Town May Upgrade Port Rowing Facilities

The Town of North Hempstead is moving forward with plans to take a successful community-based rowing program in Port Washington to new heights.

On Monday, the town board unanimously approved a resolution authorizing a request for proposals from architectural engineering firms for the design of a boathouse and expanded rowing facilities at the North Hempstead Beach Parkin Port Washington — the home of Port Rowing.

Founded in 2010, Port Rowing consists of school programs including those at Chaminade, Manhasset and Port Washington high schools and other middle schools throughout the town. The organization offers a masters program for adults and an adaptive program.

A Port Washington rower recently earned a scholarship to Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina through the popular program.

The goal of the town's expansion plan is to grow bay and beach resources so that the town may allow for a greater use for rowing, according to North Hempstead Suervisor Jon Kaiman.

"It is the goal of this administration ultimately to make the investment and a structure, or in fact a series of structures, that would allow these programs to develop in such a way that they would have not necessarily all the comforts that they might want but certainly more of the comforts that they presently have," said Kaiman at town hall.

Kaiman said the hope is to develop the rowing site in an effort to give the Port Rowing program the ability to grow with construction of a new dock, bay dredging, upgraded heating system, bathrooms and additional storage at North Hempstead Beach Park a possibility.

"It's an exciting opportunity for the town to partner with Chaminade, Manhasset and Port Rowing to create a rowing center at North Hempstead Beach Park," said Councilwoman Dina De Giorgio of Port Washington.

Port Rowing is a not-for-profit organization established in Port Washington to promote rowing in surrounding waters. The group is currently the largest group of its kind in the state of New York, according to Friends of Port Rowing President Mitch Tamkin.

"We surpassed Saratoga Rowing last year," said Tamkin, who thanked the town board for their support on Monday.