By Scott Brinton
The Merrick environmental activist had come to the preserve, which lines the Meadowbrook State Parkway, for a massive volunteer cleanup of the forest and lake there, arranged by New York State Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr. (R-Merrick) and Assemblyman David McDonough (R-Merrick).
Pitti explained that Robert Moses, the developer/power broker who laid out the parkways, very much intended the thoroughfares as parks, green spaces where motorists could marvel at the beauty of nature as they made their way from New York City to Long Island's parks such as Jones Beach.
The Herald checked further into Pitti's statements and found they were right on target.
Moses, the man who shaped New York City's transportation network, including many of its bridges, tunnels and highways, started his career by providing Long Island parkways for city dwellers so they could escape the sweltering summer heat, if only for a one-day vacation. His great vision was to create Jones Beach State Park.
In 1923, the politically-connected Moses was appointed president of the Long Island State Park Commission, and he quickly went about seeing his "dreamscape" to fruition, according to published reports.
In the mid-1920s, Moses took on the monumental task of building the spit of land that was Jones Beach into one of the Atlantic Coast's great summer resorts. At the time, Jones Beach measured only two feet above sea level. During storms, it would flood, meaning no structures could be built there.
Moses had 40 million cubic yards of sand hauled in by barge to raise Jones Beach's height to 12 feet above sea level, enabling the recreation center's now-famous bath houses to be erected.
Moses wanted sweeping parkways built leading into Jones Beach and other parks across Long Island. Moses called them "ribbon" parkways, including the Southern State, Meadowbrook and Wantagh parkways.
In July 1929, the Southern State Parkway opened, and Jones Beach quickly followed on Aug. 4 that year.
Late in his life, when his numerous development projects were past him, Moses was asked what he considered his greatest achievement. "That's easy," said Moses. "Jones Beach."
Long Island's parkway system was at last completed during the 1960s, according to the online Web site, www.nycroads.com, which publishes a pamphlet about the parkways. The state Department of Transportation and the Museums at Stony Brook developed the leaflet.
Parkway maintenance remained under the Long Island Park Commission's jurisdiction, until 1977 when maintenance was transferred to the DOT. The state Parks Department, however, retained ownership of the parkway rights-of-way, including the green spaces that line them.
In February 1987, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation determined that the Meadowbrook State Parkway (south of the Southern State Parkway), Wantagh State Parkway (south of the Southern State), and Ocean, Loop, Bay and Bethpage state parkways "retained sufficient historic integrity to be eligible for inclusion in the State and National Register of Historic Places."
Comprising 34 miles, these thoroughfares were to be called the "Robert Moses Historic Long Island Parkways." The proposal, however, never came to be.
Beth Brown, spokesperson for the state Parks Department, said she wasn't sure why. Brown noted, however, that because the parkways are eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, they are afforded the same protections as if they were, in fact, included on the list.
That means they cannot be touched without thorough review. Brown said, "Any alterations would have to go through the protection review process by the state Parks Department. If there's any type of alteration, any kind of reconstruction, it would be subject to review under state law.
"There's a lot that goes into the process, a lot of documentation."
Brown added that, at the state Parks Department, "We are certainly willing to work to preserve these properties. That is our goal. Because they are eligible [for inclusion on the National Register], we keep close watch on them."
George Gorman, director of administration for the state Parks Department, Long Island region, said that after the recent volunteer cleanup at the Meadowbrook Preserve, there is "renewed" interest in "reclaiming" and preserving the woodlands surrounding the parkways -- not only in Merrick, but across Long Island.
Right now, Gorman said, the Parks Department is reviewing woodlands across the Island's 124 miles of parkways, looking for neglected areas. "There has not been dumping on all of the rights-of-way, but we're looking at them and developing plans to clean them where necessary and to maintain them," said Gorman.
