Plans for 'World-Class' Park and Gardens Along Pond Lane in Southampton Village Unveiled at Town Board Meeting

In recent days, Southampton Town and Southampton Village officials have begun talking about a plan, one that has been in the works behind the scenes for more than a year, to design what would be a world-class public garden and nature park across Pond Lane from Agawam Park and Lake Agawam on more than 11 acres of preserved and undeveloped land.

The plans were aired publicly at a Southampton Town Board meeting last week, when the board discussed alienating Doscher Park — a small, underutilized Community Preservation Fund-purchased parcel adjacent to the playground at Agawam Park, separated from the playground area by a stone wall — to house a large algae skimmer that will help clean up Lake Agawam.

In order to allow for that CPF parcel to be used for the skimmer, which is not a CPF-approved use, the town is required, by state law, to swap the property out with other preserved land of equal or greater acreage. The swap has to be approved by the State Assembly, which requires the town to send a memorializing resolution to the Assembly before the session concludes at the end of June.

The piece of land eyed for the swap is the larger of two adjoining parcels totaling 8.48 acres on Pond Lane that are owned by longtime Southampton Village resident and philanthropist John Paulsen. Those parcels are adjoined by a 2.9-acre lot already owned by the CPF south of the Pyrrhus Concer Homestead, a property that is still going through the approval process to create a museum/visitors’ center. The goal is to honor the memory of Concer, a formerly enslaved Black man who worked on whaling ships — and was believed to be the first Black man to visit Japan — and who also ran a ferry service on Lake Agawam and was himself a noted philanthropist in the village in the 1800s, rising to prominence in the community from humble beginnings.

Southampton Village Trustee Roy Stevenson said at the Town Board meeting that turning the land on Pond Lane into a public resource — “possibly the most majestic park on the East End” — would be “transformational” for the village.

Robert Giuffra is a Southampton Village resident and the president of the Lake Agawam Conservancy, which was established three years ago to help restore the polluted lake to its former glory. The conservancy has raised funds that have helped support a variety of efforts to mitigate the harmful effects of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in the lake.

The village also has worked hard over the past few years to earn water quality improvement grants and initiate projects, although the most important weapon in the battle to restore the lake will be the creation of a sewer district, something the village is working on but is facing the challenge of finding an appropriate site for a sewage treatment plant.

Allusions to the plans for the gardens and what it would mean for the village were made by both town and village officials at the Town Board meeting last week, when the alienation of Doscher Park was discussed.

In an interview earlier this week, Giuffra said the planning is still in the preliminary stages, but that Paulsen’s sale of the property — which he paid $13.5 million for — to the CPF would set the stage for the next steps.

“There are still a number of steps that need to happen before it can become a reality,” he said. “But the goal would be to create a world-class garden and recreational area along the water that would benefit the entire community.”

The gardens would be located near the Concer Homestead, Agawam Park and the Southampton Cultural Center, linking the elements, and the creation of the gardens would be consistent with the new arts and culture overlay district plans for that area.

Giuffra pointed out that the plans would not be possible if not for Paulsen’s generosity.

“John bought the property to take it off the market, so it would not be sold to put two big estate houses on,” he said. “He’s an incredibly philanthropic person and a long-standing Southampton resident. He loves the village and thinks this will transform the village.”

Many others agree.

Southampton Village Mayor Jesse Warren called Paulsen’s purchase of the property “extremely generous” and said he is excited that the plan is “finally coming to fruition.”

There was discussion at the Town Board meeting about the plan potentially including the closure of that area of Pond Lane to vehicular traffic, and the creation of true waterfront access.

“It will provide public access to Lake Agawam, and we’d have this beautiful park open to the public,” Warren said. “Compare and contrast that with having three McMansions there, which is the last thing anyone wants.”

“I think we have an extraordinary opportunity to expand Agawam Park and to provide substantially more waterfront access for the public,” Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said, pointing out that the town would buy the larger parcel from Paulsen with CPF money while Paulsen would donate the other parcel.

Those parcels, combined with the existing CPF parcel next to them, would add up to a very large space with a lot of potential, particularly as a waterfront park, which could also potentially include pedestrian paths and/or bike paths. The town and village would manage the park together through an intermunicipal agreement.

The grand, long-term vision — in which the gardens would play a starring role — is to bring Lake Agawam back to its glory days of more than a century ago, when it was known as the “jewel” of Southampton Village.

Before it became known for being one of the most polluted water bodies in the state, Lake Agawam was a place for the public, a place where people could boat and swim and enjoy leisure and recreational time along the shore.

Cleaning up the lake has been a priority for Southampton Village and a driving force behind the creation of the conservancy as well. Although many of the conservancy members, like Giuffra, have homes on or near the lake, he said the work of the conservancy, and the money that has been donated to the cause, has not been purely self-serving for its members.

“When we created the Lake Agawam Conservancy, we were concerned about the condition of the lake,” Giuffra said. “We want to clean it up not just for the people who live around the lake but for the broader community. The only way we can do that is through public access.”