|
|
Save Tiffany - We Must Act NOW |
|
| Author |
Message |
|
Director
Site Admin
Joined: 24 Feb 2007
Posts: 1352
Location: Kings Park, New York
|
 Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 10:24 am Post subject: Save Tiffany - We Must Act NOW |
 |
|
An article in an issue of Newsday ran last week indicating the Office of Parks is proposing to close as many as 10 New York State Parks on Long Island, including the Nissequogue River State Park. The Nissequogue River State Park is home to Tiffany Field, a facility that has been dedicated to soccer use and maintained by the Kings Park Soccer Club for almost 30 years.
I am asking every club member to now share in an effort to show our elected officials we will not stand idly by while they make arbitrary and uniformed decisions impacting our club and community. Please be aware if the NRSP is closed and left to deteriorate, it will have a profound affect on the community. Consider property values, safety issues and the influx of undesirable activities that are sure to find a home here.
The closing of the Nissequogue River State Park would put the availability of Tiffany Field in jeopardy and force the Kings Park Soccer Club to either reduce or cease operations impacting almost 1000 soccer players and their families. The prospect of finding new venues to run our program are not good and would encroach on the needs of other organizations in our community that already deal with the overuse of fields. It is with keeping the children in our community involved in soccer and off the streets that we plead to keep this sector of the park open to the Kings Park Soccer Club. As we strive to keep our children active through organized soccer sanctioned by Long Island Junior Soccer League, help us voice your opinion. Let’s stay united for what’s best for the children of this community.
It should be noted that the Kings Park Soccer Club has privately maintained the Tiffany Field Facility for all of the 30 years that it has been in use. Over that time we have not only performed routine services such as lining, mowing, watering, seeding, sod, fertilizing, weeding and garbage removal, we have also installed fencing, port-a-lavs, goals, storage containers and installed a new sod field. Our soccer complex has a full in-ground irrigation system which operates and is maintained 9 months per year.
All of the amenities and improvements have come through the hard work and financial support of our membership. It should be noted that we are a non-profit organization that keeps its cost down to provide a safe environment for the children of our community, as well as those visiting teams from all over Long Island, and their families. Over the years, the Kings Park Soccer Club has invested over $1 million of private funds, supplies and labor in the continued operation of Tiffany Field. This is money, labor and supplies that YOU have put into the KPSC through registration fees, fund raising efforts and valuable volunteer time. Other than the continued use of the property, the NYS Parks Department has offered only limited support related mostly to safety issues.
The potential severity of the decision to close the NRSP puts US in a position where we must act now and in force to do all we can to save the park from closing.
I have already been in contact with Senator Flanagan’s Office and efforts on that front are moving forward, but this alone will not be enough. Other community groups are stepping up their efforts to save the park, but this too will not be enough.
I ask that each of you do as many of the following as possible.
1) Contact Park Commissioner Ash by mail, fax and phone indicating your opposition to the closing of the NRSP and include some reasons why.
Ms. Carol Ash, Commissioner
Executive Offices
NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Agency Building 1
Empire State Plaza
Albany, New York 12238
Phone: (518) 474-0456
Fax: (518) 474-1365
Email Commissioner Ash by visiting http://nysparks.state.ny.us/about/contact-us.aspx
NYS Governor David A. Paterson
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
Phone: (518) 474-8390
Fax: (518) 474-1513
Email the Governor at governor@chamber.state.ny.us or by visiting http://161.11.121.121/govemail
2) Visit The Park Advocate at http://theparkadvocate.org and sign the online petition to “Save Our Park”
3) Ask all your friends and neighbors to get involved in the effort.
Together we can make a difference. WE CAN SAVE OUR PARK. Please DO NOT rely on the other guy to get it done. WE ARE STRONG IN NUMBERS.
WE ARE KINGS PARK.
Let us together show our officials what KINGS PARK PRIDE is all about.
Best Regards,
Joseph Piacentino, Jr.
President – Kings Park Soccer Club
Visit the KPSC Web Site at http://www.kpsc.org
KPSC: Dedicated to Our Children and the Game !
|
|
|
| Back to top |
      |
|
Nightraven
Level 3
Joined: 06 Jul 2010
Posts: 84
Location: Yonkers, NY
|
| Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 7:59 am Post subject: |
|
|
It's a damn shame that our moronic governor had so many parks closed. I think that is one of his more stupid moves, although he's been on a roll. I can't wait until he is out of office.
I wish Nissequogue River State Park wasn't one of the ones that were closed. I remember the first time I saw Tiffany Field with my own eyes, not in pictures. It was a beautiful sunny day. I was with my cousin and it was mid-September of 2007. It was the day after our first visit to the hospital. I had taken a few pictures for reference. I had no pictures of the field at the time.
There were girls' teams wearing all white playing a game of soccer. The field looked so full of life. I had no idea it was still being used. I thought it had also been abandoned. It was really great seeing all those kids running around and having a good time. I actually watched the game for a few minutes before going back to my car.
The last time I was in town was also a beautiful day. It was back in June of this year. I was on my way to meet Leo for the first time at the museum, but decided to pass through the grounds and take a few pictures first. The field was empty. It now fit in with the rest of the hospital... abandoned, but never forgotten.
Hopefully, this will change for next year and the parks will all be opened once, again. Children need to have a place where they can go to let off some steam and enjoy the day. So do adults. Apparently, the governor doesn't care enough to know that.
There is no excuse to shut down state parks. Something could have been done. It's things like that which make me hate politics. It's always all about money.
|
_________________
Jason aka Nightraven
Yonkers Ghost Investigators |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
KPSHMRU
Level 5
Joined: 07 Apr 2007
Posts: 496
|
| Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 12:04 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I wish the state would simply turn the property over to the town of Smithtown; at least they know how to manage recreational facilities.
I played softball in the KPSH league in 1976. There were sometimes 2-3 games being played on the three diamonds at one time.
My buddies and I would throw softballs and footballs around on the well-tended fields back then on weekends. The grandstand was a nice place to rest out of the sun. This was before the fields were taken over by soccer in the 1980s. Interestingly, early photos of the field also show soccer goalposts along with the baseball diamonds. I assume that this was becasue there were so many European immigrants working at the hospital at that time.
Carl Yazstremski (from Riverhead) also played on the field while in the minor leagues early in his career.
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
