Historic Appointment - Sandy Miranda - Smithtown's First Female Director Of Parks, Buildings And Grounds

By Maureen Rossi

Sandy MirandaA dozen yellow roses adorned the desk of Sandy Miranda on Friday when Smithtown Matters visited her. They were congratulatory in nature as  Ms. Miranda was recently appointed Director of Parks, Buildings and Grounds for the Town of Smithtown - a historic appointment as she is Smithtown’s first female Director of Parks, Buildings and Grounds.

Ms. Miranda was first employed by the Town in 1986 as a part time employee in the Planning Department. She transferred into the Parks Department around 1995 and has worked her way up from a clerical position to administrative assistant before being appointed director unaninimously by the Town Board on March 20.  The long-time town employee takes over leadership of Smithtown’s 2nd largest department. “I’m absolutely thrilled to death, I’m still in shock,” she explained. 

Sandy Miranda may be in shock but the people who appointed her are not. Sandy has a reputation as someone who is not only dedicated but very competant. Supervisor Patrick Vecchio has known Miranda for a long time and fully supported the appointment. “I am proud the Town Board elected to put a woman in a very important postion, in the 2nd largest department in the town”, said Vecchio. He is not alone, Councilman Creighton supported the appointment and said, “Sandy is a long time employee of the town who is well qualified to be the first woman in this position and I think it is an important step for the town and will work out very well.”

The Parks Department has a $7.2* million budget, sixty-five employees and is responsible for Smithtown’s eighteen parks, the Bluff, the Marina, Hoyt Farm and the beaches.  In addition to the maintenance of those outdoor facilities, the department maintains every building owned by the town of Smithtown including the Smithtown Municipal Country Club and Pool.  

The Department’s responsibilities also include the repair and maintenance of town vehicles and is charged with the cleaning and plowing all municipal parking lots in town including the three Long Island Rail Road stations. The Park’s Department also hires and supervises lifeguards, park attendants and issues permits for camping and picnicking at town facilities. She said her’s is a very visual department but they handle everything in and outside town buildings.   “The Bull, that’s us, toilet overflows, that’s us,” she laughed.   

“This is our busiest time, from now until Memorial Day we are in high gear,” Miranda reported.  “Right now we have a sand project going at Callahan’s and Short Beach,” she added.    

Miranda says she has been provided an outstanding Assistant Director, Richard Kazanecki.  The main focus for she and Kazanecki will be “beautification”, keeping all town properties and beaches pristine.

Miranda is extremely excited about her new position and enormously grateful for the opportunity to head the department.  “I’ve got a fantastic Assistant Director and I’ve got great supervisors to run my five different divisions, everyone has been very supportive”.   She said she has learned so much from the many outstanding directors she has worked for including Town Councilman Eddie Wehrheim.   She said Wehrheim was incredibly generous in imparting his vast knowledge while he was the Director and she looks forward to working with him in a different capacity now.  “I certainly look forward to working for the Town Board to keep Smithtown one of the best towns on Long Island,” said Miranda. 

Ms. Miranda has been residing in Smithtown since 1981 and is very proud of that. She reiterated over and over.  “I want everyone to feel that way”. She is mother to three girls who are all grown and grandmother to four grand-daughters.  Her granddaughters ages are 5, 4, 3  and the youngest 7 months old, and all live close by. Miranda’s elderly parents reside in her home and she says her 89 year old father is so very proud.  “Never in a million years did I expect this – I started as a clerk typist, every day I go home and my parents still can’t believe it,” she shared.    Miranda also thanked Supervisor Pat Vecchio for having given her an opportunity to work for the town she loves many many years ago.   “Everyone in the town has been so very good to me, they are all fantastic,” she ended.

 * correction was made original posting left out the decimal point.