Officials from the Great Neck Park District are close to completing a deal with Nassau County to buy and rehabilitate a piece of land near Wood Road in the Village of Great Neck.
The mostly wooded area adjacent to the Parkwood Sports Complex at the intersection of Wood Road and Arrandale Avenue is likely to be purchased from the county for $1,000, Great Neck Park District acting Superintendent Peter Renick said on Tuesday.
“Some of the local residents and the park district have been concerned with the way it’s deteriorated since that micro burst,” Renick said. “There’s still trees that are leaning over and are on the ground and it has to be cleaned up.”
And Renick said there is also another concern with the area, which he estimated is between one and 1 1/2 acres of property.
“The area is open, so it’s an easy place for people to dump (trash),” Renick said. “Some people have been dumping there, so what’s happened is the residents wanted somebody to take charges of this since its right next to the Parkwood Sports Complex.”
The deal to buy the parcel of land began with residents who took an interest in it, Renick said.
Over the past few months, Renick said that the Great Neck Park District Board of Commissioners began its effort to purchase the site.
“(Commissioners) sent in letters that they’re interested in acquiring it,” he said. “The county is open to that and they started to have a couple hearings.”
Renick said that work to complete the sale of the property is not yet completed.
“They’re still working on it,” he said. “It’s not a done deal. As far as I know, the park district would love to be able to maintain it as green space for the community. We’d keep it clean and safe.”
In June of 2010, a micro burst ravaged local greenery across Great Neck.
As part of the fallout from that storm, Renick said the property became infiltrated by “hanging trees and big tree trunks.”
With the collection of trash from residents over the course of years, Renick said the site has become a serious problem in terms of its impact on the local environment.
“It’s a hilly property,” Renick said. “Part of the property is a water de-charge area from (county) storm drains.”
Renick said before the park district stepped in with plans to buy the site, there were tentative plans in place to extend nearby Polo Road through the parcel of land in an effort to cut down on the dangerous curves on Wood Road.
“Wood Road is a curvy road and it’s never been the safest road,” Renick said.
Nassau County officials are currently conducting hearings in an effort to approve the sale, Renick said.
“They have to go through steps on their end and we’d have to go through steps on our end,” the acting superintendent said.
An environmental impact statement will have to be completed on the site, along with a real estate report to determine the official ownership of the property, Renick said.
“The county has to do what they have to do,” he said. “They have to have some public meetings on it and I guess the park district has to look into it.”
Renick said there is currently no time table in place for the completion of the sale.
“It’s in the works, but I don’t think its going to happen over night,” he said. “There’s no agreement yet.”
Regardless of when the deal actually goes through, Renick said the park district’s intentions for the future of the site remains clear.
“The park district is going to keep it as clean space so nobody would be tempted to dump there,” Renick said.
