By Dana Klosner
(click on photos to enlarge)
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Wayne Horsley speaks at Kings Park Yacht Club Safe Boating EventWayne Horsley took the reigns as Long Island Regional Director of Parks and Recreation on December 17, 2013. He says he loves his job.
“This job is the opportunity of a lifetime and a dream come true,” he said.
Prior to becoming regional director he was a Town of Babylon Town Councilman for six years. Then he won a county legislature seat where he was a presiding officer and ran the county legislature for a short period of time.
“I was there for the hard times of the recession,” he said. “I helped keep the county afloat. Now it’s on its way to financial solvency and reward.”
He heads the administration of 38 parks on Long Island and oversees the historic matters and recreation that involve the state parks. This includes parks from Valley Stream to Orient and Montauk Points, he said. This is the largest park region in the state as far as attendance and different types of parks are concerned. The remodeling of Jones Beach is underway with $65 million in government and state legislation.
“Jones Beach will have the look of Robert Moses and Jones Beach state parks built in 1929, but it will have the amenities and infrastructure of a 21st century park,” he said.
“People don’t know what’s on Long Island,” he said. “It’s got the largest recreation system, I believe, in the United States. People take it for granted. I like to show it off.”
For example, he said, Bethpage State Park has the Black Course golf course. The Barclays Golf Tournament will be held there in 2016. In 2019 the US Open will be held at Bethpage Black. The Ryder Cup will be held there in 2024. This is a huge international golf tournament to be held at Bethpage State Park. There have been US Opens with Tiger Woods playing there.
“It’s the greatest public course in the country,” he said.
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Sunken Meadow Golf CourseAnd, at Sunken Meadow State Park the club house for the golf course was just redone. Currently they are in the process of rebuilding the central mall buildings which have not been touched since its inception.
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Marina at NRSPThen there’s the Nissequogue River State Park (NRSP) carved out of the Kings Park Psychiatric Center. The most Northern Area includes a marina and soccer field which is used by the soccer club of Kings Park. The administration headquarters is there and there are several hundred acres of park ground.
There is a large section outside the State Park that is under state park authority. The northern section of the old Psychiatric Center grounds is dedicated to Nissequogue River State Park. The rest of the area has lots of buildings and is under the jurisdiction of the State Parks. There are no long term plans on what’s going to happen to take down those buildings, he said.
“We are creating a first class park, but right now there are many big buildings on the park grounds,” he said. “Senator Flanagan approved some dollars in the state budget* to take down the buildings. Lots of folks are saying can’t we hurry up. These are very large buildings and they are costly to take down. We will take down those in the worst shape.”
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Healing Garden at the NRSP (Donated to the Park by the Commack-Kings Park Rotary Club and Nissequogue River State Park Foundation )The Nissequogue River State Park overlooks the sound. It will always be a State Park. The rest may be as well, we just don’t know yet, he said.
Some of the most beautiful waterfront property is on the Nissequogue River State Park, he said.
“When you look at the Nissequogue River from the water you look at the park itself,” he said. “It’s one of the most beautiful places on Long Island, or maybe anywhere. When you look at the shore you can see Osprey and Cranes and people swimming. When you come out of the mouth of the river you see Sunken Meadow Park and you see how it all fits in. Nissequogue River State Park is a first class State Park. The people of Kings Park and the people of New York should be proud.”
*NYS Senator John Flanagan secured $30 million for use at the Nissequogue River State Park.