TOBAY Beach of Massapequa will be open for the season on June 22, and will have plenty of new features for days you choose to spend there. One of the biggest additions is the all new renovated spray park that will be fun for the whole family. Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino said that a panel met to look into capital improvements and saw the spray park as something that could be improved.
“Quite frankly, the families in the Town of Oyster Bay love the spray park,” said Saladino. “It’s safe, clean and, most of all, fun.”
New features at the spray park include a green jungle frog that emits a fan-spray of water and buckets that fill up with water and tips over at random times. There’s also rotating water spheres, an interactive water table and stations where kids can spray water at each other. They also put in new surfaces that will provide safety.
“Kids love all of this,” said Saladino. “Every time I go there and hear the sounds of the laughter of children, it fills my heart with joy to know we are doing the right thing by our residents. Taking care of these things now saves us a lot of money rather than waiting until something happens.”
The spray park isn’t the only new feature residents can expect. The town also has a new marina playground that has been installed, so kids can play and parents can keep an eye on them. There is also new SPF 30 suntan lotion dispensers where residents can get free lotion to cover up while in the sun.
“The suntan lotion is about protecting our residents,” said Saladino. “I was in the state assembly for 14 years and so we had all kinds of bills that taught us about suntan lotion and the need to protect against skin cancer.”
There’s also new concessionaires and restaurants at the beach that are upgrading concessions at the beach, which is being paid for by the businesses themselves. The town publicly vetted potential concessionaires and restaurants earlier this year to see what their vision was for the beach. Island Time Hospitality Group, LLC, will run the two restauants on the bay side of the town beach and J&B Restaurant Partners Top Flight Foods of Holbrook, LLC, will operate the beach and marina concession stands. The concessions at TOBAY were awarded to a company affiliated with Carlyle Catering in 2017 for 10 years, but that company defaulted and the agreement was terminated.
“There will be great choices,” said Saladino. “There will be a better expansion for meals, snacks and refreshments with affordable choices for families. We took what was a problem in the town under the previous administration and now, we are making it the shining star of the town. It really feels like you are at a luxury hotel in the Caribbean when you step foot into our restaurants.”
Saladino’s effort to upgrade the beach started last year and has emphasized that he wanted to make TOBAY family-friendly. With all the new features at the beach, he believes residents will have a great time.
“Marine recreation has always been a part of our history,” said Saladino. “We know what are residents want. Growing up in this town, there was nothing like going over to the beach for a day. It built some of the best memories I’ve made in my life. We want to make sure the residents have something that is up-to-date, safe and fun.”
TOBAY Beach also remains the host of a variety of events, such as the Waterfront Festival and its fall and spring car show. For more information, contact the beach division of the Town of Oyster Bay Parks Department at 516-797-4111.
