Mill Pond

From now on, the park will not be known as Mill Pond Park. As a tribute to the late Mayor Ed Cahill, the village board decided to rename the park. As part of the renaming ceremony, the park on the southeast corner of Sunrise Highway and Mill Road will be renamed the Edward W. Cahill Memorial Park. Cahill served as Valley Stream's mayor for 11 years before dying on July 30 while he was in office.

Among the few parks in Valley Stream Village that have not been named after anyone is Mill Pond. In memory of one of the earliest village mayors, the Arthur Hendrickson Park on Merrick Road is named after him. Firemen's Memorial Field in the east end is named for firefighters. Julian E. Barrett Park is a former trustee memorial park located in the village's south end.

Arlington Park and the Village Green adjacent to the Village Hall are the only other facilities without names. According to Village Clerk Vinny Ang, Mill Pond Park was a good choice because Cahill lived right next door, on Ivy Place since 1964. "It's close to his house," Ang replied, "and he walks over there almost every day."

Acting Mayor Joanne Antun actually received the suggestion to rename the park from a village resident named Pearl Mannion. It was after hearing of the Valley Stream Chamber of Commerce's plans to dedicate a plaque to Cahill that Manion came up with the idea. “I thought he deserved more than that,” she said.

At the Valley Stream village trustees' October meeting, Antun presented that idea to the board of trustees, which approved the name change for the park. "I was surprised to hear that this excellent idea was approved by the board," Mannion said.

An overall dedication ceremony is likely to take place in the coming weeks as new signs are made and village signs are installed. Cahill would have turned 83 on Nov. 27, which is why Antun hopes to have the ceremony on that date.

Cahill, who served as the village's mayor, deserves recognition for what he accomplished, according to Mannion. His efforts to beautify the village brought delight to her, as well as a time he assisted her with a problem. When Mannion's sidewalks were being pulled up by two trees in front of her home, she spoke to Cahill, and within a week, village workers removed the trees and fixed the sidewalks.

"Anyone could speak to him about any problem," she said, "and if he could solve it, he would."

Mary Ann Cahill, Cahill's widow, noted that her husband loved to walk every morning along with the Village Green and Mill Pond Park around Valley Stream, throughout his route. “His morning routine consisted of this until he fell ill. The next time I pass by the park, she said, I will remember him, his village, and those who honor him in this way.”


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