A Place To Play

The word “community” can mean different things to different people. But there is perhaps no institution in Southampton Town that embodies the spirit of community better than Southampton Youth Services.

The SYS is marking its 20th anniversary this month, and for the past two decades the 50,000-square-foot-plus building and the surrounding property off Majors Path in Southampton has been a hub of recreational activity for both children and adults of all ages, catering to a wide variety of interests. The facility provides an indoor track for parents and seniors to stretch their legs and get some exercise during the cold winter months, has a pool for children to learn to swim in the summer (invaluable for residents living in an area surrounded by water), is a hotbed for community basketball and soccer and other sports, is a popular spot for fitness and martial arts classes, and is a vital headquarters for a local nonprofit to host programs for people with autism.

It’s all thanks to the vision of dedicated residents who, 20 years ago, devoted their time, energy and combined professional know-how. What’s perhaps most impressive about the founders of SYS, including J. Andreassi and Mark Antiley, and the dedicated individuals like Executive Director Scott Johnson who still steer the ship today, is that they have always listened to what the community wants and needs, and have done their best to deliver. Thanks to them, children have a place, and adults do, too.

Southampton Town, of course, seeded the project with the 50 acres of land, and the group pulled together the $3 million in donations, with financing from Bridgehampton National Bank. It was a community effort in the most complete sense.

“We’re the heart of the recreational community for the entire community of Southampton,” Johnson said last week, and it’s not a boast — it’s a statement of fact. Congratulations on a wonderful first 20 years and decades of service to come.