Civic Groups Collaborate On Andrea Spilka Park Survey

How would the public like to use land in Eastport located between the historic district and the school, land that may be named for a staunch defender of its pristine environment? Answers to that question were on the agenda for a discussion Marie Kinneary, president of the Eastport Green Project, planned to have with venerated local activist and community leader Andrea Spilka last winter.

“She was always there when we needed her, always a great resource. I had spoken to her last fall about our goals for 2021,” Ms. Kinneary recalled.

When she explained the group was interested in improving the area around Seatuck Creek, “Andrea was very excited about it and she knew of a piece of land that had been purchased by the town and was interested to see if trails could be created through there so people could get to the water and enjoy the beauty of the nature there.”

Soon, a park at that parcel may be named for Ms. Spilka, who died in December.

At the end of last year, the pair exchanged ideas briefly and made plans to meet after the holidays.

“I didn’t know she was ill, she passed away before we could actually get together,” Ms. Kinneary said.

Bob Mozer, co-president of the Speonk Remsenburg Civic Association and a member of the Southampton West Citizens Advisory Committee, also recalled talking with Ms. Spilka right before her death from a rapidly metastasizing cancer. She told him she was ill and explained what she had been going through in terms of treatments. Then, he recalled, “Typical Andrea, she asked, ‘So how can I help you?’”

After Ms. Spilka’s death, Mr. Mozer and Ms. Kinneary both wondered how to memorialize her and honor a life devoted to the environment and community.

Jim Gleason and Ms. Spilka were both board members of the East Moriches Property Owners Association. His organization signed on in support of dedicating a park on the banks of Seatuck Creek to her memory.

But how would it be developed and used?

Representatives from the three organizations met at the land in March to begin formulating ideas. They were subsequently tasked, by elected officials, including Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming and Southampton Town Councilman John Bouvier, with creating a survey to gather community input. Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine, supportive of the park idea and a friend of Ms. Spilka, was among the first to take the survey.

The park would be located just east of the bridge over Seatuck Creek in Eastport, on the south side of Montauk Highway and extending south to the railroad tracks. Technically, the “bridge” is actually a dam, according to an EMPOA newsletter detailing the initiative.

While the park would be mostly on the Southampton Town side of Eastport, it could extend across Seatuck Creek to where Brookhaven Town owns a small parcel by the dam’s spillway.

Currently, the site is fully wooded with mature trees, scrub and invasive rose bushes. According to a report by the Eastport Green Project, duck farms, a grist mill, a saw mill, and a wintergreen oil factory were once on the creek. There is a circular foundation on the site, probably from an ice house.

While Eastport has a lot of waterfront, there are few places where the public may access the wetlands, Ms. Kinneary pointed out. Additionally, the lack of a sidewalk on the south side of the road makes crossing over to the park parcel dangerous. A boardwalk might be one way to keep people up and away from ticks and poison ivy while allowing them to access the water. Nature trails might be considered as well, with development that mirrors the way accessibility was crafted at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge. Mr. Gleason hopes the land stays as natural as possible while still enjoyable to the public.

The possibilities are listed in the community survey; a link to it has been posted on the Eastport Green Project Facebook page. Survey responses will be collected until July 12.

“When Andrea died, it was just a complete shock,” Mr. Mozer recalled. When he asked Mr. Bouvier and Ms. Fleming if there were plans to honor her, they directed him to Ms. Kinneary. Through her, he learned Ms. Spilka was interested in creating what he called “a passive meditative park,” at the Eastport site and thought “how more fitting could it be than to make it happen there.”

“Andrea inspired so many people,” Ms. Kinneary said. One of Ms. Spilka’s proudest accomplishments was developing the Southampton Town Civic Coalition, which brings together civic groups from across the town to work together.

“It’s wonderful all the different civic associations are able to work together to come out with a unified survey,” Ms. Kinneary said. “I think Andrea would be very proud.”