Did you notice what's different about in West Hempstead today?
The fencing around the north side of the park has been removed, giving residents full access to the entire park. However, two construction vehicles still remain on the site and the work is not completely done there.
"The area that was fenced off is still under construction, and therefore has not been seeded but is monitored closely and completely safe for visitors to the park," Mike Martino, Jr., spokesman for Nassau County's Department of Public Works, told Patch Monday.
"The DPW anticipates completion of the storm water piece of the project by the end of this month," he added.
The county is in the process of installing a storm water treatment baffle box upstream from the main body of the pond that will reduce the amount of floating trash and debris that enters it from the watershed.
Up until , Halls Pond Park had been completely closed off to the community for roughly a year, as Nassau County, which owns and operates the park, worked on upgrades. Although the work on the north side of the park had not been completed, the county decided that since the rest of the project was done, it would remove the fences around the main section of the park.
This allowed residents to enjoy the pond once again and the upgrades to the park that were finished, which included the installation of new benches, a gazebo, lighting, a water fountain, pedestrian bridge, trash receptables and a natural trail and some repaved pathways.
It also enabled the community to come together on Sept. 11, 2011, , to pay tribute to the residents who died that day at the memorial garden located inside the park.
Earlier this year, Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano also granted approval to the community to that had been recovered from the World Trade Center inside the park -- this will be done at a later date.
