Town gets $175K to help Clark Botanic Garden upgrade

The Island Now

A $175,000 state grant will help the Town of North Hempstead continue to revamp Clark Botanic Garden in Albertson, the town announced Tuesday.

The money from the New York State Zoos, Botanic Gardens and Aquariums program will help improve access to the garden and bolster its educational programs, the town said in a news release.

“This grant will allow us to complete a wide variety of valuable projects to enrich the experience and educational value of the garden for our residents,” town Supervisor Judi Bosworth said in a statement.

The funds will go toward installing aerators at the town’s ponds, fixing paths to make them easier to travel and put air conditioning in the Clark House, a space for lectures and other special events, allowing it to be used more days each year.

The grant will also fund a sensory garden, a special garden that incorporates sound, smell and touch elements for disabled visitors to enjoy.

The town will receive the grant in $35,000 increments over the next five years ending in March 2021, the town said in its release.

The Zoos, Botanic Gardens and Aquariums program awards the five-year grants annually to public and nonprofit organizations that house natural collections and offer programs to serve the public, according to the program’s website.

The grant builds on the town’s recent investments in the 12-acre garden, which houses more than a dozen plant collections and has been named among the best botanic gardens in the state.

“Clark Botanic Garden continues to blossom into one of the most beautiful botanic gardens in the entire state,” said town Councilman Peter Zuckerman (D-East Hills). “With this funding we are only limited by our imagination.”

The town also announced Tuesday the planting of a “rain garden” on the south side of the main building that houses native plants with long roots that can absorb large amounts of storm water.

A new 4,200-square-foot, $700,000 greenhouse is also under construction to help the garden store more plants, funded by a $250,000 state grant and a $556,000 town bond.

The town also plans to spend $150,000 in 2016 and 2017 to rehabilitate Clark Garden’s ponds, and a $250,000 parking lot replacement project is planned for next year.

 

Reach reporter Noah Manskar by e-mail at nmanskar@theislandnow.com or by phone at 516.307.1045 x204. Also follow us on Twitter @noahmanskar and Facebook at facebook.com/theislandnow.

By Noah Manskar

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