundred dollars to watch dry rot over take the unit? One could buy a foreclosed home for that price. The public is being gouged and it is time to say enough!

Solution: Cabana owners should be forming an organization to protect their interests and lobby against this sort of obscenity. This has been hard to do with ownership limited to 3 years but it can be done! Again, call your legislators and complain or ask them to justify this sort of nonsense.

Wantagh Park Marina: After offering the standard slip contract, the county rushed through a revised edition which must be agreed to by each boater to obtain the slip he/she won in the lottery. A new slew of regulations and rules are included but fail to hide a provision that the county must be held harmless despite any actions they take or fail to take concerning the marina. Boaters must not only agree to this but must now carry up to $1 million dollars insurance to be in the marina.This absolves the county from any liability at all such as the power outages and boat thefts last year. Improperly maintained docks, etc. are now the boater's problem. What are the boaters paying an annual fee for?

Solution: We believe that coercing someone into surrendering his rights of redress under the law is illegal and improper. It is obvious no competent attorney vetted this contract. To protect their interests, each boat owner should sing this contract, with "Under Protest" after his name to facilitate any later litigation. Even if this isn't done, no boater should be dissuaded from filing a claim or law suit should he or she suffer a loss due to the county's malfeasance, misfeasance or nonfeasance.

Bay Park: The Nassau County Open Space Committee has refused to approve the "sale" of Bay Park to Molloy College and have cited a number of compelling reasons for doing so. While this is not binding on the county we trust the search for intelligent life in Eisenhower park will uncover someone who will trash this whole idea. All public users of Bay park should keep up the pressure on the county legislators to stop this "alienation of park" plan.

Good News: We understand that both the Tanglewood Preserve and the Cow Meadow Marina have been taken back from private operators and returned to county control. Bravo!

Bruce Piel
Chairman
Park Advocacy & Recreation Council of Nassau (PARCnassau)
246 Twin Lane East
Wantagh, NY 11793-1963
(516) 783-8378