North Woodmere neighbors are asking for a renovated park

A park benefits a community in numerous ways. Neighbors have a place to go for recreation and socialization. Children have a safe place to play.

North Woodmere Park, however, is not living up to its promise, according to North Woodmere resident Judith Gutman.

“I’ve seen the park deteriorate over time,” said Gutman, who lives just a 15-minute walk from the county-operated park and has visited it often over the past decade. “There’s so much equipment that is broken, and the fields themselves are not maintained.”

Open since 1965, the 150-acre park is at the intersection of Branch Boulevard and Hungry Harbor Road in North Woodmere. It is home to a playground; a nine-hole golf course; an Olympic-size pool; tennis, handball/paddleball and basketball courts; and baseball, football and softball fields.

Gutman is a mother of three who has taken her children to the park throughout their childhood, but a recent visit may have been their last, because, she said, her youngest daughter was walking through the bridge on the playground and noticed loose screws.

As well, Gutman said, mats pose a tripping hazard, there are beehives near the playground, and there are outdated metal slides, which most parks stopped using due to the risk of burns.

In March 2019, then County Executive Laura Curran said that $15 million would be invested in enhancement and maintenance for 10 county-operated parks. Inwood Park was one of them, but not North Woodmere.

Seeking answers about the park’s future, Gutman sent an email to the county and learned that the park is one of three playgrounds that will be replaced within the next year as part of a capital project.

North Woodmere resident Sarah Feuchtwanger, a mother of four, said she contacted the county last year and was told the same thing about renovations.

“It doesn’t seem like we’re moving anywhere,” Feuchtwanger said. “I’ve reached out to (County Executive) Bruce Blakeman and other people, and no one seems to be replying or following up in terms of anything.”

Feuchtwanger and her children have visited the park, and made use of its fields as well as the playground, for more than 15 years. “Areas that have been boarded up for years have not been fixed,” she said. “They put a board on it, nail it shut, and years pass and there’s no fixing it.”

The County’s Parks Department referred the Herald to Blakeman’s spokesman, Chris Boyle, and as of press time he has not responded to requests for comment on details of the park project.

Hewlett-Woodmere Business Association President David Friedman’s involvement with the park revolves around volunteering for the Hewlett Lawrence Soccer Club, which uses the park’s soccer field.

“Any improvements they do with North Woodmere Park would be beneficial to the community and would bring in more families,” Friedman said. “As far as the condition of the soccer field, it really needs to have new grass, because there are weeds and uneven surfaces.”

Another issue that captured the community’s attention was the discovery of a swastika in the park on June 19, near the swings.

“The neighborhood is filled with Orthodox Jews, and knowing that there’s a swastika in the park in a neighborhood that is predominantly Orthodox is scary,” Gutman said. “It just makes the park much less of a place that we want to visit.”

Feuchtwanger said that antisemitism messages are a problem across Nassau County, but she believes county officials are doing their best to address it.

Nonetheless, a newly renovated park would help make their community feel safe, Feuchtwanger said.

“Hate is not accepted in any community,” she said. “We are all one community regardless of your race and or religion. I do think it’s an isolated incident, but I would just love to see a park that the community would utilize for the kids and keep them in a safe environment. Something to bring back North Woodmere’s crowning  glory, and we need a park to showcase it.”

Have an opinion on North Woodmere Park? Send a letter to jbessen@liherald.com.