By John Nugent
The Great Neck Park District Board of Commissioners held a public work session on Thursday to discuss details of its proposed 2020 budget of $19.8 million.
Jason Marra, Great Neck park superintendent, presented a budget plan that calls for additional expenses of $187,000 in 2020, an increase of 1% over the prior year.
Marra’s plan anticipates that new programs in the district will contribute to added revenue of $206,000, a jump of 3.7% over 2019.
Half of the expected new revenue is expected to come from beach and pool fees and programs at Camp Parkwood.
The playground at Allenwood Park will undergo major renovations in the coming year, said Marra. He noted that the plan is to make it into a “state of the art” facility.
Marra also cited the deteriorated condition of the boat ramp at Steppingstone Marina. He has earmarked $500,000 from the capital reserve fund for needed repairs.
Commissioner Robert Lincoln said that the district has sufficient cash on hand and that no tax increases or bond issuance would be necessary to fund the next budget.
The board also approved a modest increase in fees at Parkwood Camp.
A public budget hearing will be held on Sept. 4 at which the final budget will be submitted to the Board of Commissioners for approval.
After final approval by the Town of North Hempstead on Oct. 24, the budget will be formally adopted.
