By Wesley Schnell
Long Beach is scheduled to receive $180,000 as a result of the State’s Municipal Parks and Recreation statewide grant program.
On June 30, Governor Kathy Hochul announced over $10 million in funding awarded to 20 different statewide projects as part of round two of the Municipal Park and Recreation Grant Program. This program is being funded by the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act.
The MPR grant funding provides for the construction of recreational facilities and allows for improvements to municipally owned recreation sites and parks, including playgrounds, courts, playing fields and facilities for swimming, biking and more.
“These grants will help communities with a range of projects to encourage New Yorkers to ‘Get Offline, Get Outside’ and enjoy healthy, active recreation,” Hochul wrote in a statement posted on the Governor’s website. “This new round of funding from the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act continues New York State’s commitment to helping expand access to safe and welcoming parks and recreational facilities all across the state.”
In addition to the City of Long Beach, similar grants are being provided across Long Island to the Village of Patchogue and the Village of Hempstead. More than half of the grants across the state were provided to communities negatively affected by environmental changes.
The grant funds will allow the center to improve and re-surface weathered basketball courts, enhancing the popular area and promoting a greater participation in recreational activities. The project will help to ensure standards of accessibility and safety for community members and residents.
In April, the Magnolia Senior Center received similar grant-funded upgrades from New York State’s Building Recreational Infrastructure for Communities, Kids and Seniors capital grant program, when $540,000 from the State went toward upgrading the senior center’s HVAC system in time for the summer heat.