en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:11:19 GMT 15 By Nadia Ayad
    When you hear the word summer, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Odds are the word beach is in your thoughts. Summer is known for a time to relax and go the beach. This vacation though, it is going to be hard to have the full summer experience with some local beaches and parks shutting down.     Beach closings are going to affect everyone on Long Island. A very popular beach that’s closing is a part of Robert Moses State Park. This summer there will be no Field 2 or golf course at this popular beach. Jones Beach will also be closing many of their bathhouses. These bathhouses were used by over 20,000 people last summer according to Eileen Larrabee, a spokesman for the New York State Office of Parks. Jones Beach will also be closing their Field One and West End Two beaches.     Many parks around the state are undergoing a lot of changes this summer as well. There will be reduced hours at parks such as Caleb Smith State Park, Bayard Cutting, and Close East River State Park. Not only will some of these parks be closing, but a lot of them are offering reduced services. This means that maintenance, grounds keeping, and landscaping will be decreased. Dan Keefe is a speaker for the Parks Office in Albany. He says, "The changes won’t affect permanent parks staff, but will cut the hours of seasonal employees. They’ll also reduce the expense of providing lights, toilet paper, and anything else needed."     These beaches and parks aren’t being closed for any reason exept for the fact that the economy is plummeting. There aren’t as many funds now as in the past. The budget is tighter then ever and our beaches and parks are suffering. Lifeguards, gardeners, and cleaners are losing jobs. There is also a freeze and no more lifeguards will be hired this summer. Many lifeguards that are lucky enough to not be losing their job are being put on a voluntary leave. Beaches and parks can’t afford to pay for these workers’ salaries, so instead they are just closing these beaches and parks for the summer.     The cut in park hours and jobs is expected to save $5 million dollars during the year that it started on April 1 st , as stated by Dan Keefe. Many think this "budget crash" is ridiculous. State Senator Charles J. Fushillio Jr., Who is a Republican from Merrick agrees when he says, "Families who are trying to save money in this economy by not going away on vacation will be relying even more on Jones Beach and other local parks for recreation." he said. "It’s a shame that Long Islanders must suffer these service cuts while being asked to pay more for taxes and fee increases."     With all these beaches and parks closing many people have questions. Who knows what park or beach will be closed next? And will people even want to go to beaches or parks anyway if there will be less safety and more mess? Science teacher Miss Wagner is a lifeguard at Jones Beach during the summer. She has worked as a lifeguard there for many years. She says "Beach closings cause beaches to become overcrowded, which will lead to a higher risk of a need of rescues and less lifeguards there to help." ]]> Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:10:22 GMT