RSS 2.0 FeedAugust 5, 2011, Weekly editorial
A smile from above
Wood sculptor Paul Galante loved the view eastward from atop the Norman Levy Park and Preserve on the Freeport-Merrick border. You can see the golf course and lovely homes and, farther out, the Jones Beach tower and amphitheatre, beaches and bridges. To the north are the hills of the North Shore, to the south more beaches and to the west the New York City skyline.
He thought a bench would be perfect for the spot and asked for permission to create one shaped like a smile. And now others enjoy the view from his bench.
It was Merrick landscaper Jay Pitti who first appreciated the view from above our area while bringing brush to be dumped, and asked for the landfill to become a preserve when it was closed over a decade ago. Hempstead Town Sanitation Commissioners Jim Heil and Richard Ronan took up the cause, bolstered by a citizens group called the Overlook Preserve and Sanctuary Committee, headed by Mr. Pitti.
The late state Senator Norman Levy was one of the early backers of the cause. The result – now stewarded by town Supervisor Kate Murray, a supporter since she was an assemblywoman – has saved taxpayers millions over traditional capping methods, and created a jewel of a park and preserve that has attracted international attention.
Deputy Sanitation Commissioner Mike McConnell has thrown himself into creating a unique environment, with a windmill circulating the waters of the pond atop the “mountain,” guinea hens to eat the ticks and dwarf goats to “mow” the grass.
Something in the air of the place seems to invite creativity. If you haven’t had the opportunity yet to take a jitney or kayak tour, why not do it now? If you’re a fisherman, you’ll appreciate that the fishing pier was built right out to a fishing hole at the behest of then-Commissioner Ronan. If you’re a walker, you’ll enjoy using the exercise stations. If you’re a birder you can try to find one more species than the hundreds that South Shore Audubon Society has logged.
Frankly, this place has a reason for everybody to smile.
