Manhasset Civics celebrate upcoming projects, Endrizzi’s retirement

Amelia Camurati
Council of Greater Manhasset Civic Associations President Richard Bentley leads the organization's final meeting of the year at the Onderdonk House. (Photo by Amelia Camurati)

The Council of Greater Manhasset Civic Associations final meeting of 2017 was all about celebrations, both for the area and for a retiring member.

Town of North Hempstead Councilwoman Anna Kaplan updated members at the Onderdonk House on Wednesday night about upcoming projects slotted for the next two years in the town’s capital plan.

“Manhasset is the heartbeat of the town,” Kaplan said. “Our town hall is in Manhasset, and we need to do whatever we can, all of us, to maintain Manhasset to the standard that it has been and will always be.”

Kaplan said $1.52 million is allocated to five projects across Manhasset for 2018 and another $1.45 million for projects continuing into 2019.

The playground equipment at Mary Jane Davies Green on Plandome Road will be completely replaced next year with a $250,000 budget, Kaplan said, and another $100,000 is allocated for a spray pad replacement in the park in 2019.

“I’ve seen more and more usage of this park, especially now that we have added parking spaces,” Kaplan said.

Council First Vice President Andrew Schwenk said he remembered taking his children to the park years ago and was glad to see the town keeping up with the Manhasset park.

President Richard Bentley said the project in its infancy was a Bayview Civic Association initiative, and the existing equipment is about 20 years old.

At Manhasset Valley Park, Kaplan said the town is working with Nassau County to acquire land across Maple Street from the park, currently owned by the county, to add approximately 20 parking spaces to the park.

Recently, the town installed a guard rail to deter residents from parking illegally along Maple Street, often pulling onto the sidewalk.

Bentley asked how the crosswalk would be set up to get people safely across Maple Street. County Legislator Richard Nicolello said he would have to examine the plan but that the county did not typically install traffic lights for crosswalks where there is no road intersection.

Kaplan said the pool and locker rooms have been recently renovated across the street at Whitney Pond Park, but $800,000 has been allocated to replace the roof on the existing building this summer. Another $300,000 is also allocated for 2019.

Lockheed Martin donated $790,000 to the town, and Kaplan said the funds will be spend to remove aquatic sand buildup in Whitney Creek, which runs from Whitney Pond Park into Manhasset Valley Park, to restore the flow of the creek. Kaplan said $395,000 is set for the project in 2018 as well as another $545,000 for the following year.

After Superstorm Sandy, the Federal Emergency Management Agency agreed to refund the town for restabilization of the Bayview Avenue shore line. Kaplan said $60,000 is planned for the upcoming year as part of the $1.46 million project.

Across the town, $4.2 million is planned for the annual road resurfacing program throughout the six districts.

“There’s been a lot of repaving done in my district,” Kaplan said. “I push so much because I know a lot of them haven’t be done for 20 or 30 years.”

Former Plandome Heights Mayor Marion Endrizzi, center, laughs with Shorehaven Civic Association President Sabine Hairabedian, Assemblyman Anthony D’Urso, Town of North Hempstead Councilwoman Dina Di Giorgio and Plandome Manor Mayor Barbara Donno during a retirement party for Endrizzi. (Photo by Amelia Camurati)

After the business meeting, the group surprised Plandome Heights resident Marion Endrizzi with a retirement celebration with officials state Sen. Elaine Phillips, Assemblyman Anthony D’Urso, Town Councilwoman Dina De Giorgio, Kaplan and Nicolello presenting the former Plandome Heights Civic Association president with citations as well as a letter from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

“I join you in congratulating Marion Endrizzi, retiring president of the Plandome Heights Civic Association, for going above and beyond in all her efforts to improve the quality of life for all in Manhasset, which is really what this season is all about,” Bentley read from Cuomo’s letter.

D’Urso said he met Endrizzi since he took office and learned that her ancestors were also from Formia, Italy, where D’Urso emigrated from at age 21.

Since, the two have become friends, with D’Urso recently attending Endrizzi’s mother Marie DeVito’s 100th birthday party, and D’Urso honored Endrizzi during the party for her work as both a trustee and mayor of Plandome Heights, president of Plandome Heights Civic Association and a charter member of the Plandome Heights Women’s Club.

“Manhasset’s a beautiful place as everyone in this room knows, and most people go about their lives and take care of their properties and do the right thing by the community, but they’re not out there all the time protecting the community, serving on civic boards and doing the things you’ve done over the years,” Nicolello said.

During her years of service, Endrizzi was also honored by the Town of North Hempstead as a member of the May W. Nerburger Women’s Roll of Honor and named as a Nassau County Outstanding Woman of Achievement.

Phillips said Endrizzi will be remembered for her honesty, integrity, keen sense of duty and her ability to understand human problems.

“It takes the community to give back, and we have an amazing community here in Manhasset of people who have truly given back their entire lives to our community, and you are an example of that,” Phillips said.

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