Lawmakers Mull Skate Park in Speonk

Waxing nostalgic, Chris Clapp recalled getting together with friends when he was younger and building skateboard ramps. They’d lean them up against the neighborhood handball court. Skateboarding up the ramp was “real rad,” he joked.

JJ Veronis recalled adventures dating back to the 1970s. He and his friends found a woman who’d let them skateboard in her swimming pool if they’d weed her yard.

“Everybody weeded,” he told the Southampton Town Board during its September 15 work session.

Accompanied by Westhampton residents Justin DeMarco and Shawn Mett, the duo visited the elected officials to gauge their interest and solicit support for the creation of an “action park” on property in Speonk.

Organizers are trying to refrain from using the term skate park, Clapp explained. “Action park” may be a better moniker, since the group envisions an inclusive space that allows for kids on roller blades, scooters, balance bikes — a whole spectrum of users.

The Town Board recently voted to appropriate money to get a design for athletic fields on town acreage off Old Country Road in Speonk.

“We’re envisioning some ball fields, a soccer field , perhaps a BMX pump track, lighting, rest room,” Town Parks Director Kristen Doulos said. The idea for the athletic fields arose because, she said, “We’re outgrowing our existing facilities.”

The town does have skate parks in Hampton Bays and North Sea, but Supervisor Jay Schneiderman related that when he attend the ribbon cutting of the revitalized skate park in Montauk, people asked him when his town would construct its own world class facility.

Modern skate parks are very different from what the town currently has in Hampton Bays and North Sea, Schneiderman pointed out. “The Ramps are like sculptures. They’re beautiful, they flow,” he said.

Marveling at the crowds that attended the opening, he added, “A forgotten sector of the community now has a place.”

Through volunteer work with village committees in Westhampton Beach, Clapp took note of complaints about kids biking on Main Street and the lack of healthy activities for bored kids.

“Not everybody is a lacrosse, soccer, football person,” Clapp pointed out. Approaching village officials, the group found initial support for space near the Village Marina, but it was spoken for by other competing uses.

Mett and DeMarco thought of town-owned property bordering Mill Road near the elementary school. Known as the Bauer property after its former owner, the land would be a walkable spot for kids coming from downtown and school. But Councilman John Bouvier and Town Clerk Sundy Schermeyer recalled prior attempts to create recreational uses on the parcel were met with pushback from the neighboring residents.

Councilwoman Cynthia McNamara prefers the location of the Bauer property and wants to continue to explore an action park at that location. A community-oriented facility should be located in the community, she said.

“We’ve already tried to climb that slope and didn’t get too far,” Bouvier said. McNamara agreed to spearhead another look. She wasn’t entirely opposed to locating an action park on Old Country Road.

Nor was the rest of the board.

Or a lot of community members.

Mett, who owns Island Surf in Westhampton Beach, said he set out a petition over the weekend at his shop and it garnered 126 signatures. He told The Press customers come in looking for skateboarding regalia “every day.”

“The outpour of emotion in support is overwhelming,” Mett reported.

The foursome looked optimistically at the 160-acre site off Old Country Road. It has room for the athletic fields under consideration and an action park. It’s so centrally-located, Mett observed, it could become a popular destination for boarders across Long Island who are now driving to Montauk.

As the development of a recreational facility began to gain momentum, it made sense to allow the group to pitch their idea. A corner of the park that could be well-suited to an action-type facility that embraces the far western proportion of the town.

“This site made a lot of sense,” Bouvier said, recollecting a conversation with Doulos. “There is clearly a demand for a skate park.”

Beyond where to put it, board members mulled the budgetary implications. Veronis, who was a founding member of the coalition that pushed for the park in Montauk, said it was built with a lot of community support and donations, far in excess of what the Town of East Hampton contributed. In fact, he said the coalition set up a GoFundMe site and amassed $25,000 the very first week. In all, contributions supported $1.3 million of the $1.4 million cost of the facility, according to Veronis.

“Let’s put Speonk on the map, get the west end of the town lit up,” Mett encouraged. He said he’s embraced the idea of a multi-sport park, even if it’s not downtown. “We’ll get there,” Mett said.

Schneiderman and Bouvier noted that improvements to the public transportation system, and especially a microtransit system that could be part of the development of a town community center in Westhampton, could help.

Bouvier said he wanted to give the men the chance to present their idea and see if the board was interested in moving forward. “I’m hearing ‘yes,’” he said.