On Saturday July 13, 2013, Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone joined with other local officials to hold a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the Geiger Spray Park in Wyandanch. The 14,400 square-foot spray park is part of a larger effort to revitalize Geiger Lake Memorial Park under the “Wyandanch Rising” project. Joining Supervisor Schaffer and County Executive Bellone for the ceremony were NYS Assemblyman Robert Sweeney, Suffolk County Legislator DuWayne Gregory, Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez, Councilwoman Jacqueline Gordon, Town Clerk Carol Quirk, and Receiver of Taxes Corinne DiSomma.
Supervisor Schaffer said “The Geiger Spray Park is an important step in breathing new life into not only Geiger Lake Park but also Wyandanch as a whole. The spray park provides the community with a fun family-friendly environment for all residents to be proud of and enjoy.”
Hundreds of residents braved the heat on Saturday to join the local officials for the ribbon-cutting, which also featured representatives from the organizations that worked on the project including Stalco Construction, Sidney B. Bowne & Son, and Keller Sandgren Architects. Following the brief ceremony, many of the families and children in attendance explored the park for the first time and used it as an opportunity to cool off on the sweltering summer day.
“I would like to thank everyone involved in the project and all of those dedicated residents who came out for the ceremony,” said Deputy Supervisor Martinez, who serves as the liaison to the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs. “This innovative park is symbolic of the rebirth of Geiger Lake and the surrounding area. With countless state-of-the-art features, I hope that this spray park will entertain families and residents for generations to come.”
The 14,400 square-foot spray park draws inspiration from the surrounding park and nature. Relying on a “tree of life” theme, the park features two artificial trees, one 24-feet high and the other 22-feet high. The larger of the two trees houses two small slides within its trunk. Among the other two dozen features are fountains, bridges, slides, and climbing ropes.
The Geiger Spray Park is open daily from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM and is $5 for Town of Babylon residents. Seasonal pool passes are also available. For more information, please contact the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs at (631) 893-2100.
Pictured at the ceremony are Project Consultant Peter Casserly; Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez; Receiver of Taxes Corinne DiSomma; Keller Sandgren Associates Principal Peter C. Keller; Councilwoman Jacqueline Gordon; Suffolk County Legislator Rich Schaffer; New York State Assemblyman Robert Sweeney; Sidney B. Bowne & Son Partner Frank J. Antetomaso; Town Clerk Carol Quirk; Commissioner of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs Frank Bachety; Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone; Site Specialists Associate Jeffrey Charles; Stalco Construction Project Manager Michael Finnerty; Wyandanch High School Basketball Coach Thomas Gargiulo; Norberto Construction Vice President Anthony Norberto; and Norberto President Frank Norberto.