Home > News
New Hyde Park PAL Clubhouse Unveils New Gym Floor for Campers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 10, 2013
MEDIA CONTACTS: Collin Nash, Ryan Mulholland, & Sam Marksheid | (516) 869-7794

New Hyde Park PAL Clubhouse
Unveils New Gym Floor for Campers
 
New Hyde Park, NY – Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman and Councilwoman Lee Seeman joined today with Police Athletic League (PAL) and other elected officials as well as scores of young summer campers to celebrate the grand reopening of the New Hyde Park PAL clubhouse.

Supervisor Kaiman worked alongside Nassau County Police Officer Kevin Worth, the PAL board of directors as well as state Senator Jack Martins and Nassau County Legislator Richard Nicolello to provide the funding needed to install new drainage and repair the badly buckled concrete gym floor at the Denton Avenue facility PAL has occupied since 1980. The seven-month renovation project also included regrading the adjoining parking lot to allow for better drainage and repaving it.

“I am pleased that this facility, a place where tens of hundreds of children from throughout the Town have enjoyed for decades is once again fully operational and better than before,” Supervisor Kaiman said. “The restoration of this building exemplifies my administration’s commitment to providing outstanding recreational facilities in every corner of North Hempstead.”

Problems with the PAL clubhouse were triggered by heavy October 2005 rainstorms which flooded the space, causing cracks in the eight-inch thick concrete block supporting the gym.

The floor was restored but was damaged a second time by a July 2007 rainstorm which flooded the foundation and badly buckled the floor.

“This is a wonderful thing that PAL does, giving kids from all across the Town the opportunity to participate in a variety of sports,” Councilwoman Seeman said. “It took a long time and a lot of collaboration but finally, this place is poised to return to its former glory and beyond. I’m proud of the efforts of all who helped to make this possible.”

Officer Worth, director of the New Hyde Park PAL, recalled the Friday night after receiving the call that the place was flooded and arrived to see “four foot of muddy water. I knew we had our work cut out,” he said. “There were times during the almost seven years it took to get to this point that I felt like I couldn’t do this anymore but with the support of people like Supervisor Kaiman and Senator Martins and others, we hung in there and got it done. Words cannot express my appreciation.”

Peter Smith, a PAL camp counselor who has been a regular at the facility for almost 20 of his 23 years said he was ecstatic about the reopening.

“It’s great to know that the next generation, including his own children, will have use of the clubhouse and the multitude of programs offered by PAL in the years to come,” he said.




Bruce McDougall, Bess Marie Caras, Peter McLean, Artie Catania, Dave Jackson, Officer Jeiver Espinosa, Sgt. Doug Kenah, Nassau County Legislator Rich Nicolello, Town Councilwoman Lee Seeman, Ralph Wotruba, State Senator Jack Martins, Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman, PAL Director/Officer Kevin Worth, Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Dale, Nassau County Police Deputy Commissioner Thomas Krumpter, Detective Lt. Gary Shapiro, Officer Jethro Cardona, and Pete Smith

View Archives