Nestled behind the Municipal Pool down in the Flats off Brook Street, sits Brook Street Park, a sleepy Sloatsburg treasure. Nakoma Brook runs quietly down from the hills and watershed above Sloatsburg, running by the pool, providing the playground its own ample elbow space and quiet.
Friday morning the park officially re-opened, after being closed for repair since Hurricane Irene flooded Nakoma Brook and Brook Street Park back at the end of August 2011. Now freshly mulched, with several stretches of new fencing, the park looks clean and inviting again.
“I went down there last night and found one of the pieces of playground equipment was damaged,” said Sloatsburg’s Supervisor of Public Works Mike DeMartino, referring to Thursday night. “So, we scrambled last night to get some parts for it so we could make sure we got it open. It worked out well, I was determined to get it open for this weekend. So, that’s exactly what we did.”
Brook Street has babysat many Sloatsburg children, often being the place of choice for parents who want a relaxing getaway, as the park is sheltered by the Nakoma Brook and shade trees and comes equipped with a basketball court, swings, an ever popular merry-go-round, slide, and several play stations.
The park’s charm, though, is also its achilles heel. During times of heavy rains the brook comes alive, and has more than once overrun its banks and swamped the park.
Thursday afternoon Anchor Fence installed the last piece of the repair puzzle, replacing the entire east side fence, which included a run of 10′ high fence at the basketball court and 4′ fence at the kiddy park.
So, after months of inquiry by residents, Brook Park has finally reopened. Delays to the park’s restoration were waiting for village insurance funds to finally come through and for spring weather to settle in.
An important Sloatsburg waterway, Nakoma Brook meanders down from Cranberry Lake and Potake Lake, runs behind Rhodes North Tavern, and finally meets up with the Ramapo River. Now open for play just in time for the spring break and Easter, Nakoma Park should be filled with the familiar sounds of children at play.
“People are down there playing already,” said DeMartino.
More At SloatsburgVillage
Poor Brook Park — Brook Park once again got swamped by flood waters from Nakoma Brook over-flowing due to Hurricane Irene, leaving fences half torn from fallen branches, the basketball court covered with leaves and muck and playground toys embedded in mounds of sediment near a crevice opened by rushing storm waters.
Fire Department Gets Live Practice — Just as the Sloatsburg Fire Department was gathering for its regular Wednesday evening meeting at the station house, the call came in from across the street — possible fire at the Sloatsburg Public Library.
