East Meadow Student Spends Time with Kate Murray

Fourteen students representing different high schools, including Neil Khosla of East Meadow, had the opportunity to see local government at work during Hempstead Town’s “Students in Government Day.”

Participating students were required to submit an essay about local government.

Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray kicked off the program by greeting the students and offering insight about town government and what they were about to observe during their experience. The students were then escorted on a morning schedule of tours, beginning at Town Hall.

“Today’s event offers students a unique opportunity to get a first-hand perspective of local government,” Murray said. “It is important for our young men and women to understand how government works and serves its citizens.”

Students also were taken on a tour of the award-winning Norman J. Levy Park and Preserve, a landfill-turned-preserve that is Hempstead Town’s environmental gem. The ecological showcase that occupies the former Merrick landfill includes self-guided trails, exercise stations, a fishing pier, a kayak launch, a windmill and a 115-foot peak that boasts stunning views of the Manhattan skyline, Jones Beach and numerous coastal treasures.

The students were then taken to the Department of Conservation and Waterways headquarters in Point Lookout. A bay constable took the students on a boat tour of the town’s scenic waterways. The students also got a glimpse of the department’s Renewable Energy Park, which includes a wind turbine, solar trackers, a solar field, and Long Island’s only hydrogen fueling station. After touring other town facilities, students returned to Town Hall for a special luncheon and question-and-answer session with Supervisor Murray and members of the Town Board.

“These students had a chance to experience all of the wonderful services and sights that America’s largest township has to offer,” Murray said.