Bayswater State Park Closing To Save 5,OOO Dollars

QUEENS

"The (closing) has also infuriated elected officials and advocates who note that the savings from the closure would be a measly $5,500 a year."  - New York Daily News

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is slated to close Bayswater State Park in Far Rockaway, Queens on April 1. The move would save just $ 5,500 dollars annually towards the State's $ 9 billion budget gap. The 12 acre park is located at the western end of Mott Avenue. The Park is opened by a neighbor adjacent to the park. A Parks spokesperson told the Associated Press that their office is reviewing the possibility that some of the closed parks be proposed may remain open to visitors without being maintained. It is not yet clear if Bayswater could be one of those.  It could be the first time in state history a park was completely shuttered. 

Most of the land was once part of an estate built by early 20th century Wall Street financier Louis A. Heinsheimer. The land was home to the Maimonides Home for Children. That estate burned down in 1986 and the private land was transferred to the Trust For Public Land in return for the right to develop another tract further south near Bayswater Park. The property was managed by the Audubon Society for many years. (Photo: Barcelo for the Daily News)

The official start of fishing season was still weeks away, but Ed Johnson was hunkered down in his folding chair with a line plunked off the coast of Bayswater State Park in Far Rockawy, according to the New York Daily News. 

His beloved park has the best fishing New York City has to offer, said Johnson, who has hooked striped bass, blue fish, porgies and the occasional blackfish there.

"I've spent many an hour, many a day here," said Johnson, 56, of Cambria Heights.

He had come on a recent weekday to throw in a line a few more times, he said, because the days of being allowed to fish there could be numbered.

As part of a drastic bid to plug a $9 billion budget deficit, the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has chosen Bayswater as one of two state parks slated for closure.

If the budget, due April 1, is approved, this would be the first time in history a state park has been shuttered other than for seasonal closures, said agency spokesman Dan Keefe.

The closure would leave many city reel-casters without a fishing hole. It has also infuriated elected officials and advocates who note that the savings from the closure would be a measly $5,500 a year.

"In times like these we need our parks more than ever," said Geoffrey Croft, president of NYC Park Advocates.

The recession has forced many people to scale back on vacations, and families are instead relying on nearby public spaces for escape.

Jonathan Gaska, district manager of Community Board 14, called the closure "almost punitive."

Bayswater Point State Park comprises 12 acres at the tip of a peninsula in the Rockaways that juts out into the Mott Basin on the eastern shore of Jamaica Bay. The terrain is varied and includes beachfront, wetlands and woodlands. This diversity helps make it an ideal habitat for migrating and nesting birds. The goal of this park is to preserve the existing natural systems, and if feasible, restore what has been lost. Passive recreation, such as hiking and nature study, are encouraged. - Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

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New York State Office of Parks to close Bayswater State Park to save $5,500 on $9 billion deficit 

New York Daily News - March 28, 2010 - By Darren Tobia