Roll Forward

A conversation involving a group of four community members and the Southampton Town Board last week, about building a skateboard park on land under consideration for athletic fields in Speonk, only goes to underscore the massive need for recreational facilities for kids on the west end of the town.

While the town does operate skate parks in North Sea and at Red Creek Park in Hampton Bays, both facilities are past their prime. Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman, comparing those facilities to a new world class skate park in Montauk, made note of how Southampton is clearly second-best when it comes to such parks.

The four community members — all grew up skating here, and three are now dads — shared their vision for a world class “action park” that would include space for rollerbladers, bikers and a whole host of other users, at the proposed recreational site in Speonk. One of them pointed out that the western end of town also seems to get the short shrift, facility-wise.

With the town taking the first step with plans in Speonk — which include new ball fields, a soccer field, lighting and restrooms — by hiring a firm to help design the project, the time is right to add a skate park to the mix.

As the COVID-shutdown population swelled, so did the demand for recreational facilities. Shawn Mett, one of the proponents, reported that as he spoke with customers at his store, Island Surf, moms asked if there could also be a walking track around the park, or ball fields, or a BMX bike area. A fan of the sport, Schneiderman asked about pickleball courts.

On 160 acres, why not all of the above? Here’s why.

The property was purchased with money from the Community Preservation Fund, a dedicated fund that comes with restrictions on how land may be used or developed. CPF proceeds may be used to buy the land. It can be used to build access to the park. But the purse strings tighten there.

CPF law doesn’t allow for the building of fields or skateboard bowls and ramps — those projects must be developed and maintained using the town’s general funds. Perhaps it’s time to talk about a revision to the state law that could benefit recreational facilities the town owns, expanding the use of CPF revenue to help complete the very facilities it makes possible.

But in the meantime, with the success of the rebuilding of the skate park in Montauk as a model, town officials should push forward, with the help of the four community members who already have a grand vision for the park, and make the dream a reality.

The town seems already poised to spend the money needed to develop the park, and should find the additional funds to build the action park. Residents — especially the kids — on the western end of town deserve a top-notch facility to call their own.