Huntington officials arrange for art at upcoming park

As Huntington Town officials continue toward the creation of Sweet Hollow Park in Melville, they are also moving ahead with plans to beautify the park once it's completed.

The town board voted to enter into an agreement with an artist to design, fabricate and install a public art project for the proposed park.

"This has been on the town's public art plan for two years," town spokesman A.J. Carter said. "Now as the town readies development of the park it's also time to begin the process of selecting and producing the public art for the park."

The town's Public Art Advisory Committee reviewed 13 submissions in response to a request for qualifications and Portland, Oregon-based artist Suzanne Lee and Beatrice Colon of New York City were selected for the project.

The budget for the project is $85,000 from the Town's Environmental Open Space and Parks Improvement fund, of which $20,000 is in the 2015 capital budget.

This year, town officials hired two companies to conduct topographic surveys and an assessment of any necessary soil remediation for the proposed park. In July the town board approved a $1.8 million bond to create Sweet Hollow Park.

The creation of the park was part of a three-way deal that allowed for affordable senior housing, a Hindu temple and the park orchestrated by the town in 2013.