Brandon Kurz, a commissioner with the Port Washington Water Pollution Control District and executive director of the Port Washington Police Athletic League, has launched a community petition opposing any future transfer of Sunset Park to the Town of North Hempstead, despite officials saying no active sale is currently underway. The move has reignited public debate over transparency, youth sports access, and long-term protections for the park.
Kurz started the petition early in July calling on the Town to halt any plans to assume ownership of the park without protections for current community stakeholders. The petition, listed on change.org, has garnered more than 1,200 signatures and advocates for preserving Sunset Park’s ballfield, basketball courts, and its continued use by local youth sports programs.
“There’s an imminent transfer of Sunset Park to the Town,” Kurz said. “They’re ignoring offers of capital investment in the park, including new turf and upgraded courts. That tells me there are plans that don’t include us.”
While the PWWPCD issued a statement on July 15 saying the transfer “has not been under active consideration for the past six months.” Kurz provided documents that suggest otherwise, including a February email from the district attorney to the Town. He accuses fellow commissioners of working around him to advance the transfer and silencing dissent by temporarily removing him as chair during a recent meeting.
Council Member Mariann Dalimonte wrote during the July 15 PWWPCD meeting it was discussed there was an email sent to the Town of North Hempstead attorney in February by the PWWPCD attorney, but it was never answered because there was no current discussion on the Town taking over Sunset Park.
The district’s press release emphasized the importance of long-term protection for the park, stating that only the Town has the authority to dedicate the land as public parkland in perpetuity. “We need to continue to think about the best way to ensure permanent protection of Sunset Park,” the statement read.
But Kurz worries that the Town’s involvement could disrupt access for current licensees, including the PAL, and other organizations that currently operate on the site under agreements with the district.
Dalimonte said she has consistently advocated that “if the park is transferred to the Town, the current licenses, including local youth and community sports organizations, must be given a right of first refusal.” She has also called for the park to be formally designated as parkland.
Yet during a 2022 meeting with the district, North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena reportedly indicated the Town would accept the land “with no strings attached,” a phrase that has fueled local concerns.
North Hempstead Deputy Director of Communications Kevin Higgins confirmed that the Town has no current or future plans to take over Sunset Park.
In a statement made to Port Washington residents by the PWWPCD, the Town and district have both referenced the 2012 Town Board resolution approving a future transfer of Sunset Park, contingent on infrastructure repairs and parkland designation. However, attempts to finalize the transfer stalled after Superstorm Sandy and have remained intermittent ever since.
At the heart of the current tension is the fate of PAL programs that Kurz says serve over 1,500 children.
“This organization is on the rebound,” he said. “We’ve rebuilt it since September with zero tax dollars. If the Town takes over, our community will have to pay rent and compete with 22 other villages for field time.”
The PWWPCD has since moved to disqualify Kurz from involvement in further Sunset Park negotiations, citing an ethical conflict due to his financial ties to PAL. Kurz strongly denies any personal profit, saying he has invested his own funds and time into restoring the field and maintaining the grounds.
“They say it’s a conflict now, only after I opposed the transfer,” he said. “I’m not trying to rattle cages. I’m trying to preserve what has always been.”
Kurz has also called for the baseball field at Sunset Park to be named after Donald A. Kurz, his father and former Water Pollution Control District commissioner who maintained the park fields for nearly four decades.
“This is about keeping Sunset Park residentially controlled and available to our kids,” Kurz said. “We owe it to the next 100 years of children in Port Washington.”
