Eyeing casino, Shinnecocks visit Brookhaven Airport

Will a casino at Brookhaven Airport fly?

The prospect was aired Friday as representatives of the Shinnecock Indian Nation visited the 600-acre Shirley airport to review one of a list of prospective Suffolk sites for a casino.

Tribal and public officials have said the review is at a preliminary stage, as the tribe awaits word of its federal recognition, which was preliminarily approved this year. Final approval could come by early summer.

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Mark Lesko said town officials and tribal representatives had "productive and positive discussions" about the airport as a potential site for a casino, but he stressed, "These are just discussions."

A tribal spokeswoman declined to comment.

Lesko painted a picture of a Foxwoods in Brookhaven and said a casino here could create thousands of jobs. He called the casino prospect "a game changer for the community."

Three other possible sites, one in the proposed Legacy Village in Yaphank, the shuttered Shoreham power plant, and Parr Meadows near the William Floyd Parkway in Yaphank also are up for consideration. Tribal trustee Lance Gumbs has called the Parr Meadows site "a favorite" because of its location.

But whether residents will go along with the proposals is another matter.

Eric Hakam, chairman of the Smith Point Village Exploratory Committee, said a casino on the site had pluses and minuses. "We're looking to revitalize Montauk Highway," something a casino could help, but he worried about the prospect of gambling bringing more crime.

Lesko, a former prosecutor, said, "Casinos today are not what they used to be," and said the town would seek community input on whether the site, surrounded by homes, is welcomed.

Johan McConnell, president of the South Yaphank Civic Association, said her group is already opposed to the idea of Suffolk's Legacy Village in Yaphank, and a casino wouldn't help. "There will be strong opposition," she said. She also had a dim view of a casino at Parr Meadows, where a retail/residential/commercial development is already planned: "Who'd want to buy a condo in a casino development?"

Paul Breschard of the Pattersquash Civic Association and chairman of the Mastic Village Exploratory Committee said the economic benefits have to be balanced against local community input.

"It's a beautiful area," he said. "I'd hate to see that destroyed for the sake of economic benefit for the rest of the area."