Vows to catch whoever graffitied new Brentwood skate park
George Leininger of Babylon, 32, prepares to perform a trick Monday at Roberto Clemente Skate Park in Brentwood with graffiti in the background that Suffolk County Police said was scrawled last week.
Credit: Barry Sloan
Two months ago, officials unveiled a new skateboard park as part of a multimillion-dollar renovation and cleanup aimed at turning the long-troubled Roberto Clemente Park into a “jewel” for Brentwood and other communities.
So they were angered and crestfallen when vandals last week marred the new skateboard park with graffiti, potentially leading to what many said would be unfounded safety concerns.
At a news conference Monday at the park, community leaders and officials from the Suffolk County Police Department urged anyone who may know who scrawled the graffiti to come forward while insisting it's not a sign that Roberto Clemente Park is unsafe.
“The park here in Brentwood is for everybody to enjoy,” said Maryann Pfeiffer, executive director of the nonprofit Youth Enrichment Services, adding that the skate park attracts young people from Sayville, West Islip and other communities.
“I don’t want that stereotype of Brentwood. I want people to still feel safe.”
The vandalism took place from Thursday night into Friday, Suffolk County Police said. They believe there are witnesses, in part because some of the graffiti happened during daylight hours.
Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter, speaking at the news conference, said authorities will track down and prosecute the perpetrators.
“I’m appalled. This is graffiti. This is vandalism," Carpenter said. "It’s an ugly act, and make no mistake, it is a criminal act."
When asked if the graffiti was gang-related, Carpenter said: "At this point we cannot say one way or another."
Other officials said there were indications it was not gang-related.
Carpenter called the park a “jewel” that has undergone more than $11 million worth of renovations.
The renovations started a decade ago with a cleanup of nearly 40,000 tons of contaminated fill illegally dumped at the park in 2013 and 2014. The park was closed for three years during the cleanup.
When it reopened, officials installed a revamped pool, a new water spray park and — most recently — the skate park.
The graffiti was devastating for officials and community members who worked hard for years to transform the park, said Anthony Prudenti, the Town of Islip’s public safety commissioner.
“It was a gut punch when I got that call that said there was graffiti in the park,” he said. “It’s a beautiful park. This is the community’s park. There is a lot of community pride in this area.”
Two months ago, officials unveiled a new skateboard park as part of a multimillion-dollar renovation and cleanup aimed at turning the long-troubled Roberto Clemente Park into a “jewel” for Brentwood and other communities.
So they were angered and crestfallen when vandals last week marred the new skateboard park with graffiti, potentially leading to what many said would be unfounded safety concerns.
At a news conference Monday at the park, community leaders and officials from the Suffolk County Police Department urged anyone who may know who scrawled the graffiti to come forward while insisting it's not a sign that Roberto Clemente Park is unsafe.
“The park here in Brentwood is for everybody to enjoy,” said Maryann Pfeiffer, executive director of the nonprofit Youth Enrichment Services, adding that the skate park attracts young people from Sayville, West Islip and other communities.
“I don’t want that stereotype of Brentwood. I want people to still feel safe.”
The vandalism took place from Thursday night into Friday, Suffolk County Police said. They believe there are witnesses, in part because some of the graffiti happened during daylight hours.
Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter, speaking at the news conference, said authorities will track down and prosecute the perpetrators.
“I’m appalled. This is graffiti. This is vandalism," Carpenter said. "It’s an ugly act, and make no mistake, it is a criminal act."
When asked if the graffiti was gang-related, Carpenter said: "At this point we cannot say one way or another."
Other officials said there were indications it was not gang-related.
Carpenter called the park a “jewel” that has undergone more than $11 million worth of renovations.
The renovations started a decade ago with a cleanup of nearly 40,000 tons of contaminated fill illegally dumped at the park in 2013 and 2014. The park was closed for three years during the cleanup.
When it reopened, officials installed a revamped pool, a new water spray park and — most recently — the skate park.
The graffiti was devastating for officials and community members who worked hard for years to transform the park, said Anthony Prudenti, the Town of Islip’s public safety commissioner.
“It was a gut punch when I got that call that said there was graffiti in the park,” he said. “It’s a beautiful park. This is the community’s park. There is a lot of community pride in this area.”
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