Clarkstown parks are for residents only, officials say

CLARKSTOWN – Residents only. That's the message town officials want to spread as the weather improves and local parks begin to get more crowded.

It's not necessarily a new thing in town — it's just that the timeframe has changed. Clarkstown Supervisor Alex Gromack said the town has always had a local law on the books limiting the use of town parks to residents and their guests. In the past, parking attendants regularly checked parkgoers' IDs when swimming pools are open, from mid-June to Labor Day weekend.

This year, park officers started enforcing the law two months earlier than usual to remind people of the existing law, Gromack said.

"We're just going to be a little more proactive and start the process a little bit earlier because these parks were made by the people of Clarkstown," Gromack said. "We just want to make sure that with the nice weather upon us, people know that our parks are for our residents only."

Clarkstown isn't alone in its way of thinking. Gerry O'Rourke, president of the Congers Civic Association, welcomed Clarkstown's decision to step up code enforcement. He said Congers Lake Memorial Park — which includes a swimming pool, picnic area, tennis courts, basketball courts and a lakeside walkway — has a limited number of parking spaces that become unavailable to residents when the park gets crowded.

"Definitely, I'm in favor of it," O'Rourke said. "The town has built these parks, and residents have been taxed and paid for it. ... And it should be restricted to our residents."

While parking is free at Clarkstown parks, the village of Mamaroneck manages parking at its 44-acre Harbor Island Park by selling seasonal parking permits. Residents pay $40, non-residents pay $80, for a permit effective from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend.

Village Manager Richard Slingerland said the rates are different for residents and non-residents because residents support the park's upkeep through taxes.

"Because non-residents who don't live here don't have the contribution through the tax base, they should pay a higher fee," Slingerland said.

The town of Haverstraw also charges a higher park-access permit fee for non-residents at Bowline Point Park during the swimming season. But until the pools open in June, anyone can enjoy the park for free.

Town Supervisor Howard Phillips said although Haverstraw has a town code similar to Clarkstown's, the town can't limit the park's use to its residents because of a federal requirement.

"In 1975, then-supervisor and the Town Board accepted federal funds (for the park). ... It then required us to open up the park to the general public in perpetuity," Phillips said. "When the pools are not open, we have security guards, but we don't have anybody checking IDs."

Gromack said the federal requirement doesn't affect the areas where Clarkstown is enforcing the code.

"We don't believe federal funds affected the area where we're checking IDs," Gromack said. "We certainly made investments to our park through local bonds and local taxes."

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