Petition, cleanup to target Silver Lake Park

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A petition started by the Baldwin Civic Association, and a cleanup announced by State Assemblyman Brian Curran, both have the upkeep of Silver Lake Park as their target. And while the two ideas appear to have emerged separately, if simultaneously, the cleanup — scheduled for 1 p.m. on April 27 — could easily have been proposed as a response to the petition.

The petition
The BCA petition, entitled Help Silver Lake Park!, urges Nassau County elected officials and County Executive Ed Mangano to allot funds for the cleanup of the woodsy recreational area on Foxhurst Road, just south of Merrick Road. The petition collected 505 signatures during the month or so that it was open on thepetitionsite.com, and while the listed target number was 2,000 signatures, David Viana, president of the BCA, said that figure was an arbitrary one suggested by the website itself, and that the BCA is satisfied with the number of signers.

The petition, which was generated by the BCA’s Quality of Life committee, states that “Silver Lake Park, in Baldwin, N.Y. is in trouble.” It goes on to say that “there is extensive pollution in the water, affecting the wildlife and the quality of life in the area. In addition, the lake’s foundation wall is crumbling, and needs to be repaired.”

The authors of the petition, who include Sara Hill, chair of the committee, wrote that the group planned to ask that “elected officials in Nassau County take care of our water and infrastructure by appropriating resources and funding.”

The petition went live on March 3 and closed on March 31. It was not restricted to Baldwin residents, and was signed by people from Maine, Illinois, Florida and even Finland and New Zealand. There was a space to leave a comment on the petition, and many current and former residents shared their memories of Silver Lake Park.

“So many wonderful childhood memories there. I lived so close by as a child. Please save Silver Lake,” wrote Nancy Dyer, who listed an address in Massachusetts.

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