Bethpage park to reopen after pollution probe

Parts of a Bethpage park that have been closed due to concerns of possible contamination will reopen Monday. The playground, pool and tennis courts at Bethpage Community Park have been shuttered since

News 12 Staff

May 21, 2016, 6:41 AM

Updated 3,058 days ago

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Parts of a Bethpage park that have been closed due to concerns of possible contamination will reopen Monday.
The playground, pool and tennis courts at Bethpage Community Park have been shuttered since a tipster informed the state's Department of Environmental Conservation that large drums were found and then reburied at the site during a cleanup project more than a decade ago.
But now Oyster Bay's Parks Commissioner Frank Nocerino says an investigation didn't turn up any evidence of the drums.
"The town, the Board of Health, and the DEC determined that it has been unfounded at this time," Nocerino says.
The park was donated to Oyster Bay town by Grumman in the early 1960s. It was used by its former owner as a legal cleanup site.
Many park visitors say the findings are a relief, but some skeptics held out.
"I think more studies, more tests should be done," says Henry Tang, of Dix Hills. "There's a lot of young families and kids over here."