LI's state parks to reopen by Memorial Day

All state parks on Long Island will be open by Memorial Day weekend, but visitors will see continued construction and debris cleanup with some facilities still closed after damage by superstorm Sandy.

The Island's state beaches and inland parks sustained almost $100 million in damage from the Oct. 29 storm, according to the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

"It's amazing how far we have come in such a very short time given the level of devastation," Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey said.

Within days of the storm, park employees, other state agencies and contractors -- 17 just for work at Jones Beach and Robert Moses -- were repairing damaged facilities and preparing to replace sand carried away by the storm surge.

"Sandy pretty much touched every park on Long Island and destroyed most of our coastal parks," Harvey said. "There was a huge amount of tree loss throughout all of our parks."

Robin Dropkin, executive director of Parks & Trails New York, an advocacy group, said, "The state's pledge to reopen the parks by Memorial Day is a real testament to how loved they are and to the recognition of the important role they play as recreational, historic, cultural and natural landmarks."

SEE PHOTOSParks and preserves across LI

Amount of access to vary

At Caleb Smith State Park Preserve in Smithtown, replacement of four damaged wooden trail bridges will continue into the summer, as will repairs to the Plank Road at Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve in Lloyd Harbor, according to the parks department. Nearly 300 trees along the Caumsett roads and trails were damaged or destroyed. More than 60 broken limbs remain dangling in the trees and must be removed before trails can open.

SEE PHOTOSUnspoiled Long Island places to explore

Visitors to several state parks sites, including Belmont Lake, Captree, Connetquot River preserve and Valley Stream, will find continued tree and debris removal as well as fence or building repair work.

Work at Jones Beach

The agency's biggest repair site is Jones Beach, the flagship of Long Island parks.

"The bad news is that the flooding enveloped every part of the park. It severely damaged our infrastructure, our boardwalks, buildings," Harvey said. "But we plan to replace or restore or repair all of them. We'll open on Memorial Day and have a fabulous air show."

The surf-battered mile of boardwalk near the Central Mall will be repaired by Memorial Day weekend, but the railings may not be installed by then, officials said. Temporary barriers may be used. Repairs to Field 10 fishing piers and the boat basin will continue into summer. And some new storm-resistant lifeguard buildings and umbrella stands will be under construction.

SEE PHOTOSAerial views of Sandy damage

Dredging is under way in Fire Island Inlet and the State Boat Channel north of Robert Moses to supply sand for replenishing eroded beaches at Fields 4 and 5. The agency hopes to have 500,000 to 600,000 cubic yards of sand moved onto the beaches by the holiday weekend, officials said.

The parks agency expects most of the repair and rebuilding funding to come from the federal government, primarily from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Some matching money from the state will be required, but the state budget includes that funding, Harvey said, adding she hopes there will be no impact on her agency's budget.

Preparing for next storm

In addition to repairing existing facilities, short-term protections are being added to some parks -- including raising utilities and plumbing -- to buffer facilities from wave damage in the future, Harvey said.

SEE PHOTOSLI's Sandy deaths: A look at the victims

For the longer term, the agency has started "resiliency studies" for all of the 30 state shoreline and coastal parks. The work will continue over the next year.

"We'll look at how we can redesign, realign, resituate, and replace various aspects of our parks to mitigate future flooding," Harvey said.

Among the studies is determining whether 820 feet of the most damaged boardwalk at Robert Moses Field 5 should be replaced. The agency decided to remove those two sections while rebuilding the other two-thirds of the walkway by Memorial Day weekend.

"Severe weather events are becoming the new norm," Dropkin said. "While making sure the parks are open and able to be enjoyed by the public is important, it's equally important to ensure that we rebuild smarter and protect these treasured places and their surrounding communities from the impacts of sea level rise and future storms."

WHERE PARKS STAND:

SEE PHOTOSSandy's impact on Long Island

Status of state parks on Long Island for the Memorial Day weekend. For full details about damage to the parks, and their status for the holiday weekend and into the summer, go to the interactive map at newsday.com:

SEE PHOTOSSandy's destruction