As 2013 begins, repairs to Jones Beach in Wantagh following extensive damage the Long Island landmark suffered from Superstorm Sandy are underway and state officials expect the park to be ready for public use by Memorial Day weekend.
New York State Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey told Newsday that in addition to fixing debris and flood damage from the Oct. 29 storm, repair efforts are also geared toward protecting Jones Beach from future major weather events.
From Newsday:
“To minimize damage from future storms, boilers and electrical junction boxes in basements that were flooded are being relocated to higher floors. A natural gas fueling station will be moved from a parking lot by the West Bathhouse to Field 10 where it is less likely to be flooded. And the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has commissioned a study on the best way to protect the boardwalk..”
A portion of Jones Beach State Park was reopened to the public in mid November including the Field 2 and West End II areas. Jones Beach State Park Director Susan Guliani told Patch in early November that the hardest hit area was on the eastern side of the park, which first opened in 1929. She also said the orchestra section of the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater was flooded almost three quarters of the way up but that the facility should be ready for music acts in time for the 2013 season.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation Historic Preservation announced in mid December that despite repairs needed from Sandy, the annual Bethpage Air Show will take place as scheduled Memorial Day weekend headlined by the United States Air Force Thunderbirds. However, a long-planned restaurant/catering facility at Jones Beach being developed by real estate mogul Donald Trump was scrapped in late December due to the devastation caused by the Oct. 29 superstorm.
