Huntington Town Supervisor Ed Smyth, Councilman Dr. Dave Bennardo, and Councilman Sal Ferro were joined by and Town, State, County, and SCPD 2nd Precinct officials, local small business leaders, and members of the community for a ribbon-cutting to open the Manor Field Spray Park and Playground complex, the Town’s second spray park, at Manor Field Park on Friday, June 24.
Supervisor Ed Smyth stated, “Children in every neighborhood across our Town deserve first-class, state-of-the-art recreational facilities and a safe place to play. The Manor Field Spray Park and Playground Complex is the latest in the renovations of Manor Field Park, which has a new turf field and energy-efficient lighting, one of many park and infrastructure improvements underway across our Town and there is more to come.”
Due to global supply shortages, benches for the spray park complex are being delivered during the last week of June, a bicycle rack is being added in July and picnic tables will arrive by the end of the summer. Splashes of Hope will also be painting a mural at the handball courts.
Councilwoman Joan Cergol said, “This addition to Manor Field Park has been in the works for a long time. It brings me great joy to see this spray park come to fruition and to think about the impact it will have on families in Huntington Station and beyond.”
“The opening of this spray park is a real victory for our town as we offer more ways to engage our young people in healthy activity,” said Councilman Dr. Dave Bennardo.
“We are thrilled to open this spray park for the kids of Huntington Station and the surrounding community – kids of all ages because I know Councilman Bennardo and I are going to be out there on the spray pad today enjoying all the Town has to offer at this great facility. We thank the past administration and all of those who worked behind the scenes and in the trenches to get this spray park built,” Councilman Salvatore Ferro.
Local officials joining Supervisor Smyth, Councilman Bennardo, and Councilman Ferro included Receiver of Taxes Jillian Guthman; Senator Mario Mattera; Assemblyman Keith Brown; Legislator Stephanie Bontempi; former Supervisor Chad Lupinacci and former Councilman Mark Cuthbertson, who voted with then-Councilman Smyth and Councilwoman Cergol in 2020 to approve plans for the Manor Field Spray Park.
Also joining the event were former Councilwoman Tracey Edwards; Nick LaLota, Chief of Staff to the Suffolk County Legislature; Suffolk County Police Department 2nd Precinct Captain Joseph Hauswirth with COPE Officers Jaime Wustenhoff and Ilyssa Doughty; Chief Dave Kaufman of the Huntington Community First Aid Squad; Huntington Station Business Improvement District President Frank Cosentino and Vice President Dee Thompson; and members of the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce.
Additional attendees from the community included Willie Perez of the Town’s Hispanic Task Force, Ken Johnson of the Town’s African American Task Force, members of the Huntington Matters community group, and local children, of whom Johnny Nicholas did the honors of pressing the button to launch the spray park water flow after local officials performed a ribbon cutting opening the park.
Councilman Dr. Dave Bennardo and Councilman Sal Ferro joined local children on the spray pad to be drenched when the oversized baseball-shaped dunk bucket doused the spray pad with water; former Councilwoman Tracey Edwards later joined in on the fun with the Councilmen on the spray pad.
The Manor Field Spray Park is 4,950 square feet in area with 2,520 square feet of active play features utilizing all push-button technology for efficient water use. The spray park's sports theme includes basketball, tennis, soccer, football and baseball spray apparatus, including an oversized baseball-themed bucket, which collects water until it tips over, drenching the entire spray pad around it.
Manor Field Spray Park hours are 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM 7 days a week until the park can be properly staffed for extended hours. Children with special needs will be able to use the spray park exclusively during extended hours from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
During the 2022 season, the spray park will be open to Town of Huntington residents only. Residents may enter the spray park for free with photo identification as proof of residency. This summer, non-residents may only enter the spray park if they are accompanied by a resident with photo identification.
After the 2022 season, the spray park will be open to residents with Resident Recreation Photo ID Cards (children under 13 years old will be able to use the spray park if accompanying parent/guardian shows a Resident Recreation Photo ID Card), which may be purchased at Town Hall in the Parks and Recreation Department (Room 103) Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, call (631) 351-3089 for information. Recreation ID Cards may also be purchased at the Dix Hills Ice Rink, call for hours, (631) 462-5883.
In August 2018, the Huntington Town Board approved up to $180,000 in Open Space Park Improvement funds and $100,000 from the Neighborhood Parks Fund for energy-efficient improvements at Manor Field Park, including the installation of new poles and energy efficient LED light fixtures at Field #32, the synthetic turf field.
In February 2020, the Town Board approved $750,000 in funding to build a spray park at Manor Field Park. In September 2020, the Town applied for up to $189,000 in New York State and Municipal Facilities Capital Program grant funding for the Manor Field Spray Park Playground project.
In spring and summer 2021, preparations for the new playground and spray park included the replacement of the synthetic turf field at Manor Field Park; the sanitary system was replaced to handle the additional septic and water usage the spray park would bring. The old playground at Manor Field Park was demolished in late August 2021 and construction on the new playground completed in late spring 2022.