6 Pickleball Courts, ADA-Compliant Playground Open At Otsego Park In Dix Hills

DIX HILLS, NY — A redesigned playground compliant with The Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as six new pickleball courts, opened at Otsego Park in Dix Hills, the Town of Huntington announced Tuesday.

The new playground and pickleball courts took over a year to complete, according to the town. The unveiling features a brightly colored, brand-new playground structure, new playground safety surface, walkways, landscaping, and benches. Space has also been designated for a shaded picnic plaza next to the pickleball and tennis courts to be added in the future.

The new pickleball courts replace the decades-old deck hockey court that had fallen into disrepair, according to the town. The new courts and playground are located on the south end of the park, closest to the Commack Road entrance.

"The Town of Huntington has committed tens of millions of dollars upgrading its parks over the past three years," Huntington Town Supervisor Ed Smyth said in a news release.

More than $740K was used for the ADA-compliant play structures and new pickleball courts, Smyth said.

"These enhancements are a continuation of Huntington’s commitment to maintaining, upgrading, and preserving our public spaces for our residents," he said.

Otsego Park is one of the town’s most widely used parks with 14 playing fields for little league, softball, and baseball. The park also includes basketball courts, lighted tennis courts and a comfort station. Plans to upgrade the popular baseball field nine with a new turf infield playing surface are underway.

Over the past three years, Smyth and his Parks, Engineering and General Service teams have been "chipping away" at restoring many of the more than 50 active and 90 passive parks throughout the town, according to the township. Other upgraded parks in the township include:Al Walker Park, Crab Meadow Beach Playground, Whitman Park, and the recent unveiling of the state-of-the-art playground at the town’s "crown jewel," Heckscher Park.

"We are so proud of the upgrades at Otsego," Smyth said. "The popularity of this park will assuredly climb with these new additions and enhancements. But, projects like this do not happen by themselves. The town had many partners that help us financially and collaboratively to make many of these projects happen."

Smyth thanked the town's Environmental Open Space Park Fund for its insight, support, and financial contributions.

"They are invaluable to this and so many other initiatives throughout the town," he said. "Another Advisory Task Force that we rely on greatly is the Citizens Advisory Committee for Persons with Disabilities (CAC). As we move to bring our parks and public spaces into the 21st century, we have been reliant on the CAC’s expertise and advocacy on building an inclusive environment. We owe a great deal of gratitude to both EOSPA and the CAC."

Smyth said that his 2025 budget has plans to upgrade additional parks in the town, including Columbia Street Park, Koster Park, William Burn Park, and phase two of the Crab Meadow Beach Playground.