As Urban Edge Properties, owners of Sunrise Mall in Massapequa, NY, plans for the redevelopment of the property, they have identified a number of institutions that share in their commitment to protect the collection of more than 50 koi fish and provide them with a sustained safe, and healthy environment. The owners of Sunrise Mall in Massapequa, NY have identified multiple facilities for the relocation of the koi fish. Urban Edge Properties has selected locations that share in their commitment to protect the fish and provide them with safe and healthy environments.
After extensive discussions with professional aquarists, half of the koi population have been relocated to carefully vetted area schools, allowing them to enhance their educational curriculum. The selected schools include Nassau BOCES (Carman Road School) and Oyster Bay High School. Both schools demonstrated a unique ability to not only provide an appropriate environment for the koi and the means to care for them over many years to come, but also will incorporate the koi into their animal care curriculum.
The remaining koi were transported to the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead where trained and respected staff prepared a curated environment for the fish. The aquarium serves as home to several varieties of koi where visitors can feed the fish for a nominal fee.
Find out what's happening in Wantagh-Seafordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The collection of koi fish has been professionally cared for at Sunrise Mall for as long as 30+ years, which is why it was imperative to find a secure home.
Urban Edge Properties Vice President, Coleen Conklin stated, “We have no doubt that the environment and trained staff at the Aquarium and schools will provide the ideal atmosphere for the fish to live long, safe, and healthy lives.”
Find out what's happening in Wantagh-Seafordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“The Long Island Aquarium is excited to add these koi to our collection of ambassadors,” said Noel Heinsohn, Curator of Fish, Long Island Aquarium. These animals will continue to help educate the public about koi and their relatives, engaging guests with their unique features and extraordinary behaviors. We are greatly appreciative of the partnership with the Sunrise Mall to make this transition as smooth as possible.”
“The Oyster Bay/East Norwich School District is thankful to be one of the recipients of the Sunrise Mall’s koi fish. Our High School is fortunate to have a courtyard within the school grounds where we have a greenhouse and pond which was built many years ago by our environmental class,” said Paula Norton, Teacher Assistant/Special Education.
Norton added, “As part of a skills training program, the pond is maintained by our special needs students who feed the koi daily and tend to the filters. The pond and courtyard serve as a serene location for the High School students to attend class as well as enjoy listening to the peaceful waterfall while looking at the beautiful koi pond.”
For more information on the mall redevelopment, please reach out to the support hotline at (551) 321-1081 or online at https://sunrisemallnyredevelopment.com/.
Urban Edge Properties acquired Sunrise Mall in 2021 from Unibail-Rodamco-Westifeld in partnership with Sagamore Hill Partners, an owner-operator affiliate of RIPCO Real Estate, and JG Petrucci. Urban Edge is a NYSE listed real estate investment trust focused on managing, acquiring, developing, and redeveloping retail real estate in communities, primarily in the New York metropolitan region, and serves as the managing member of the partnership with an 82.5% interest. The company currently owns 76 properties totaling 17.2 million square feet of gross leasable area.
Sunrise Mall continues to show its support for the community with events like the Blue Angel Car Show, held in June 2022, which raised $34,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Long Island Chapter.
