Friday, October 16, 2026
The Village of Freeport has been granted $150,000 in state funding, which will be allocated to renovate Martin Luther King Jr. and Bishop Frank O. White parks, officials said.
Assemblyman Noah Burroughs helped secure the grant, $100,000 of which will be earmarked mainly to renovate the floor of the basketball court at MLK Park on Stevens Street. In addition to typical recreational use, the court has been commonly used by local community organizations, for basketball tournaments and children's summer programs. The park’s bathrooms will also be addressed with the funds.
James and Theresa Aydelott, founders and leaders of the Sports, Empowerment, Leadership Academy, one of the major users of the park, have been staunch advocates for the park's refurbishment, once again bringing attention to its needs in late August.
The remaining $50,000 will go toward repairs at Bishop White Park, named after the late minister who led Freeport’s Zion Cathedral. Burroughs mentioned that the money will ensure the bathrooms are compliant under the Americans with Disabilities Act, making it accessible to more residents.
The park, at 100 Parsons Ave., was previously called Northeast Park before being renamed in June 2017, a few months after the bishop’s death. His son, Frank A. White, currently serves as Zion Cathedral’s senior pastor and is the CEO of the Cedarmore Corporation, a church-affiliated community organization that frequently uses the park for its programs.
On Oct. 7, Burroughs, Village of Freeport officials and members of the Freeport-Roosevelt Branch of the NAACP gathered on MLK Park’s currently cracked-filled basketball court to celebrate the state's check presentation.
“There’s a lot of time and effort put in here by our assemblyman to coordinate and actually provide this grant,” Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy said during the check presentation. “This is 25,000 square feet of new decking that will go in here and be sealed and repainted for our basketball courts. Our kids don’t have to run around in the streets at nighttime. We have it illuminated, the parks are open, and they can come here and play good, exciting basketball here.”
Kennedy added that he appreciated Burroughs and the state deciding to fund the renovations without the possibility of raising taxes for village residents.
“There’s a lot more things that I want to do within this village,” Burroughs said during the check presentation, adding that he and Kennedy have expressed interest in obtaining funding to refurbish other village parks.
“I’m happy and grateful that I could do this,” he added.
Kennedy declined to give a specific timeframe for when renovations at either park would be completed, but he said that once the village actually receives the funding, officials will promptly begin the process of bidding out contracts for the construction and deliver the new-look parks efficiently.
Donna Raphael, president of the Freeport-Roosevelt NAACP, expressed her appreciation for the $150,000 state grant to renovate the two parks.
“We are here to support and advocate so that our residents have a safe place to play, to convene, to be able to also meet with their families,” she said. “So, this (MLK) park, as well as Bishop White’s park, is extremely important for us to make sure that we work with the mayor and, of course, our assemblymember, Noah Burroughs.”
Village Deputy Mayor Jorge Martinez also spoke about Freeport's diversity, and how caring for the community’s public spaces helps better ensure everyone can feel adequately supported.
“We’re probably the most diverse community in New York state or the country, so it’s really important that we have a nice balance at our parks,” he said. “Not only is education important, but also athletic support. So, it’s good for kids to come out here and enjoy (our parks).”
