Final Plans For Proposed Riverside Park Presented At Community Meeting

Officials and residents all said they were pleased with the final designs for the Riverside Maritime Trail Park and Shoreline Restoration project during a presentation at the most recent Flanders, Riverside and Northampton Community Association meeting on February 10.

The proposed park will be located off Flanders Road, across from Old Quogue Road, overlooking the Peconic River. The design includes a dog park, several trails, a kayak launch, three fishing piers and an outdoor performance area, among other features.

FRNCA President Vince Taldone said he was thrilled by the design presented at the meeting. “The construction design is consistent with the concept plan, and that is what is most important,” he said.

The property where the park is being proposed was sold to Suffolk County to be preserved after the previous owner had proposed the idea of constructing a hotel complex. When that idea fell through, the owner sold the land to the county.

Mr. Taldone said FRNCA moved quickly to ask that the property be developed into a riverfront park and also to see that the shoreline is restored for environmental reasons. He said the effort to build the park dates back to 2013, but the desire to create some open access to the river is at least two decades old.

FRNCA received two community impact grants from the State Department of Environmental Conservation for $50,000. The first grant covered a majority of the cost for the concept plan, one of the initial steps for a design project. The second grant is being used for partial funding for the engineering work. The total cost of the project has not yet been determined.

After discussing several bids, the town unanimously chose to hire Cashin Associates, a construction management company based in Hauppauge, and its partner firm, AECOM, an international engineering company that provides numerous design and consulting services.

When Cashin Associates and AECOM complete their design work, which must incorporate any changes that are required by government agencies, a better idea of the projected cost will be determined. Then the bidding process for the park’s construction will begin.

Mr. Taldone said that FRNCA teamed up with Riverside Rediscovered to conduct extensive outreach to community members to assess what their priorities were for the park.

Riverside Rediscovered is an organization that focuses on the revitalization of the hamlet. It was created by Renaissance Downtowns — a developer in Huntington Station that partners with local communities to revitalize them.

“Residents were contacted through an online media campaign, plus an old-fashioned door-to-door personal effort to communicate with those not using online systems or social media. Also, the design of the survey was created by SUNY Stony Brook professors so that our sampling would be statistically valid and representative of the larger community,” Mr. Taldone explained.

Mr. Taldone said that because of the intense outreach FRNCA and other parties conducted, a park containing the most popular features was designed, and some key resident concerns, like safety and accessibility, were addressed.

“They listened to the community and put what they heard what was important in their design. I am so very happy to have a place to go to take my dogs or just watch the dogs in the dog park, listen to the birds while walking, or sitting and overlooking the water,” said Angela Huneault, the community liaison for Riverside Rediscovered.

“I believe this park will bring the community even more together, a place to meet outside of a church or community meeting,” she said. “It will be a place for the community to enjoy outside their homes and for some to be able to take a nature walk within walking distance from where they live.”

Local community members expressed concerns about keeping the park looking natural.

Graciela Carrillo, an architect at Cashin Associates, said a majority of the park will be natural grass. The only portion that may include artificial turf would be the dog park, for sanitary and maintenance reasons.

John Rollino, an ecologist from AECOM, made it clear that they plan to keep as many of the mature trees as possible while eliminating invasive species — thereby improving the overall health of the Peconic Estuary.

Southampton Town Councilman Rick Martel said he is looking forward to walking one of the trails for the first time and enjoying the beauty of Riverside.

“This design provides a wide range of activities for all ages and will provide the community with a place to socialize outside and enjoy their family, friends and pets,” he said. “While there are still details to be looked into with the design, I feel this will be a huge asset for the revitalization in the Riverside community.”