Playgrounds in Montauk State Parks Get an Upgrade
New York State parks officials have made having fun a little more interesting for children and adults at the two state parks in Montauk — one at Hither Hills and the other at the Montauk Point State Park, in the area surrounding the Montauk Point Lighthouse.
At Hither Hills the playground project is already complete and open for play. The colorful site was enlarged and more equipment was added to make it Americans With Disabilities Act-accessible, said Georgiana Marshen of the Long Island division of the State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.
The bigger playground at the campground was the first thing C.J. Olejnik noticed when his family from Baldwin arrived to camp at Hither Hills for the holiday weekend, his mother, Tina Olejnik, said. “That’s all he wants to do now, is stay on the playground.” She said her family has summered at the campground for 26 years.
The Lighthouse playground, which will not be complete until the Fourth of July weekend, has been substantially landscaped and enlarged. It now has monkey bars and various types of slides and bounce equipment. Both playgrounds have picnic areas with tables and umbrellas. Close by there are picnic areas outside the playgrounds as well as restrooms. The restroom at the Lighthouse has been newly renovated.
For those arriving before 8 a.m. or after 4 p.m., parking is free at Hither Hills, but between those peak hours the cost is $10. Parking at the Lighthouse lot costs $8.
On April 21, Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. issued a release stating that Hither Hills State Park would receive $1 million from the New York Parks 2020 Plan, a multiyear commitment to leverage a broad range of private and public funding to invest approximately $100 million in state parks to promote healthy and active outdoor recreation and to ensure that all people have an opportunity to use the parks.
Money from the plan also will be used to replace old and worn-out equipment at public facilities and infrastructure that have been neglected for too long, Mr. Thiele wrote. This year’s funding, at $71.7 million, will help pay for 88 major construction projects at 66 state parks and historic sites.