Jamaica Pond—Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department Community Works Program helped to get the sailing program at Jamaica Pond off to a successful start this summer by launching the boats June 6.

Under the direction of Sheriff’s Department Deputy Sgt. Robert Griffin, the inmate work crew spent a recent Friday replacing ropes on the boats then lifting them into the pond, securing the hulls to moorings.

“We are all too happy to help get the summer programs off and running, especially after the winter and spring we’ve had this year,” said Sheriff Andrea J. Cabral. “With municipal budgets being as tight as they are, it’s important that the inmate work crews are available for community projects that might otherwise be overlooked or delayed.”

A combination of a long winter, rising water and chilly spring set back the boating program at Jamaica Pond, according to Jamaica Pond Project Director Christine Cooper.

“Needless to say, Sgt. Griffin and the work crew are a key piece to running the summer programs,” said Cooper. “They set before our palate all the things that we have to do to prepare for the programs this summer.”

The dock at the pond was damaged over the winter, but before it could be repaired, the work crews removed the sailboats and rowboats so the city’s Parks Department could make the necessary adjustments.

The CWP has helped out the Boathouse several times in the past. Last year, inmate crews painted the Jamaica Pond Boathouse, and in the winter, the CWP crews remove the boats from the water for storage.

“Without their help, projects at the Boathouse would take so much longer,” said Cooper.

The Suffolk County Community Works Program sends properly classified inmates nearing the completion of their sentences into communities, under the constant watch of an armed correction officer, to provide labor for many city, state and town projects.

(NOTE TO EDITORS: Approved photos of inmate crews assisting at the Boathouse are available either electronically or by mail. Please call 617-989-6672 for photos.)

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