Whitney Pond Park — Attraction in Town of North Hempstead

Growing up this use to be my favorite park, sad. Recently, I returned. Took a stroll around the entire park, even conversed with a park employee, he could relate, he remembered what the park once was. Here's what I observed; An excessive amount of Geese poop everwhere, it was on the walk ways, picnic tables and benches. Tree branches that have fallen to the ground, laying on walk ways, never removed. Run down play grounds with grass growing up between the cracks.What happened to the swings, the sand pit? This park is run down. I stop in the office, I'm in shock. The inside, well, I'm actually at a loss of words for what I saw. I can only say, the bathrooms are here. So, the public shouldn't and wouldn't want to see what the inside of this building looks like, not pretty. The ladies room, had two stalls, no bathroom tissue in either. In addition, I had to walk out for two reasons, It was filfthy and, after walking in the office, and seeing what I saw, I felt really uncomfortable. The men even stopped talking. I greeted everyone and kept walking. I had hoped to exit from the ladies room. But, the exit door that leads to the outside, had a chain and lock, no one was getting in or out. The pond area has more than it's share of weeds that have taken over. The pond adjacent to the tennis courts , has what looks like suds in the water, not sure what that is. But, I recognize and spot garbage in the water and the surrounding area. Further down the pond you see more garbage. There use to be a snack area with great view of the pond. There use to be a nice bridge to walk across and you would see the fish, the frogs, the turtles. Growing up, kids actually swam in the water. Of course, one could never imagine that happening now. The parking lot is filled with equipment, steel bin and park trucks, this actually takes up parking spaces that can be utilized by the public. A park employee is working hard, waxing his car. I thought that was a great idea, maybe I should bring my car down to the park's parking lot and wash and wax my car. I've seen enough. I'm ready to go. I did observe a newer jumbo gym near the basketball courts. The basketball courts seem to be used frequently by those outside and inside the community,. I pass the park on my way home. So, I'm able to observe that it's used by small and large groups, some I recognize from the community. The pool area is rarely crowded, even on an excessive hot or beautiful day. You observe a handful of people. The community is filled with an abundance of children, where are they? While in the community visiting a relative, and seeing old friends, I ran into parents with children. I inquired, about the pool and the children. The reply was consistent, housing in Nassau County is high. After bills are paid, food bought, there's no room to pay for all the kids to swim. Most parents had more than one or two children. I drove by the park one day, guess what I saw as I sat in traffic, a few of the young kids from the community, leaning against the old pool fence entrance, that stays locked. I looked to see what they were looking at. They were watching the handful of people playing in the pool. I told this to the right people who could help. They did something. But, theres no real visible evidence, because more money, effort, an influencer, time, people, laws, love and caring is required to beautify a park that's broken...

The pool is the best value of an public pool for Nassau residents. It costs $100 for a family for the summer as long as you area Nassau resident. The pool has been recently renovated and their main pool has a depth ranging from 2 feet 7 inches to 3 feet 6 inches. This is the perfect height for my 8 year old, 5 year old and 2 year old have fun in the water safely. Plenty of lifeguards on duty as well. Water temperatures in the main pool and kiddie pool are perfect, much warmer than icy Christopher Morley Park. There are a lot of camps that use the pool, but there is always plenty of room for my family to swim and play. Only downside is that the pool season opens June 16 and ends August 16. The park also has nice tennis courts and basketball courts along with a modern playground for small children. There are plenty of places to picnic and barbecue as well. This is a park that is definitely underutilized- I hope people read this and start using this wonderful...

Better to go early. VIP means you are allowed to park close to the entrance as as a oppose to parking close to Macy's and taking a shuttle bus. They give you a goodie bag with 3 items: socks,figure that lights up and a small toy panda, worth about $30. It takes about 30-45 mins to stroll and take pictures. Very cute, ideal for families with small children. The gift shop is small with limited items. Only 2 vendors for food: twisted potatoes (delicious) and Spanish appetizers. Prices for the park is overpriced for kiddie...