The Town of North Hempstead (TONH) received a $75,000 federal grant to repair damage caused more than two years ago by Superstorm Sandy. This National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Our Town award will be used to repair the Port Washington Town Dock and help transform the dock from an underused parking lot into a green park and community space.
“This federal investment will help transform an underused parking lot at the Town of North Hempstead dock into a state-of-the-art space for community gatherings and arts programming,” said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. “This is such a clever and innovative way to rebuild the town’s hard-hit dock and will help bring the community even closer. I am pleased that the National Endowment for the Arts has provided this funding and I look forward to the success of the new Town Dock Park.”
The TONH is partnering with Long Island Traditions, a local folk arts organization, and Landmark on Main Street, a community and performing arts center, to design the new park. According to a TONH spokesperson, “The parking lot, entrance for cars and aesthetics will all be redone, but a parking area will still be included in the new plans. The plan right now is to design in 2016 and start construction in 2017. Those times are tentative and subject to change.”
“We are so pleased that the Town Dock repair and renovation project is one step closer to reality, thanks to the success of Congressman Israel and Supervisor Bosworth in securing the Federal NEA grant. The new park will be an important addition to a Lower Main Street cultural hub that already includes the Landmark on Main Street, Port Washington Public Library and Sousa Bandshell,” said Laura Mogul, executive director of Landmark on Main Street.
“I am thrilled that this grant will help revitalize and showcase the beauty and historical importance that the Town Dock brings to Port Washington. As the North Shore continues to rebuild from Superstorm Sandy, projects like this will help bring our culturally diverse community closer together while turning an underused parking lot into a green park and public space,” said U.S. Representative Steve Israel.
“The Port Washington Town Dock vision is truly unique and one that has the potential to recreate the community’s historic relationship to its waterfront,” said Nancy Solomon, executive director of Long Island Traditions. “Anglers, sailors, nature lovers, residents of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds will all find something in the Our Town project that recognizes Port Washington’s ethnic and maritime heritage. We see this project as a community effort and hope to unite disparate groups into an engaging arts program for Port Washington.”
NEA Our Town grants help build stronger communities and improve the quality of life for resident by connecting artists, designers, arts organizations, and local leaders on local projects. In particular, projects focus on arts engagement or on design and cultural planning, and require partnerships consisting of at least one nonprofit and one local government entity. Our Town projects improve public spaces through economic development, environmental resiliency, at-risk youth and entrepreneurship programs. NEA announced 69 Our Town awards for 2015, totaling almost $5 million to support projects in 35 states.
“This is exciting news for the residents of North Hempstead and would never have happened without the tremendous support from Senator Schumer and Congressman Israel,” said North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth. “Instead of reconstructing Town Dock with just concrete and steel, it will instead be turned into an artful and dynamic destination space that will connect to the area’s maritime heritage, while also serving as an important economic driver for the area.”
