The Great Neck Park District Board of Trustees approved several contracts and project updates Thursday night, July 2, while residents voiced strong concerns over park maintenance, transparency and safety.
Much of the public comment centered on Kings Point Park, where several residents criticized the district’s maintenance of the waterfront property. Speakers urged the board to withdraw from a proposal to lease parts of the park, expressing concerns about preserving public space. Others pointed to deteriorating infrastructure, including damaged bridge railings, poison ivy along walking paths and what was described as declining park conditions.
Responding to residents’ concerns, Great Neck Park District Superintendent Jason Marra said they plan to make significant improvements to the park and that more meetings will be held regarding future park plans.
“As part of the lease, we are planning to make significant capital improvements at Kings Point Park. Future meetings will be held to present future park plans,” said Marra.
“Our community is in a predicament of potentially losing 2.4 acres of Kings Point Park,” said Alan Berkower, a local resident. “Save Kings Point Park from encroachment by private interest groups, which see the park as easy-to-obtain land for private development purposes. I request that you withdraw your proposal to rent the current Kings Point Department of Public Works site as a $100,000 per year parking lot for Stepping Stone patrons.”
Another concern pointed out was the lack of transparency from the board. Requests were made for the board to publicly disclose more information about meeting schedules and where money is being spent.
“The community has no idea what the Park District plans on doing in Kings Point Park, and if you wonder why people are always showing up and are so upset with the Park District and the commissioners, it’s because you don’t tell us what’s going on,” said Nancy Sherman, a leading activist for Save Kings Point Park. “Has any money been spent in Kings Point Park? We’d like to know if there’s a plan to spend, if there’s a plan in place. What are the plans? What are you doing? What have you done? There’s been no transparency on that.”
Following public comment, park officials highlighted a busy summer season across district programs. Camp Parkwood enrollment has reached historic levels, with officials reporting a 23% increase in attendance, or 111 additional campers compared with last year.
The district’s sailing program has also grown to 18 participants, prompting the purchase of an additional sailboat as revenues continue to increase. Officials also announced the launch of a new dragon boat program following a successful marina kickoff event that featured complimentary boat rides, kayak rentals and demonstrations.
The board also provided updates on several capital projects. Renovations at Memorial Field are nearing completion and the facility is expected to remain closed until the fall sports season. Officials also said a new playground and cooling tower are among the projects currently underway.
Looking ahead, the district will celebrate its 110th anniversary with a music festival on July 26, a family fireworks event on Aug. 16 and a campaign to plant 110 trees throughout the community.