Bridgehampton Childcare Center Field Upgrade Will Be a Sustainable Effort, and Part of a Larger Community Collaboration

When officials at the Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center looked out over the deteriorating grass playing field and the surrounding outdoor property, they didn’t see a problem that simply needed to be fixed.

They saw an opportunity.

Work has begun to renovate and revamp the field, which is used by children at the center, as well as community members, for a variety of recreational purposes, like playing soccer, kickball and softball. In recent years, the field had started to show signs of wear and tear, and it became clear that the center would need to solicit some input on the best way to fix it up.

To that end, Carl Johnson reached out to Edwina von Gal. Since retiring from a long career working at the Bridgehampton School and, perhaps most notably, coaching the school’s varsity boys basketball team for decades, Johnson has been more involved at the center.

Johnson knew that von Gal, a landscape architect, had the expertise and would guide the center in the right direction regarding the best way to not only renovate the field but do it in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way.

Von Gal was more than happy to jump on board, and the approach to fixing up the field that she has helped spearhead has become a prime example of a collaborative community effort for good.

It’s an approach that makes sense, considering von Gal’s dedication to the kind of landscaping and earth-tending practices she embraces. In addition to running Edwina von Gal and Company, the landscape design business she founded in 1984, she also established a nonprofit in 2013 called Perfect Earth Project, which promotes toxin-free lawns and landscapes, encouraging people to take an organic approach to landscaping.

Not only will the new field be created using those techniques, but both von Gal and leaders from the center, like Executive Director Bonnie Cannon, are interested in engaging the children who come to the center in the process, and the community at large, as well.

“There are a lot of kids whose parents are in the landscaping business, and we’re trying to encourage them to consider a career in landscaping,” von Gal said. “If you do it as part of an environmental stewardship approach, it’s more than just going and blowing — it’s about restoring habitat and creating refuge for wild species that are in decline.”

The actual work being done to make the field a smooth, level and enjoyable recreational space again is underway, and involves the help of several community partners. Getting rid of weeds, adding compost and aerating are part of the process.

Paul Wagner of Greener Pastures Organic volunteered advice on the type of resilient seed to buy for the field, and guidance on the protocol involved in using it, and Tony Piazza of Piazza Horticultural purchased that seed.

Part of the process involves freezing the seeds overnight, and the owners of Almond Restaurant in Bridgehampton donated their ample freezer space for that effort. Compost will come from the East Hampton Town Recycling Center. Throughout the way, von Gal and the center will encourage participation from the community to see the process through to the end. They’re currently looking for another local business to help with the irrigation system, although relying on Mother Nature for hydration is always the first step.

“It isn’t absolutely necessary, but in really dry times, if you give the grass a little help, it’s good,” von Gal said. “If you don’t water, it really stresses it out, and gives weeds an opportunity.”

Von Gal added that they’re currently trying to raise money to buy an electric mulching mower, and will also look to overseed the field every year.

“We’re engaging a wonderful group of people around having a better playing field,” she said. “It will be organic and will be cared for by them.”

The renovation of the playing field is the main feature of what von Gal and Cannon say will be a larger effort to transform the entire outdoor property of the center in an environmentally friendly way.

“This is part one,” von Gal said. “Then we’ll look at the rest of the landscape and look to add more native plants. They have a really great garden, and we want to tie in native plants and make the whole landscape more engaging, and more ecosystem functional.”

Cannon said she’s thrilled that von Gal is involved and is excited for the project.

“There’s no one better than Edwina to lead this effort,” she said. “We’re looking at this to be a staple for looking at sustainable environments and how to keep it organic. Folks will go to the center to see what’s been done.”

She’s also excited the children at the center will get a front row seat to the process, and be involved in it as well.

“It also falls into workforce development, and provides an opportunity for hands-on learning,” she added, “about how to keep things green and organic, and stay away from pesticides. And that impacts the breadth of knowledge that a person can have to expand their skills and value and what they can demand in the market. So it’s a win-win.

“It will be a really nice grounds that people will be able to utilize,” Cannon concluded. “And it’s for the entire community.”