oRIeNT BeAch Orient Beach was closed when we last visited, but has since
reopened to the public. The park had undergone a great deal of repairs after the storm and appears to be operating normally.
SUNkeN MeADoW STATe PARk
Sunken Meadow State Park is in the midst of preparing for a cross-country running season that begins in late summer at many Long Island high schools. “At Sunken Meadow State Park, where the creek basically overflowed, there is a new bridge that’s being built, or going to be constructed,” says Gorman. “We’re hoping to have that complete prior to the end of August.”
MoNTAUk The outer beach is currently open. Ditch Plains was severely eroded during Sandy and remains closed for swimming and surfing due to a hazardous rock- and concrete-laden shore.
cAPTRee STATe PARk
Captree State Park is open and operating.
heckScheR STATe PARk
Heckscher State Park has most of its fields open and accessible, but experienced a significant amount of flooding after some recent storms, namely in the picnic area. The Islip Arts Council plans to hold a free concert on July 13 featuring the Atlantic Wind Symphony and the Swingtime Big Band, with proceeds benefitting Sandy victims.
SMITh PoINT & cUPSogUe BeAch
Smith Point County Park has completed most of its cement construction and has built a number of new boardwalks down to the beach, including the boardwalk leading from the Beach Hut to the main public beach. There is limited outer beach access to two miles and will only be permitting about 700 vehicles on the beach. This is due to a combination of damages from Sandy and the expected hatching of piping plovers, an endangered species of bird. There will be no camping on the outer beach and access to the inlet remains closed due to erosion, which has made some areas impassable. The Outer Beach at Cupsogue is currently open for camping and allows about 20 campers at a time. Parking-lot camping is also available to an additional 10 campers.
PecoNIc DUNeS Peconic Dunes, which was in very good shape when we last
visited, has made some minor improvements and is in full swing for summer camp season.
oTheR PARkS Most of the other parks on the Island have also seen minor
repairs and will continue to improve things further. “We’re not impacting the public on anything, but they will see the ongoing work at various state parks,” says Gorman. “We had all the major work done, but we have to finish up.” Any inconveniences that may occur due to continued work will be accommodated by alternate routes of travel as well as other measures to minimize disruption.
38 MILIEU Exclusively for Long Island Women
milieuli.com
Continued From page 37
Dave Matthews Band, One Direction, Phish, Blake Shelton, Imagine Dragons, Bob Dylan, Maroon 5, Matchbox 20, John Mayer and more. There is still a bit more work to be done in the Jones Beach area, though not all of the work is Sandy-related. There’s also renovation occurring at the West Bathhouse itself, including the filtration system of the pool, the pool deck and the front brickwork of the building. As far as Sandy-related damage, the only area that is still being worked on is the East Softball Field at Field 2, which is still without electricity—and light for night games— but is expected to be fully functioning within the next couple of weeks. The bandshell at the central mall has also undergone renovations and new bleachers will be installed in mid-July. “We’re still having the bandshell in operation, we’re still having entertainment there, but we’re going to be encouraging people to bring lawn chairs or folding chairs to enjoy it,” says Gorman. Three of the four Jones Beach fishing piers have also been reconstructed, leaving one pier unfinished in the west end area. The boat basin has opened in the main area, but they’re still working at that location, as well as on the outside area, Gorman says. Some changes have been put into place in the Jones Beach and Robert Moses areas in order to accommodate higher numbers of visitors. “We have expanded hours a little bit so that we can accommodate more of the public, specifically at field four of Robert Moses and then over at Jones Beach at fields one and two,” Gorman says of the fields cut several years ago during the Patterson administration that have remained closed ever since. These fields are open only on weekends and holidays.” The Ocean Parkway dunes have been replanted and there is going to be a sand-replenishing project. Robert Moses is currently hiring new lifeguards. “Although we have a larger beach and a new beach at field five, at fields three and four we have thinner beaches, so that means we have more sand where people can put blankets,” says Gorman. “We’re going to spread them out longer, that means we’ll have to spread our lifeguards out longer. That means we need additional lifeguards for the summer.” j u ly 2 0 1 3