By Scott Brinton
Robert Young, a member of the Old Lindenmere Civic Association, first brought the property's deteriorated condition to light in the Herald's April 18 edition. Young now is working to create a preserve of the property and to form a friends group for the possible park. He also led a second volunteer cleanup of the woodland this past Sunday.
State Sen. Charles Fuschillo has called upon state agencies that might be responsible for the woodland to meet and develop long-range plans for the property. The Herald heard from a reliable source that the state Department of Transportation, Parks Department and Troopers are to meet in the coming weeks over the woodland.
Last Thursday, the Herald also received the following e-mail from Bruce Piel, chairman of the Park Advocacy and Recreation Council of Nassau (PARCnassau):
"In response to the recent articles in the Merrick, Bellmore and East Meadow Heralds, PARCnassau met with State Parks Commissioner Bernadette Castro and Deputy Commissioner Nancy Palumbo on Thursday, April 25. They stated that State Parks has jurisdiction on the parklands bordering state parkways on Long Island.
"They will have the conditions at 'Roosevelt Preserve South' [the woodland in question] investigated immediately and begin a cleanup program on all lands under State Parks control. We referred them to your recent articles and asked them to contact the Herald directly with their findings and timetable for dissemination to the community."
