Huntington is looking for volunteers who want to serve as park stewards to help protect and ensure the quality of the town’s parks.
At a press conference Monday to discuss recent vandalism at Heckscher Park and elsewhere, Supervisor Ed Smyth made a pitch Monday for more residents to join the program to “assure the protection, preservation and safe use of the designated parklands.”
The steward program was established to support more than 152 parks and trails in town. There are 54 active park stewards who serve as volunteers and act as the eyes and ears of town departments that are responsible for parks and trail maintenance and repair.
Stewards report fallen trees and limbs, damaged equipment, litter and dumping, and acts of vandalism to the appropriate town authorities to deal with the reported problem.
Applications are screened by the Planning Department and the Conservation Board. For more information, email [email protected]
Applications can be found on the town website at huntingtonny.gov/conservation-board
https://huntingtonnow.com/town-reappoints-park-stewards/
The responsibility for enforcing laws and codes sits squarely on the Town of Huntington. The TOWN took on stewardship of this jewel of a Park and are presently failing miserably to provide adequate security and enforcement, ignoring scores of complaints by residents and park goers impacted by a myriad of problems from vandalism to wildlife abuse. This request for park stewards comes on the heals of a series of significant vandalism of the Park restrooms…none of which have increased patrols by law enforcement. This is a very misguided response, asking Lay people to expose themselves to potentially dangerous conditions and possible harm by perpetrators. TAX PAYERS WANT MORE SECURITY–dedicated Park Security–more enforcement presence and more SCPD presence