For the past 38 years, Alley Pond Environmental Center has been providing environmental education to visitors at its locale along Northern Boulevard.
The center, founded by a group of Douglaston activists and teachers, is located within Alley Pond Park, which includes 535 acres of park space that is home to more than 300 species of birds.
APEC offers numerous volunteer programs, after school activities, classes, internships and workshops. The center is currently in the midst of a $7 million renovation that will add an estimated 5,000 square feet to its building.
The park is also the home of the Douglaston Estate Windmill, which was built in 1870.
Amenities
The Recreation Department, located on the second floor of Town Hall, makes a variety of fun and educational programs and activities available to residents of all ages. There are playgrounds; baseball, softball and soccer fields; tennis courts, picnic areas and more. Summer concerts, workshops and various other events are also held throughout the year.
In addition, kids starting at age 5 through the first year of high school can attend one of three summer camps in town.
Susan Snyder, C.P.R.P., is the Superintendent of Recreation.
The solid waste department has 9,800 customers in the Urban Service District of Athens, to whom it offers weekly residential refuse and recycling collection. There are more than 400 commercial and curbside customers downtown. The department offers a "pay as you go" system, in which customers pay more for larger trash bins.
