The Port Washington Police Athletic League is suing the Port Washington Water Pollution Control District, claiming the district acted improperly in attempting to block the league’s decades-long use of Sunset Park recreational facilities.
The lawsuit, filed Monday, Dec. 29, in Nassau Supreme Court, alleges the district abused its discretion and is seeking to restore PAL’s access to the baseball field, basketball court and associated buildings at the park.
The dispute stems from a new license agreement proposed by the sewer district, which owns the facilities PAL has used for more than 70 years.
The district set a Dec. 8 deadline for PAL to sign the agreement and warned that failure to comply would result in the league losing access to Sunset Park.
According to court documents filed by PAL’s attorney, Matthew Feinman, the agreement contained “shifting, standardless ‘compliance’ demands that were irrational and not within [PAL’s] unilateral ability to satisfy.”
Efforts to reach Steven Leventhal, the sewer district’s Roslyn-based attorney, were unavailing.
The Sept. 9 resolution outlining the agreement required the league to expand its board from three members to five within six months, submit quarterly reports detailing participants, revenues and expenses, and agree to refrain from publicly criticizing sewer district officials.
Feinman characterized these requirements as “leverage-driven demands” and said the district tried to condition continued use of the facilities on accepting new terms “without producing any record-based rationale,” according to the lawsuit.
“Disruption to [PAL’s] access will immediately derail scheduled youth seasons, registrations, staffing and logistics in a way that cannot be repaired after the fact,” the lawsuit states. “Respondents have not proceeded through a transparent, rule-bound process. Instead, Respondents have advanced shifting and standardless compliance demands.”
Stuart Lieblein, president of PAL, described the district’s actions as retaliatory against former Executive Director Brandon Kurz, who stepped down in July but remains involved as a volunteer. Lieblein said the league viewed the revised agreement as “aggressive” and designed to prevent PAL from signing a fair deal.
“They only supplied this to us, not to other youth sports organizations,” Lieblein said. “We lost our license agreement after 75 years. The kids have suffered because of it. This was retaliatory, in my opinion, because of infighting at the sewer district involving Brandon Kurz.”
Lieblein said the league had attempted to negotiate the terms but faced delays and obstacles that prevented signing before the Dec. 8 deadline. He emphasized that the league’s focus is on ensuring continued access for the children who participate in its programs.
“We’re hoping the district comes to its senses and works in good faith to restore our use of the park,” he said.
Tensions between the league and the district date back to last year, when public disputes erupted among sewer district commissioners. Kurz, then a district commissioner and PAL executive director, was accused by fellow Commissioners Arduino Marinelli and Melanie Cassens of harboring a conflict of interest. Kurz has said the accusations were intended to distract from the district’s alleged plans to transfer Sunset Park to the Town of North Hempstead.
District officials have rejected claims of retaliation. Arduino Marinelli, chairman of the sewer district board, said PAL’s license agreement expired because the league did not comply with certain resolutions and obligations.
“It has nothing really to do with Brandon Kurz,” Marinelli said. “It’s about ensuring the field is managed by reputable individuals and organizations who operate ethically and without discrimination.”
Marinelli added that the district remains committed to maintaining Sunset Park as a youth sports facility. “We want that ball field to stay there,” he said. “We share the community’s commitment to youth athletics, and we want to see it run properly.”
He also noted that the district is reviewing the situation with its attorneys to determine the next steps. “We’re moving forward to forge a plan that ensures the park continues to serve the children of Port Washington while being operated responsibly,” Marinelli said.
Cassens echoed Marinelli’s statements, saying the district was surprised by the lawsuit but stood by its actions.
“We felt we gave them ample notice to sign a new license agreement with us,” Cassens said. “We always had an open line of communication with the president of PAL, so we were a little surprised they filed this.”
Cassens emphasized the district’s focus on maintaining programming for local children.
“We’re committed to getting another youth organization into Sunset Park,” she said. “We’re actively working to find a group who will sign what we feel is a very reasonable license agreement and has a clear anti-discrimination policy. That was one of the biggest things we asked for, which was never provided by PAL.”
She also addressed allegations that the district’s actions were retaliatory. “It’s not retaliation. We offered a new license agreement,” Cassens said. “They literally didn’t sign it. It’s very black and white.”
Lieblein said PAL hopes the legal action will encourage the district to negotiate a fair agreement and restore the league’s access.
“We want to see a resolution that treats all organizations equitably and allows the kids to play,” he said.
The lawsuit marks the latest chapter in a long-standing and increasingly contentious relationship between the two organizations.
