Flushing View

Parks and Recreation Committee introduces new chairperson




FLUSHING — Flushing resident Dan Roman has spent countless hours helping to beautify the City of Flushing’s park system and promote park events.

Now, as the new chairperson for the Flushing Parks and Recreation Committee, he’s hoping to take his volunteering to the next level.

Roman, a member of several Flushing City Parks and Rec subcommittees, accepted his new position earlier this month when longtime Flushing Parks and Recreation Committee Chairperson Pam Palinksy stepped down on March 5.

As the new chairperson, Roman said that his top goal is to raise funding for future projects, such as repurposing the Tucker Pool building and completing heavy maintenance on the Riverview Playscape.

“I look forward to expanding collab- oration with the Flushing Chamber of Commerce and also seek to work with other organizations in the area,” he said. “I want to see the parks and all of its equipment and facilities well-maintained, and I would love to see new things in the parks, especially for teens.”

Palinsky, who was committee chairperson for six years, said that her decision to step down was due to work-related conflicts. However, she and her husband Greg plan to stay very involved with Parks and Rec.

“While I may be stepping down from the chair role, Greg and I will still be on this board and will continue to lead many subcommittees,” she said. “We have very talented board members who are ready to take on leadership roles, and Greg and I are very happy to mentor them.”

Roman, along with his wife Beth, have worked hard to expand and publicize the city’s annual Trail of Terror Halloween event, which is held on the Riverview Trail.

“Dan has great engineering/construction skills, and Beth is an amazing artist,” said Palinksy. “They have brought ideas to the Trail of Terror that have made it very popular in this community.”

Roman, 36, said that his interest in Flushing’s parks began shortly after his family moved to the city in 1991. While in grade school, he helped to build the Riverview Park Playscape as part of a Boy Scout project.

After leaving Flushing in 2001 to join the Air Force, Roman went on to pursue a career as an IT professional. Upon returning to his hometown with Beth in 2015, he felt drawn to give back to his community by volunteering with Flushing Parks and Rec.

Along the way, Dan Roman has designed a soon-to-be published brochure that details the city’s parks and references the amenities that each one offers. Meanwhile, Beth has also created and led popular scavenger hunts in Riverview Park.

For the Romans, volunteering with Parks and Rec isn’t just a civic duty; it’s their passion, particularly when it comes to improving Riverview Park.

“I think that Riverview Park helps us highlight the best assets of Flushing and its parks system: The Flint River,” Dan Roman said. “This park is the epicenter of the sense of community that Flushing offers.”

As chairperson, Roman said he wants to enhance his committee’s advisory position to city administration and the Flushing City Council. He’s also aiming to draw more volunteer support for Flushing Parks and Rec and looking for new members who are interested in joining Parks and Rec subcommittees.

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