By Mary Malloy
Mayor Joseph Carrigan welcomed the crowd to the dedication of the new marina, and began the program by awarding Rose Trum and her East Rockaway Beautification Committee for all of their hard work in making the dock decorative and pleasing to the eye. Trum accepted the award on behalf of her committee. Carrigan then thanked Senator Dean Skelos and Assemblyman Robert Barra for their help with this project. "They are major supporters of the Waterfront Revitalization Program," he said. Town of Hempstead Counncilman Anthony Santino, and East Rockaway resident, agreed.
"We must thank them for the funds they have brought back from Albany for this," he said. "We should thank these gentlemen for so much about what is good with East Rockaway.
Addressing the crowd, Barra also thanked Skelos, and said, "It's all about the quality of life. According to him [Skelos], you deserve the best."
The senator had only good things to say about East Rockaway. "It is a gem," he said. "It's really a community of people working together. The activities that go on here make this a happy home for so many people, and it's always been about the next generation. We hope to make this area a showcase not only for East Rockaway, but for Nassau County."
After the ceremonies, residents and dignitaries mingled and admired the newly completed marina, which contains an eight-hundred-foot-long boardwalk promenade, a scenic pier, floating docks with mooring facilities for twenty-four boats, new sidewalks, roadway surfaces, decorative street safety lighting, pedestrian crosswalks, trees, gardens, drinking water fountains, decorative brick walkways and more for public enjoyment of and access to the waterfront.
Carrigan also announced that the third and final phase of the project will begin in June of this year. The third phase of the project will include the construction of a public plaza with a gazebo, benches, gardens, flag poles, lighting and a parking field on the property at White Cannon Point, adjacent to the Talfor Basin on the east side.
