The Great Neck Park District will be upgrading from a blow-up movie screen and projector, commissioners said on Thursday night, approving a $72,000 purchase of a mobile LED screen and trailer.
Park Superintendent Jason Marra said the new screen could not only be used year round, but be transported around the district.
Among its possibilities are showing movies at the pool, hosting outdoor video game events, using it for concerts and sporting events, and park district advertising, he said.
“The possibilities are endless,” Commissioner Tina Stellato commented.
The MAX mobile LED display trailer would be 15 feet by 8.5 feet wide. The $72,000 purchase would come with the screen, generator, blu-ray player, satellite dish, speakers, spare parts, a screen cover and a two-year warranty, Marra said. Its expected life is around 10 years.
Commissioner Bob Lincoln said the blow-up screen was about $20,000 when first purchased and that the park district plans to auction it off to get some money back.
In unrelated business, commissioners also voted to approve the restoration of a 30-year old Port 26 boat used at the marina at Steppingstone Park at a cost of $40,849.35.
Marra said the cost of getting a new boat would have been $130,000 and a used one would have been around $80,000.
“We’re rebuilding the old boat and making it new again,” Marra said.
Lincoln said the hull is in good shape and that the engine and transmission work, but they need to replace the wood structure of work and make it fiberglass. As a public conveyance, it would need to be approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.
There would be a 10-year warranty on the work, Lincoln said, and it’s expected that the district could get another 25 years out of the boat.
“It’s a lot of money, but it’s a lot less money than a new boat and we’re very comfortable with this as a good investment,” Lincoln said.
In other unrelated park district business, park officials also discussed the progress of Buzz, their shared shuttle service pilot program geared toward commuters.
Marra said there has been “all positive feedback” and that of their 13 original customers, 11 returned. In the second week they gained 10 users, he said, essentially doubling the use. One person said it there was too far of a walk for their stop, according to Marra.
Marty Markson, a member of the park district’s open space committee, suggested possibly posting the median walking distance so people can better gauge whether or not to use the service.
“It still is a work in progress,” Marra said, also noting that pick up locations change from week to week.
Commissioners also approved the engineering services of Sound Control in Selden for $2,400 to conduct a formal study in response to a Wood Road resident expressing concerns about the levels of noise from the Parkwood area.
Marra said the park district did their own surveys and found the levels to be reasonable, but that they should engage professional services as well.
“We have been responsive, but it has not satisfied them,” Lincoln said.
