Ferraros Bring Elite Hockey To Eisenhower Park

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Ferraros Bring Elite Hockey To Eisenhower Park

Written by Cory Twibell, ctwibell@antonnews.com Friday, 25 January 2013 00:00

World-class sports facility

comes to Nassau County

Call it a coincidence, but the timing for Chris and Peter Ferraro’s announcement of the creation of a new hockey and recreation facility couldn’t be any better.

Two days before the National Hockey League was set to drop the puck for a shortened, 48-game season beginning on Jan. 19, the Ferraro twins – former NHL players and Olympians themselves – broke ground on their $15 million, privately financed Twin Rinks Ice Center at Eisenhower Park.

“It is our passion to support Long Island families so that they will no longer have to be torn apart or have their family life disrupted just because a child excels in hockey and wants to try to make it to the NHL,” said Chris Ferraro. “This facility will enable us to create a hockey hot bed right here on Long Island.”

A rendering of the Ferraro Brothers Ice Center at Twin Rinks, which will be constructed in four phases, is pictured here. Twin Rinks at Eisenhower Park will include Ferraro Brothers Ice Center, an 85,000-square-foot world-class facility with two NHL regulation-sized rinks and one outdoor recreational hockey rink that will host skating lessons, youth development programs, tournaments and hockey teams for all ages and skill levels.

The facility will also include a full-sized turf field with soccer and lacrosse lines, a sport court with four NBA/NCAA regulation basketball courts, a handball wall and a rollerblade and stroller path connecting the complex with the pre-existing paths that surround the Nassau County Aquatic Center.

Twin Rinks will serve as home to at least two youth hockey organizations, including the Long Island Gulls Amateur Hockey Association and the New York Junior Bobcats. The complex is expected to create nearly 20 new jobs and generate an estimated $35 million in economic benefits for the local area through the first five years of operation.

Peter (left) and Chris Ferraro are bringing their National Hockey League and Olympic experience to Nassau County’s young hockey players. “Creating this kind of sports entertainment destination will enhance our quality of life as well as create jobs and opportunities for residents,” said County Executive Edward Mangano.

Ice hockey is somewhat of a pricey sport, given the fees for ice time, costly equipment and the traveling expenses that accompany the sport here on Long Island.

“We were extremely fortunate that our parents had the means and the desire to take us where we needed to go to succeed. Because of our experiences, we are able to give back and guide young players along a path to develop and to teach the importance of camaraderie, sportsmanship and integrity without having to travel off Long Island,” said Peter Ferraro.

While the area is set to lose the Islanders in 2015 as the team will relocate to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, the area, and its young athletes – many who have gone on to play the sport professionally – will gain a valuable resource unlike any other here in Nassau County.

“Public-private partnerships such as this play a pivotal role in helping the county continue serve the residents. This facility will help change the face of this entire area as we reinvent the Nassau County HUB,” said Mangano.

News

Hannon Airport Noise Study Bill Passed

Friday, 14 June 2013 00:00

“The three airports operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PA) collectively represent the busiest airport system in the United States,” said Senator Kemp Hannon (R-Nassau). “The noise generated by all these overflights has increased steadily over time, and it’s incumbent upon the PA to conduct a noise study to ensure that aircraft noise is given proper consideration by airport operators when they determine which runways and approach paths to use.”

Hannon’s legislation, passed unanimously, is Senate bill 3841, which would require the PA to conduct a noise and land use compatibility study as set forth in 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 150. That report would then be submitted to the governors and legislatures of New York and New Jersey, and would require the PA to hold biennial public hearings at which the public would be heard regarding aircraft noise issues.

Erin Go Home

Thursday, 13 June 2013 00:00

The suburban home setting in Freeport seems a long way from the small farmlands of the Irish midlands. Although former Garden City Schools employee Tom Phelan now lives thousands of miles away from the country he was born and raised in, he is set to release his fifth novel depicting life in his old Irish homeland.

Phelan is set to read from his collection of works on Monday, June 17 at 7 p.m. at the Summer Gazebo Readings on Schoolhouse Green in Oceanside. Though he has been writing for many years before his work was published, his first novel was released in April 1998 when a Dublin publisher accepted In the Season of the Daisies. A decade and a half later, the Freeport native is currently finishing up his fifth novel, Lies, which is set for release in 2014.

Sports

Centennials Year End Celebration

Thursday, 13 June 2013 00:00

Family fun and sun all on the day’s agenda

The Garden City Centennials held their annual year-end Soccer Fest at St. Paul’s on Saturday, June 1. The day-long event is the culmination of the soccer season for the more than 2,100 young girls and boys that participate in one of the many programs the Centennials offer. Highlighted by the giving out of the annual awards to all players, the youngsters also enjoyed the fun games and activities throughout the day. Soccer Fest also represented the close of the travel season for the 41 girls and boys teams that compete in the Long Island Junior Soccer League. And with 39 travel teams, the Centennials have become one of the top programs not only on Long Island, but in New York State.

Litigator Hopes To Float Like A Butterfly

Thursday, 13 June 2013 00:00

“Ro-Hammad Ali” dons gloves for charity

Not too many attorneys have made their way to glory in the boxing ring. Roseanne “Ro-Hammad Ali” Beovich hopes to become the first when she participates in the 10th annual Long Island Fight for Charity event on November 25 at the Hilton of Melville.

Beovich, an associate attorney at Genser, Dubow, Genser & Cona, LLP in Melville, has no formal boxing experience but “became interested in boxing because I like to try new sports and find activities that will challenge me.”