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Overcast Recreation department gets a new home
Relocates to upgraded pool complex; new initiatives planned for 2014
The nomadic Valley Stream Recreation Department has finally found a home. The Hendrickson Park pool complex is the latest spot for a department that been on the move after it was flooded out of the administration building in 2011.
Over the winter, a section to the left of the lobby, was redesigned to provide offices for Recreation Department staff. There is a waiting room and counter with three computer terminals so residents can sign up for the pool and other programs. The space formerly was used for storage and an employee break area.
Mayor Ed Fare said this will be the permanent home for Recreation. In August 2011, a heavy rain storm filled the administration building with three feet of water, damaging walls, floors, furniture and files. The department was relocated to the Firemen’s Field clubhouse.
The addition of the Recreation Department’s offices is the latest upgrade to the pool complex, which in the last few years has gotten a new roof, façade, doors and windows, as well as a renovated lobby and bathrooms.
Over the winter, the back of the building also received a new façade to match the front. The tiered pool deck at the west end of the complex has been repainted, and is now beige with blue stripes. Village crews also worked to beautify the facility with new flowers throughout. “It definitely has a ‘wow’ factor,” pool maintenance supervisor Chris Vela said. “We concentrated on making it pop. We want this to be a showcase for the village.”
Over the past three years, the village has spent about $875,000 on upgrades to the pool, according to village Treasurer Michael Fox. Of that, $850,000 is from the capital fund which includes $750,000 that was borrowed, and $100,000 from a state Legislative grant. The remaining money, from the operating budget, was used to purchase new furniture, computers and other smaller items.
Fare said more upgrades are on tap. He noted that the dive pool, which is 54 years old, will eventually have to be replaced. It is the only pool that is still original from when the complex opened in 1960.
Five years ago, the village made a temporary fix to the dive pool when it replaced a hydrostatic pump. At the time, the pool was losing up to two inches of water per hour. There is a lot of pressure on the 11-foot-deep pool because of the high water table in the area. When the pump was replaced, it were only guaranteed to last three years, but so far has exceeded that. “It’s on two years borrowed time already,” Fare said of the pool.
When the day comes, Fare said he wants to reconfigure that area of the pool complex to include an outdoor pool with two slides, and an indoor Olympic-sized swimming pool that would be open 12 months a year.
The pool staff will also take over maintenance of the adjacent miniature golf course, which opened in 2003. Already, work has begun to clean the greens and replace the signs at each hole. Upgraded lighting and a new sound system are also in the plans. Fare said he wants the village to host more events there.
The golf course was built and operated by a private company before it was taken over by Valley Stream. It opened for the season on Saturday and games of mini-golf will now be free for pool members.
Behind the course is a fenced-in grass area that goes mostly unused, except for the annual pumpkin painting contest. It once housed a playground and volleyball courts. The village will now begin hosting family-friendly movies there on Monday nights this summer, beginning July 7, on an inflatable screen. Residents will be encouraged to bring chairs and blankets.
