The Village of East Hills marked the 20th anniversary of the Park at East Hills on Saturday, September 5, 2026, with a Polynesian-themed afternoon called "A Park Paradise." The program had a luau show with fire and hula dancers, airbrushed tattoos for children and a limbo contest. The same event also honored Mayor Michael R. Koblenz, who will step down on October 23, 2026, after 32 years as mayor.
The two milestones arriving together show what comes next for the village's main public space. For two decades, the park grew around a summer season. The projects now being finished, funded and talked about are mostly aimed at the rest of the year.
A Military Base That Cost Less Than Today's Playground
The 50-acre complex on Harbor Hill Road started out as the Roslyn Air National Guard Station. The village's own account describes it as "a military installation surrounded by razor wire" that was "regarded as an eyesore in the heart of the community." The village bought the property from the United States Air Force in 2000 for $3.2 million. It then issued about $17 million in bonds to turn the property into a park, which it now values at "well over $50 million." Construction began in 2004 and finished in 2006, on time and under budget, according to the village.
In his farewell letter to residents, Koblenz put the price at "only $3 million." He said the village paid for the entire purchase by selling village-owned property, and he gave the closing date as December 9, 2000. The two village sources differ on the exact figure, but both place it around $3 million.
Compare that with this year's playground. In March 2026, the Board of Trustees approved a bond of up to $2.5 million to replace the playground alone. Rebuilding one corner of the park cost close to what the whole base cost a quarter century ago.
Koblenz's letter also describes what the park did for the village's name. When he was first elected trustee, he wrote, people asked where East Hills was and residents often answered, "It's in Roslyn." Today, he wrote, the response is "Oh yes, it's beautiful there." The park now appears on GPS maps where the Air National Guard used to show.
Twenty Years of Building Around Pool Season
The village's anniversary post lists what the park holds today. Sorted by when each feature gets its heaviest natural use, the list shows how the park was built.
| Feature | Season it is built for |
|---|---|
| 12,000-square-foot swimming pool | Summer |
| 100-foot water slide | Summer |
| Tennis and pickleball courts | Spring through fall |
| Sports fields | Spring through fall |
| Playgrounds | Spring through fall |
| Dog parks | Year-round, outdoors |
| 300-foot sledding hill | Winter |
| Fitness facility | Year-round, indoors |
| Theatre | Year-round, indoors |
| 13,000-square-foot Village Hall | Year-round, indoors |
Only the sledding hill is designed for snow, and the large-scale attractions, the pool and the 100-foot slide, close when summer ends. The village's 2026–27 budget, adopted in May at $15,197,957, keeps funding for tennis and pickleball courts, the pool, walking trails, sports fields, the annual fireworks, youth sports leagues and concerts.
The man about to become mayor sees the same gap.
The Playground Was Meant for the Weeks After the Pool Closes
Deputy Mayor Brian Meyerson has served as a village trustee, as village prosecutor and, since 2024, as deputy mayor. In an August interview with Newsday, he described the park this way:
"The village is great in the summer. We don't have a lot in the wintertime. I consider the park to be, like, the watercooler. That's where people go to meet people, to talk to people, to hear what's going on in the village."
The new playground fits that thinking. When the board approved the bond in March, Trustee Emmanuel Zuckerman said construction could begin in early April and finish by mid-July. Koblenz said the borrowing would not raise village taxes because earlier bonds had been paid off. The schedule slipped. By the Newsday interview, updated August 27, the village was trying to hit Labor Day. Meyerson explained why the timing mattered to him:
"I want it to be there for the kids, when they go back to school and the pool is not open, and they have something else. I think it's going to be amazing; it has a zip line. I'm hoping in the next two to three weeks."
The village's spring budget described the project as replacing the playground with "new interactive equipment." The best way to confirm whether the gates are open this week is the village's website or mobile app, which the village uses for news, alerts and event information.
What a Year-Round Park Could Look Like
Meyerson told Newsday that his long-range goal goes beyond a playground:
"My dream would be an indoor sports complex, where you could have anything. It could be used to play basketball, it could be used to play cards, it could be used for kids to have little parties."
He called it "a good amount of money" and said he would look for a grant to help pay for it. No site, budget or timeline has been announced, so for now it remains a stated goal.
Smaller indoor projects are already in motion. When the board approved the playground bond in March, officials said future bonds might cover renovations to the village theater and a new air-conditioning system for Village Hall. The second of those has started. At its October 6 meeting, the board awarded Reliance Mechanical a $1,075,500 contract for a new Village Hall HVAC system, according to Long Island Press. No completion date has been reported.
Private plans point the same way. In February, the board unanimously approved a conditional use permit for "The Yard," an indoor baseball and athletic performance facility planned for an industrial building at 100 Forest Drive. The applicant said all training would take place indoors and no exterior lighting changes were planned.
The financial setup behind all of this stays the same through the handover. The 2026–27 budget is the 16th in a row with no village tax increase. The property tax levy went from about $9.07 million to $9.14 million, and the rate held steady because the village's total assessed value rose. Meyerson told Newsday he wants to keep taxes frozen without cutting services. Any indoor complex would have to fit inside that limit, which is likely why he mentioned a grant.
The Fall Calendar, Date by Date
The near-term schedule is short, and each date connects to the handover:
- Saturday, October 17: Spooktacular. The village's annual fall festival is on the calendar for this date. The July announcement did not give a time or program. The village's general events page showed no upcoming listings when we checked, so the village app and website are the places to watch for details.
- Friday, October 23: Meyerson takes office. Koblenz has said he will "pass the torch" on this date. He served 32 years as mayor, 2 as deputy mayor and 4 as trustee. He wrote that he has been told his tenure is the second longest in Nassau County history, and he said he will be "available to assist the Village as needed."
- Next March: the first election. After his appointment, Meyerson will "seek reelection in March," according to Newsday's August interview.
The board's makeup is also changing. Trustee Stacey Siegel's resignation took effect October 1, and on October 6 the board appointed Fanny Boneh to finish her term. Meyerson told Newsday he wants residents to have "the opportunity to say things and make suggestions and be heard," and said he plans to give out his cellphone number. For anyone who has thoughts on what the park should offer in January, the new administration says it wants to hear them.
The base the village bought in December 2000 still has its 300-foot sledding hill for snow days. The next mayor has said what he would like to build for the rest of the winter.
If the park is part of why your street feels like home, I'm always happy to talk about how projects like these shape life in East Hills and the homes around Harbor Hill Road. You can reach me through Gwen Levy. Let's Connect.
