Floral Park residents start petition to ban some from pool

About 800 Floral Park residents have signed an online petition opposing village officials’ offer to extend memberships to families whose town pool is closed for renovations.

Hillcrest Civic Association president Nadia Holubnyczyj-Ortiz, who started the change.org petition, said residents don’t want people who don’t pay Floral Park taxes enjoying their pool.

Residents of the New Hyde Park Special Park District have been unable to use their pool at Clinton G. Martin Park because it will undergo a multimillion-dollar renovation and has been closed since last summer. Town officials struck a deal weeks ago with Floral Park and other neighboring communities to give residents access to other facilities.

“We pay a lot in taxes as Floral Park village residents and deserve to enjoy our town pool with other Floral Park local families without the potential for overcrowding,” wrote petition signer Kerry Cormican.

Mary-Grace Tomecki, another resident, reiterated Cormican’s point. She said 40 more memberships will mean fewer parking spots for village residents at the pool facility and even fewer lounge chairs on the pool deck.

“We are extending a benefit to people beyond our borders who aren’t paying our taxes,” Tomecki said. “And there are very real overcrowding issues at the pool. I have no idea where those people are going to park.”

In 2016, there were 1,126 memberships at Clinton G. Martin Park. Williston Park and the Town of Hempstead have agreed to accommodate some of the families.

Town of Hempstead officials have not heard any pushback from the decision, said town spokesman Mike Deery, and neither have officials in Williston Park, Mayor Paul Ehrbar said.

Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth said the town has opened up memberships in all other town pools to those who swim at Clinton G. Martin Park.

“It’s very gratifying that some communities reached out to us to offer the use of their pool,” Bosworth said. “It’s great when neighbors can help neighbors when the occasion arises.”

Floral Park Mayor Dominick Longobardi said last week in a statement that village officials agreed to add 40 new family memberships this summer to help offset the decrease in the village’s pool membership. So far, eight memberships have come from New Hyde Park.

In 2015, the village pool had 1,108 memberships, according to village data, and 1,061 memberships in 2016. Longobardi said the additional 40 memberships “would not cause an undue burden, as we had already operated under these membership numbers.”

Floral Park’s pool area underwent a $6.7 million renovation in 2015. The 53,960-square-foot facility has three pools, and is normally open from early June to early September.

Holubnyczyj-Ortiz said she plans to show the signatures to village officials at the next board of trustees meeting on June 6 and press the board about why they agreed to accept more members.