By Nicole Falco
Plans to construct a mini-golf course in the park were first presented to the community in the summer of 2001, but were delayed when the "Concerned Citizens of Valley Stream," which included Bill Freda, Joe Palermo, Tom O'Neil, Gabe Parish and Mary Salg, filed an Article 78 against the village, questioning the village's ability to allow the construction and operation of a mini-golf course and adjacent "accessory building," which they called a "catering hall."
In April 2002, a Nassau County judge ruled that the project could move forward, but once again it was delayed when Keith Miller Golf Inc., the company that was to build and operate the course, opted out of the deal, according to Village Clerk Vincent Ang.
Tee To Green Sports Management LLC completed the necessary proposal and bidding process, and any last-minute touches to the course should be completed by noon on Saturday for the ceremonial ribbon cutting.
Joining representatives from Tee To Green will be Valley Stream Mayor Ed Cahill, the Valley Stream Board of Trustees, and representatives from Astoria Federal Savings and KJOY 98.3.
"I'm looking forward to it," said Cahill. "This is great for Valley Stream. It's a popular sport and will definitely be a plus for the residents of Valley Stream. It's really a family-type sport and that's what we want for the park."
Following the grand opening, Cahill will make a dash for Blessed Sacrament Church, where he is participating in the church's fifth annual musical review, Showtime, at 2 p.m. But village residents, Central High School District residents with up to three guests and established Valley Stream organizations that come for the opening can golf for the rest of the afternoon.
As a grand opening special, children and adults will enjoy one low admission price and get first peek at the 15,000-square-foot, par-42 course, which features "challenging elevation and contour changes, undulations, banks and varying size putting surfaces, along with four ponds and fountains and two running streams," according to a press release about the course.
In addition, the course is landscaped to complement the park's natural surroundings. "This is a golf-lover's miniature golf course; it was designed from the ground up to be fun and challenging for both kids and adults," said Dave Brown, president of Tee To Green, a privately owned company that manages sports-related recreational operations in the New York area.
The course will be open to patrons from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekends through June 22. Summer hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Tee To Green assumed the approximate $350,000 cost of building the facility and is responsible for its day-to-day operation. According to Ang, Tee To Green will pay the village $71,000 in rent during the next 10 years as well as a percentage of its annual revenue.
Another opening
Another opening is taking place the same day as the opening of the miniature golf course. The grand opening of the new King Kullen supermarket and shopping center, on Merrick Road just east of Central Avenue, is scheduled for May 24 at 9 a.m. Like the Hendrickson Park miniature golf course, the King Kullen was met with opposition from some local residents when plans were initially proposed. After a lawsuit that caused years of delay was settled, construction began. Among the complaints against the intended redevelopment of the site was that it would create over-crowding in the area.
