Southampton Town Officials Discuss Ponquogue Beach Pavilion Plans

Southampton Town officials are still reviewing several bids submitted by contractors interested in completing renovations to the Ponquogue Beach pavilion in Hampton Bays.

At last week’s work session held in the Hampton Bays Fire Department substation on Ponquogue Avenue, a number of town officials discussed the bids that have been submitted in response to their request for proposals. The bids ranged from as low as $2,000 to as high as $100,000, according to Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman.

The estimated 60-year-old pavilion now offers a small concession stand with a limited menu for beachgoers; the town is debating whether it should invest capital in the facility by possibly installing locker rooms or showers, and replacing the concession stand with a restaurant. “It’s starting to show signs of age,” Mr. Schneiderman said.

Town Deputy Supervisor Frank Zappone shared that a committee interviewed representatives of the four firms that submitted offers for the work. He said a main focus in the interviews was to determine each company’s strength with community outreach. One of the applicants stood out among the rest, he added.

The board could not disclose the name of the company, but Mr. Schneiderman said it was based out of Bohemia. He explained that, at first, the committee was skeptical of the firm because of its “aggressive” pricing.

“There’s no sense of getting a bargain if it’s not really a bargain,” he said at the work session, the first of several that will be held away from Southampton Town Hall. “I think his work plan was far superior as others who were two or three times the price.”

Town Councilman John Bouvier said he viewed the lowest bidder as a company that is familiar with such work, meaning that the estimated cost is “reflective of a company who has done this kind of thing before.”

The board intends to award the contact soon and, at that point, it will be charged with kick-starting the design phase by seeking community feedback.