(LAWRENCE, N.Y.) - Nassau County Legislator Carrié Solages (D - Lawrence) is reiterating his support for extending the lease of the Five Towns Community Center so that its staff and volunteers can continue pursuing its mission of serving approximately 7,000 to 10,000 area families from Elmont to Point Lookout.
The Five Towns Community Center has been in continuous operation since 1907 and is currently situated in a County-owned building at 270 Lawrence Avenue. The Center’s 50-year lease with the County expires in 2024, and Legislator Solages is continuing to engage with the administration of County Executive Bruce Blakeman to secure a long-term lease extension for the facility. Legislator Solages secured $2.75 million in capital plan budget authorization for improvements at the Community Center.
Nearly 2,900 residents have signed a petition calling on Nassau County to save the Five Towns Community Center. In testimony to the Nassau County Legislature on Monday, June 27, Five Towns Community Center leaders highlighted the breadth of diversified, multi-lingual services that the Center provides to some of Nassau County’s most economically challenged populations. These include affordable childcare resources through Head Start; summer and after-school camps; and a PAL program that serves hundreds of families. Its food pantry currently feeds more than 5,000 families in Nassau County’s south shore communities, and Five Towns Counseling Services provides holistic, trauma-informed addiction treatment services. Through its Health and Prevention Services program, Five Towns provides HIV testing and counseling services to residents.
The Center also has a well-established track record as a vital community hub during Superstorm Sandy and other times of crisis. Its doors remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver nutrition assistance programs, COVID-19 testing, distribution and vaccination.
“As it has for the last 115 years, the Five Towns Community Center continues to distinguish itself by excelling in the delivery of resources to some Nassau County’s most economically challenged communities,” Legislator Solages said. “Far from being underutilized, it is an essential lifeline for thousands of families in Lawrence, Inwood and the surrounding communities. It is time for Nassau County to reach a long-term agreement that secures the Five Towns Community Center’s essential place at the heart of our community.”
PHOTO CAPTION - Legislator Solages pictured with leaders of the Five Towns Community Center outside the Legislature’s chambers on Monday, June 27.
PHOTO CREDIT - Office of Legislator Carrié Solages