Lemon Creek Park

The Daily Plant : Friday, August 16, 2002

LEMON CREEK PARK’S GOT A "PIER LEADER"

Take a long walk off a short pier. How many times have you been told to do that before?! Okay, not many times. Sorry. Well, the next time you’re strolling with a friend through Staten Island’s beautiful Lemon Creek Park, you can invite your buddy to take a "long walk on a beautiful, breeze-filled pier." Thanks to $1.35 million in improvements funded by former Borough President Guy V. Molinari, Parks has transformed what was once a dusty road into a fishing pier complete with an beautifully landscaped entranceway, parking area, and cul-de-sac. But just as important as the funding itself is the late Dorothy Fitzpatrick, a woman who fought for the pier’s construction—and after whom this project has been dedicated.

At the end of last month, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe joined the family of Mrs. Fitzpatrick as well as community members and elected officials, including Congressman Vito Fossella, State Senator John Marchi, City Council Member Andrew Lanza, and others to pay tribute to the great civic leader. A devoted public servant for over twenty years, Mrs. Fitzpatrick served as District Manager of Community Board 3 from 1985 to 1995. During that time, she successfully lobbied for many community improvements, including the renovation of the pier and surrounding 2-acre area. She died in 1998, at the age of 65.

Speaking at the event, Commissioner Benepe remarked how picturesque the pier’s setting was. Likening it to Cape Cod, Benepe noted, "I’m sure that Dorothy would have been proud of the work we’ve done," and he stressed the importance of protecting Staten Island’s natural beauty. After hearing supporting words from several elected officials and community members, Debra Curran—daughter of Dorothy Fitzpatrick—offered her own recollections of her mother. She recalled the pleasure she shared together with her mother and daughters at the Staten Island shore where the pier now stands. She also remarked how much the pier project meant to her mother—and how much her mother’s achievements have impacted her own life.

Balancing the solemnity of the occasion, one ceremony highlight took place at the start, when Commissioner Benepe invited Dorothy Fitzpatrick’s grandchildren to step up to the podium and lead the Pledge of Allegiance. The children delivered a near-perfect recital and received a standing ovation. After congratulating the kids on their performance, State Senator Marchi made a pun on the Pledge of Allegiance’s line "…for which it stands" and joked, "I think that Richard Stands is the most recited name in America."

As the breezes passed through the parks newly planted greenery—including 30 trees, 400 shrubs, and 200 native grasses—all the guests unveiled a plaque remembering Dorothy Fitzpatrick and the pier she helped get built for her fellow Staten Islanders to enjoy.

(Friday, August 25, 1989)

Parks is pitching mass transit as an all-star way for New Yorkers to slide into Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens to watch the Mets at Shea Stadium and the upcoming U.S. Tennis Open Championships at the U.S.T.A. National Tennis Center. The U.S. Open begins on Monday, August 28 and will be played through Sunday, September 10.

"With the Mets in the thick of a pennant race and the U.S. Open attracting thousands of tennis fans, getting to Flushing Meadows Corona Park could become a problem," said Commissioner Stern. "It doesn’t have to be. Sports fans can use public transportation, including the Number 7 train, the Long Island Railroad, or the new baseball ferry service, which operates from downtown Manhattan to the World’s Fair Marina in Flushing Meadows Corona Park."

"I have the same goal I’ve had ever since I was a girl.
I want to rule the world."

Madonna

(b. August 16, 1958)