Jones Beach fireworks axed, pool closed

Long Island beach lovers can look forward to a dull summer this year as yet another swimming pool at Jones Beach will be closed and the July 4th fireworks show cancelled.

Jones Beach, which will lose its West Bathhouse swimming pool, is just one of nearly two dozen state parks that will undergo service reductions this summer, thanks to a $29 million budget cut facing the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation, which released its cutback plans on Feb. 19.

The 16 percent cut to the agency’s $184 million budget will result in the closures of 41 state parks –– 10 on Long Island –– and 14 historic sites, and service decreases at 23 parks and one historic site.

“These actions were not recommended lightly, but they are necessary to address our state’s extraordinary fiscal difficulties,” parks Commissioner Carol Ash said in a statement.

Assemblyman Tom Alfano (R-Franklin Square) was appalled by the actions. “When you look at the choices of the parks that are slated for closure, I am very disturbed that recreation areas where residents have barbeques, kids go to play basketball and young children have access to quality playground equipment are targeted for closure,” he said. “It’s a disgrace. Countless young people from West Hempstead, Elmont, North Valley Stream and Franklin Square ride their bikes to these parks to play ball and have a safe place to play during the summer. This isn’t just a bad choice, it’s a disaster for our communities.”

But there is a chance of survival for at least five Long Island state parks: the parks office suggested in its plan that it be given $5 million from the state’s Environmental Protection Fund –– a fund set aside from the real estate transfer tax for environmental projects –– to restore some recreation programs and keep open several parks, including Hempstead Lake and Valley Stream. This action –– which was proposed by the agency in a period of the budget process called the 21-Day Amendments –– requires approval from the State Legislature, which some believe may be unlikely in this case.