Architects group plans Duck Project

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A group of East End architects will host a two-day discussion at Stony Brook Southampton on Friday and Saturday, June 13 and 14, on the future of 500 pristine but fragile acres of wetlands and forests on Peconic Bay in Flanders.

The Peconic Chapter of the American Institute of Architects is sponsoring a “charrette,” which is a community symposium, to study, analyze, and recommend an ecologically sensitive and low-impact use plan for Hubbard County Park on Route 24, which was purchased by Suffolk County in 1974.

Spearheading what’s been dubbed “The Duck Project” is AIA Peconic member and project director Eva Growney. The project derives its name from The Black Duck Lodge, a group of a dozen historic buildings on the 500 acres, once the hunting lodge of famed stockbroker E.F. Hutton.

“Flanders is ‘duckdom,’” Ms. Growney said. “Its history is ducks and parks. These buildings are indicative of that.”

Ms. Growney said the county approached her in the summer of 2006 to take a look at the property and to come up with some ideas for preserving and revitalizing it. “Nothing had been done with the park for years,” Ms. Growney said. “The buildings were neglected and being vandalized.”

She said she initially obtained a $10,000 grant from Suffolk County to conduct a study of the park. Since then, “The Duck Project” has raised more than $30,000 in grants. Some of the project’s sponsors include the Long Island Power Authority, AIA National, the Group for the East End, Speonk Lumber and the Town of Southampton.

The charrette will be intensive, including a tour of the site, discussion sessions and all-day workshops aimed at hammering out a draft of the study to present to county officials.

“This is very preliminary,” Ms. Growney said. “We’re going to try and consolidate some basic issues, and to identify what needs to be addressed.” For instance, Ms. Growney said, the presence of any artifacts or remains on site have to be taken into consideration. “Native Americans were here first,” she said. “We need to acknowledge that.”

The facilitator of the two-day event will be Peter Arsenault, vice president of AIA National and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, accredited architect. “We have an incredible roster of planners, architects, engineers, and environmentalists,” Ms. Growney said. “And we want residents to come and take part as well.”

What ultimately happens with the property and these “classic, little cabins,” as Ms. Growney describes them, will be determined by Suffolk County. “This may go nowhere,” she said. “But this is an important study. This is a perfect example of global issues on a local level.”

On July 12, at the Green Fair at the Sag Harbor Museum, the Black Duck Project will hand over the results of the study to the county. “After that it’s up to them,” Ms. Growney said.

For more information on the “Duck Project” charrette, visit www.aiapeconic.org.