Norman Levy Park and Preserve
| Norman Levy Park and Preserve | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Public |
| Location | Merrick, New York, United States |
| Operated by | Town of Hempstead |
| Website | hempsteadny |
Norman Levy Park and Preserve is a man-made park on the South Shore of Long Island in Merrick, New York. The park is situated on a hill formerly part of a landfill and has excellent views of the Manhattan skyline and Long Island.
Description
Norman Levy Park and Preserve was once a landfill but was transformed to a park space in 2000.[1] The park is the highest point on Long Island's South Shore, and has an average altitude of around 120 feet. From this highest point, the New York City Skyline, Jones Beach, and the Oceanside landfill can be seen, along with other locations.[2]
The park has many groomed trails which take visitors to the top of the hill. Along the trails, there are many exercise stations for the more active visitors. For a more leisurely visit, one can take a tour around the park with one of the park rangers. This tour includes trip to the pier which extends into the bay, a view of Long Island's horizon, and a clear view of Manhattan Island. Other amenities include fishing, bird spotting, kayaking (June–August), and hiking. Dogs and pets are not allowed in the Park and Preserve.
The park has Nigerian dwarf goats that are walked around the trails multiple times a day by one of the park rangers. The goats keep the overgrowth of the grass, bushes, and weeds at bay. The park also has guinea fowl to control the tick population as an alternative to insecticides.[3]
The park is known as a peaceful mini getaway. It is great for families of all sizes who wish to spend a day walking trails or seeing animals. The preserve is home to a variety of animals such as goats, birds, foxes, etc. Foxes are rare to find, but more sightings have occurred in recent years.
A music school is on course to be built at the park by the end of 2020, in homage to Levy’s time as a music teacher at a school in south-east London.[4]
The park is operated by the Town of Hempstead.[5]
Name
The park is named after Norman J. Levy, who was a New York State Senator and a champion for the environment. He sponsored the first mandatory seat belt law in the United States. There are signs on the Meadowbrook Parkway to honor his role in seat belt legislation.[6]
References
- ^ Linda Saslownov (November 12, 2000). "A Garbage Dump Grows Into a Park For Nature Lovers". The New York Times. p. LI14. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
The former landfill that sat on the Merrick property collected residential garbage from the early 1960s until it closed in 1984. The question that remained was what to do with the vacant land. The state Department of Environmental Conservation was planning a traditional capping, at a projected cost of $60 million, that would have entombed the landfill and made it inaccessible to the public... We realized that because of the steep slope, traditional capping would have endangered the adjacent golf course and the Meadowbrook Parkway, he said. We had to find a better solution.... The project, as designed and engineered by professionals hired by the town, capped the top eight acres of the plateau, planted 50,000 seedlings and left the side slopes in their natural state.
- ^ admin. "Norman J. Levy Park - ToH". toh.li. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
- ^ admin. "Norman J. Levy Park - ToH". toh.li. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
- ^ Schifman, Jonathan (August 30, 2016). "Red Foxes Sighted at LI Park, Official Says". Newsday. Archived from the original on August 31, 2016.
- ^ "Norman J Levy Park - Town of Hempstead". hempsteadny.gov. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
- ^ Waldman, Amy (February 9, 1998). "Senator Norman J. Levy, 67; Represented Nassau in Albany". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
Norman J. Levy, a Republican State Senator from Nassau County who sponsored the nation's first mandatory seat belt law and championed the New York metropolitan region's mass transit system, died on Saturday night at his home in Albany. He was 67 and also lived in Merrick, N.Y.