The North Hempstead Town Council last Tuesday appointed a new parks and recreation commissioner and sustainability officer.
Oceanside resident Jill Weber-Greenfield, most recently the administrator of Rockaway Beach, will head the town parks department, while former Oyster Bay Town Council candidate Erin Reilley will analyze the long-term stability of the town’s natural resources.
Weber-Greenfield will make $125,000 and start on Jan. 1, said town spokeswoman Carole Trottere. Reilly, of Farmingdale, starts on Dec. 1 at a $75,000 salary.
Weber-Greenfield, who holds degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo and Rutgers University, will oversee the operations of more than 1,000 acres of North Hempstead park land.
She most recently organized special events along the Rockaway peninsula and Broad Channel, and assisted in the area’s recovery efforts from Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy.
Weber-Greenfield replaces interim Commissioner Jerry Olsen, who was appointed in September following the resignation of former Commissioner Jennifer Fava.
“Jill’s experience in parks management and recreational programming, as well as environmental preservation, tree care and horticulture make her the ideal fit to continue our administration’s goal of providing stellar parks programming while maintaining and beautifying our open spaces,” North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth said in a statement.
Reilley, who ran unsuccessfully for the Oyster Bay Town Council in 2009, has spent the last four years as the grants administrator for the Glen Cove Community Development Agency.
As sustainability officer, she will implement programs to preserve the town’s environment and natural resources and work alongside North Hempstead grants coordinator Tom Devaney to identify opportunities to obtain environmental grants from the county, state and federal governments, officials said.
Reilley also spent three years as part of the Nassau County Executive’s Office of Environmental Coordination and the county’s Department of Public Works. She assisted on the $100 million Nassau County Environmental Bond Act of 2006 under the former Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi administration.
“Preserving our environment and developing new and innovative ideas in order to do so are among my administration’s key priorities,” Bosworth said. “Erin has the experience, skill set and passion to lead our mission of making North Hempstead a green community for generations to come.”
Reilley begins Dec. 1. She replaces Fran Reid.
