Billy's Park in Blue Point rolling toward February finish
A mid-December view of the future Billy's Park in Blue Point, where construction has been delayed. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
The opening of a Blue Point recreation area that will be named after the teenager who envisioned a skateboard park at the site has been delayed, Brookhaven Town officials said.
They cite difficulty obtaining construction materials as the reason progress fell behind schedule at the park, which was to have opened weeks ago.
But a civic leader believes the project was delayed because town officials initially failed to seek a state environmental permit. Town officials dispute that, saying the permit — which they applied for in November — isn't required.
The $2 million park, which will include basketball courts, a playground and walking trails, is expected to open in mid-February “if Mother Nature cooperates,” Councilman Neil Foley said last week in an interview.
Brookhaven and Suffolk County officials had announced at an Oct. 6 news conference they planned to open the park in November or early December.
A recent visit to the park showed a parking lot and children's playground were nearing completion, but the skateboard area, trails and basketball courts were unfinished or not underway.
“I would say it’s disappointing,” said Foley, who represents Blue Point on the town board. “It’s the nature of the business. We get delays sometimes with supplies.”
The 2-acre park, known as Roe Park, will be renamed Billy's Park for William Schettino. He pitched plans for a skatepark to local officials before his death in 2012 after a Suffolk County Sheriff's Office cruiser struck him as he stood beside his disabled car on the Long Island Expressway. Schettino was 18.
A $1.6 million county grant and $400,000 from Brookhaven's budget are funding the construction.
Suffolk seized the property in 1998, when its previous owner, a commercial laundry, failed to pay back taxes. The county transferred the property to Brookhaven earlier this year.
It's located in a residential neighborhood on Park Street, just west of Purgatory Creek and north of Long Island Rail Road tracks.
Ed Silsbe, president of the Blue Point Community Civic Association, said the park's proximity to the creek should have prompted Brookhaven to obtain a state environmental permit before beginning construction last summer.
Records show the town board voted 7-0 on Nov. 16 to request a permit from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Silsbe said silt from the construction spilled from the park site into the creek and nearby drains during two storms this month, potentially harming the waterway and clogging the drains.
Obtaining the permit might have led to the installation of barriers that could have prevented that problem, he said.
“The town had completed these plans for Roe Park in June,” Silsbe said. “We’re now six months after the date and they’re rushing to get permits.”
The DEC is reviewing the town's application for a freshwater wetland permit to build the park along the creek, spokesperson Cecilia Walsh said in an email. She added that the application would undergo a “rigorous review.”
Foley said the permit application was unrelated to construction delays, adding that town officials have since decided to move the park's eastern border several yards away from the creek's edge.
“We changed our plans,” Foley said. “We didn’t even need the DEC permit.”
William Schettino's father, Luigi Schettino, of Blue Point, said town officials hadn't advised him of the construction delays but he's not worried about it. He said he has seen “a lot of progress there” during daily trips in the area.
“Hopefully, it’s going to get done in a couple of weeks,” he said. “It looks gorgeous. I’m really excited for the community. It’s going to be awesome.”
The opening of a Blue Point recreation area that will be named after the teenager who envisioned a skateboard park at the site has been delayed, Brookhaven Town officials said.
They cite difficulty obtaining construction materials as the reason progress fell behind schedule at the park, which was to have opened weeks ago.
But a civic leader believes the project was delayed because town officials initially failed to seek a state environmental permit. Town officials dispute that, saying the permit — which they applied for in November — isn't required.
The $2 million park, which will include basketball courts, a playground and walking trails, is expected to open in mid-February “if Mother Nature cooperates,” Councilman Neil Foley said last week in an interview.
Brookhaven and Suffolk County officials had announced at an Oct. 6 news conference they planned to open the park in November or early December.
A recent visit to the park showed a parking lot and children's playground were nearing completion, but the skateboard area, trails and basketball courts were unfinished or not underway.
“I would say it’s disappointing,” said Foley, who represents Blue Point on the town board. “It’s the nature of the business. We get delays sometimes with supplies.”
The 2-acre park, known as Roe Park, will be renamed Billy's Park for William Schettino. He pitched plans for a skatepark to local officials before his death in 2012 after a Suffolk County Sheriff's Office cruiser struck him as he stood beside his disabled car on the Long Island Expressway. Schettino was 18.
A $1.6 million county grant and $400,000 from Brookhaven's budget are funding the construction.
Suffolk seized the property in 1998, when its previous owner, a commercial laundry, failed to pay back taxes. The county transferred the property to Brookhaven earlier this year.
It's located in a residential neighborhood on Park Street, just west of Purgatory Creek and north of Long Island Rail Road tracks.
Construction is underway at Billy's Park in Blue Point. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
Ed Silsbe, president of the Blue Point Community Civic Association, said the park's proximity to the creek should have prompted Brookhaven to obtain a state environmental permit before beginning construction last summer.
Records show the town board voted 7-0 on Nov. 16 to request a permit from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Silsbe said silt from the construction spilled from the park site into the creek and nearby drains during two storms this month, potentially harming the waterway and clogging the drains.
Obtaining the permit might have led to the installation of barriers that could have prevented that problem, he said.
“The town had completed these plans for Roe Park in June,” Silsbe said. “We’re now six months after the date and they’re rushing to get permits.”
The DEC is reviewing the town's application for a freshwater wetland permit to build the park along the creek, spokesperson Cecilia Walsh said in an email. She added that the application would undergo a “rigorous review.”
Foley said the permit application was unrelated to construction delays, adding that town officials have since decided to move the park's eastern border several yards away from the creek's edge.
“We changed our plans,” Foley said. “We didn’t even need the DEC permit.”
William Schettino's father, Luigi Schettino, of Blue Point, said town officials hadn't advised him of the construction delays but he's not worried about it. He said he has seen “a lot of progress there” during daily trips in the area.
“Hopefully, it’s going to get done in a couple of weeks,” he said. “It looks gorgeous. I’m really excited for the community. It’s going to be awesome.”
Park timeline
- Billy's Park in Blue Point is rising on an industrial site that has been vacant 15 years.
- After delays, the park's opening now is expected in February.
- It will be named for William Schettino, who lobbied for a skatepark before his 2012 death at age 18.
Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.
