Nassau County Leigslator Ellen Birnbaum (D-Great Neck) has secured approximately $130,000 in county funding for the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire District and for renovations to Manhasset Valley Park, her office said last Wednesday.
Birnbaum spokesman Daniel J. Small said Monday that the fire department will receive $30,000 for the purchase of portable radios for emergency responders, while $100,000 will be put toward renovations to the park’s restroom facilities as part of an inter-municipal agreement with the Town of North Hempstead.
“The new athletic fields at this beautiful park are being frequented by Great Neck and Manhasset residents who enjoy playing soccer and softball,” Birnbaum said in a statement. “Consequently, visitors are staying for longer periods of time and adequate restrooms are more important than ever.”
The Nassau County Legislature approved the funding requests during recent hearings, according to news releases from Birnbaum’s office.
Birnbaum said the radios were necessary to ensure the safety of residents living within the fire district, which covers Manhasset and portions of Great Neck and New Hyde Park.
“Helping to keep our community safe is one of the most important parts of my job,” she said. “I am glad the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire District will be receiving funds which will be used to equip their firefighters with portable radios so that they can quickly communicate during emergency situations.”
The park funding was received as part of an inter-municipal agreement between the Legislature and the Town of North Hempstead, Birnbaum’s office said.
The funds were the latest in a series of initiatives in the last year to restore the park.
In March, the town appropriated $4.5 million in bonding for renovations to the park, and the park was also received funds through a joint fundraising effort from Macy’s department store and National Recreation and Park Association.
“Manhasset Valley Park is such a wonderful facility utilized by so many children and young athletes in our Town,” said North Hempstead Councilwoman Anna Kaplan, whose 4th district covers the park, at the time. “With this partnership, we now have the potential to add to and enhance the outstanding amenities this park already offers.”
In September, sporting goods retailer City Sports also pledged to donate $1,000 to the park for the construction of a children’s playground.
The park was reopened in April 2013 after it was closed for renovations to a baseball field and multi-purpose athletic field that was later renamed in honor of Manhasset native and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown.
Brown, who starred in five sports while a student at Manhasset High School in the 1950s appeared at the park’s reopening and as part of a ceremony organized by the National Football League’s Hometown Heroes program. The school district also honored Brown during an assembly days later.
