fron his crappy Parks Plan and from Snoozeday [Archive] - Long Island Nassau Suffolk County New York Political Forum

a C minus.

07-06-2005, 12:14 AM

Read it cry and then ask why your taxes are going up to pay reggie Magwood and others. Doreen also did a lousy job.

************Suozzi park plan earns a C- score

BY BILL BLEYER
STAFF WRITER

July 6, 2005

Seven months into Nassau Executive Thomas Suozzi's "Come Back Campaign" to rehabilitate the 83 county parks, an advocacy group has rated the system as being only in fair condition in its first annual report card.

The parks got a C- grade from the Park Advocacy & Recreation Council of Nassau, a coalition of park user groups.

While conceding there have been improvements, particularly at the eight busiest parks and the aquatic center and golf courses at Eisenhower Park Park in East Meadow that were targeted in a first round of the county's campaign, the report says too much of the work has been only cosmetic. The report says that there has not been adequate follow-up to earlier work, such as not having a plan to water newly planted trees.

"If $18 million was spent to bring our county parks back, we are wondering where the money went," the report by the group's chairman, Bruce Piel, concluded. "Despite the best efforts of front-line park personnel, their efforts were handicapped by insufficient workers, resources and support ... "

David Ring, a parks spokesperson, said in response to the report that, "No one disputes the dramatic turnaround at county parks but the years of neglect can't be fixed overnight. The aggressive campaign to continue to improve these facilities will continue." County officials said the problems cited in the report are found at only some of the parks.

He declined to address specific items in the report.

Ed Ward, spokesman for the Republican minority on the County Legislature, said he agreed with the report, adding that "any improvements have really just been cosmetic."

In the report -- issued the week after Michael Klein, the deputy county executive for parks, resigned amid allegations of improperly hiring seasonal employees -- Piel called the C- grade "generous" and said it was based on two factors. One was the appearance of the eight parks that received the initial overhaul: "The public reaction to visiting these facilities has been 'Wow!'"

But Piel wrote that a closer look at the eight most restored parks shows that "fresh paint was put over rotted wood on benches and picnic tables. Rusted bleachers often received only a primer coat without a follow-up finish coat of paint. The $450,000 spent for new plantings, mostly trees, countywide were negated by no follow-up program to water them. This has resulted in almost 25 percent of the trees dying."

County officials said they are maintaining all of the trees on a regular basis. Any that die after they are transplanted are replaced by the contractor as part of the purchase agreement*****************************************