Morgan Memorial Park serves as a picturesque backdrop for music festivals, car shows and other community events, and is a serene place to enjoy casual walks along the shore of the Long Island Sound. Much of the park’s infrastructure remained unchanged for 88 years, until Hurricane Sandy struck Long Island in 2012, damaging the park’s seawall and restrooms.
Restoration work began after Sandy, but now the City of Glen Cove has hired the Bay Shore-based Land-Tek Group, for two contracts totaling more than $412,000, to repair and restore the seawall and pavilions, with completion expected next spring.
The seawall, which serves as a critical buffer between the city and the Sound, is deteriorating, so the project will reinforce it with rapid-setting concrete and replace the failing brick in the pavilions with new masonry. Additionally, the work will extend to the lifeguard building and the Japanese teahouse. The much-needed improvements are being funded by a grant from Eastern Suffolk BOCES.
The walking path at the park and the teahouse were scheduled to close for a month or so of renovations to repair the seawall on Wednesday.
The 40-acre waterfront park was built by financier J.P. Morgan Jr. in honor of his late wife, Jane Norton Grew Morgan. It has been a beloved spot for Glen Cove residents for decades, offering scenic views and recreational spaces. But the park has had a number of infrastructure issues over the years, most notably in 2012, when the iconic gazebo, built in 1932, collapsed, injuring a fisherman who had sought shelter beneath it.
Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck has made the restoration of the park a priority during her tenure. The current project is intended to preserve its beauty while improving safety, addressing the seawall’s structural issues and stabilizing the pavilions, which are showing significant signs of decay. Panzenbeck emphasized the importance of the repairs, noting that the seawall and pavilions are essential features of the park.
“The seawall is sagging and falling down in places,” she said in a call with the Herald. “If you stand under them, you’ll see major sections of the bricks missing.”
While the project has the support of many residents, it has not been without controversy. At a council meeting last month, several members questioned whether the LandTek Group was qualified to do the masonry work. Councilman Kevin Maccarone was particularly vocal in his opposition, stating that LandTek, known for constructing sports fields and courts, may lack the expertise that the detailed masonry work demands. Maccarone voted against the contract for the pavilion repairs, saying, “I know that they build turf fields and sports courts, but I don’t know that I’ve ever seen them bid or be involved in anything with general construction or building of seawalls.”
Ann Fangmann, executive director of the city’s development agency, defended the decision to hire LandTek, pointing out that the company had already completed a portion of the seawall repairs in 2022, and that the city was satisfied with its work.
Fangmann also explained that the work planned for the pavilions is crucial to preventing their collapse, because the brick columns are currently unstable. In addition to the masonry work, the roofs of the pavilions will be replaced.
Vincent Martinez, a supervisor in the city’s Public Works Department, added that LandTek had previously completed $500,000 worth of masonry work at the firehouse, demonstrating its capability to handle this type of project.
Panzenbeck expressed optimism about Morgan Park’s future, saying that in addition to the seawall and pavilions, the city plans to restore the Civil Service Employees Association building, with work expected to begin sometime after Nov. 1.
“Morgan Park is a place of beauty,” Panzenbeck said in a call to the Herald. “It’s important that we keep it in good condition. We’ve worked hard to get it back to where it is today, and this project is a crucial part of that.”
