A water fountain in New Hyde Park Memorial Park just got a new makeover. Where an old decrepit water fountain once stood in the park’s playground, a lion now stands.
The New Hyde Park North Lions and the New Hyde Park Lionspresented a lion water fountain to the Village of New Hyde Park last Wednesday. Nassau County Legislature Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello (R-New Hyde Park) was in attendance along with village trustees Rainer Berger and Richard Pallisco. Mayor Lawrence Montreuil was set to appear at the ceremony but was unable to attend.
“We realized that the fountain that was in the park was in disrepair and needed more help so we decided it would be a great idea to put a lion fountain here,” Jeanne Dippel, president of the New Hyde Park North Lions Club, said.
William “Buddy” Sheehan, president of the New Hyde Park Lions Club, said the clubs received a $2,000 donation from the Brandel Murphy Lions Youth Foundation in Rockville Center for the $4,600 lion fountain, on top of fund-raising efforts. Sheehan said the lion design comes from a fellow lions club in Minnesota.
He pointed out that the idea was originally brought up at a district meeting and said a lion water fountain has also been placed in Floral Park.
“It’s a lion’s club in Minnesota that went around telling people that ‘we have this lion water fountain that we made and we’ll make them custom for all lion’s clubs,” Sheehan said.
“It looks great. The kids are going to love it,” Nicolello said.
