Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer and Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez recently joined with fellow Town officials to celebrate recent improvements made to three of the Town’s recreation facilities as part of the Town’s 2014 Parks Improvements Project. Among the recent improvements are a new fence and lights for the Town Hall softball field, a new safe rubber surface for the playground at Town Hall and repairs to Tanner Park Marina in Copiague. Totaling nearly $6 million, these improvements signify a continued commitment by the Town Board to maintain the Town of Babylon’s reputation as a prime recreation location on Long Island.
“The Town of Babylon takes great pride in our parks and beaches, which are among the most celebrated and recognizable on Long Island,” said Deputy Supervisor Martinez, who serves as Parks & Recreation chairman. “Babylon’s parks are a big reason why our residents love living here and why new residents choose to move here. Given their popularity, especially during these summer months, we are committed to a continued investment in our parks and beaches so that our residents are provided with the best experience possible when visiting these facilities.”
A bulk of the work was done at Tanner Park in Copiague – the crown jewel of the Town’s parks facilities. Tanner Park is home to an active marina where just over $5 million has been used to refurbish the facility, which features over 130 boaters during the summer season. Among the improvements made to the marina are the reconstruction of bulkheading, the installment of long lasting, storm resistant “ipe wood” decking and enhanced electric and water utility services for boaters. The facility may be best known for its iconic bandshell overlooking the south shore, which hosts a majority of the Town’s celebrated annual free summer concert series, which has featured primetime acts like David Cassidy, Billy Ocean and Jo Dee Messina.
As part of the 2014 Parks Improvements Project, investments were also made at Town Hall Park in Lindenhurst, which is the location of the town’s most heavily used playground and two ball fields that host games from a variety of local leagues. The Town spent just over $81,000 to renovate the playground, whose rubber safety surface – one of the first parks in the Town to utilize such a feature – had deteriorated and was in need of an upgrade in line with current technology.
The softball field at Town Hall is utilized by numerous organizations, including the Town of Babylon Senior Bulldogs softball team, and local little league teams. A $530,000 investment was made to enhance lighting at the field and to add a new sleek 20ft. tall fence, making it one of the top athletic fields in the Town. Plans are currently underway to implement similar improvements to the little league field immediately to the west of the softball field.
For additional information on the Town of Babylon’s parks, beaches and recreational facilities, please visit www.townofbabylon.com or call (631) 893-2100. “Like” the Town of Babylon on Facebook for instant updates regarding events and news.
Pictured: Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez, Councilwoman Jacqueline Gordon, Supervisor Rich Schaffer, Receiver of Taxes Corinne DiSomma, Town Clerk Carol Quirk and Councilman Tom Donnelly tour the upgrades at Tanner Park Marina in Copiague.