Southampton Village Looking To Create Boardwalk Along Lake Agawam

Southampton Village officials are looking to create a new boardwalk at Lake Agawam to give residents and visitors more opportunities to enjoy the local waterway.

The boardwalk has been in the works for the past six years, but this week village officials voted to go to bid on the project, which would create the walkway along the north side of the lake, parallel to the monument. The boardwalk would extend from Pond Lane to the parking lot.

This week Superintendent for Public Works Gary Goleski said the boardwalk would be a great way to spruce up the north side of the lake. “We are looking for a nice beautification project so that residents and visitors can have a nice waterfront place to go,” he said.

Mr. Goleski said he first proposed the project to Mayor Mark Epley six years ago as a way to provide cover for a new drainage system for the lake. However, after consulting with engineers, it was decided the location was not suitable for drainage, so instead he proposed moving forward with the boardwalk alone, purely to make the area more attractive.

Mr. Epley said this week that he is in favor of the plan, although he does not have figures for how much it will cost at this time. A few years ago, he said, Southampton Town Trustees cleaned up the south side of the lake, making it a priority for the village to clean the north side. The project, which he hopes will be complete by next summer, would accomplish that goal.

The Village Board unanimously approved moving forward with the bidding process on Tuesday night, saying the boardwalk will be a nice addition to the village business district.

The boardwalk would be 12 feet wide and attached to a recently installed floating dock on Pond Lane that is used as the launching point for the Pyrrhus Concer ferry. Fencing along the border of the lake will be upgraded to prevent rust, and a railing will be installed along the boardwalk to prevent people from falling into the water. The village intends to install lighting along the boardwalk, as well as benches and flowers.

“We have already started cleaning up the area where it was an overgrown mess with knocked-down trees and different things. It was not an attractive area,” Mr. Epley said. “Now we will have a boardwalk that basically completes the park and makes the waterway more accessible.”