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North Shore Heritage
Park
Courtesy
Photo: Brian Lenz
Partnership
The 18.2 acre “wedge” is bordered by NYS 25A, CR
83 and Mt. Sinai Coram Road. The Heritage Trust, Town
of Brookhaven and Suffolk County are
the primary partners responsible for the North Shore Heritage Park
on the "Wedge." Suffolk County responded
to a grassroots proposal to purchase 17.4 acres of land for active
recreation uses. The Town of Brookhaven responded
to the same grassroots activism and agreed to develop the park
based on a design created and promoted by the Heritage
Trust, Mt. Sinai Civic Association and citizen committees. The
Heritage Trust has a formal agreement with the Town of Brookhaven
to help develop and manage the park.
The Heritage Center is on 0.8
acre owned by the Heritage Trust. The funds to
purchase the 0.8 acre and in part to build the Center have come
from grants provided by New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright
and Senator Ken LaValle.
The Heritage Trust, Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County and New
York State will continue to develop their partnership and to enhance
the character of the entire “wedge”. Remember the North
Shore Heritage Park and the Heritage Community Center, form the
entire recreational facility on the wedge.
The Heritage Trust has agreed to take on the
responsibility of developing the Heritage Center, the playground
and the landscaping. The funds for these will be obtained from
grants, donations of money and donations of services and materials.
The involvement of the not-for-profit Heritage Trust will enhance
the basic facilities that are generally provided by local government.
Building
the North Shore Heritage Park
Many people with different skills have worked on
creating the park. We thank these people for doing the jobs they
have done. They should be proud to be part of building this public
park. Drew Bailey and Marty Connelly are Brookhaven Town employees
who accomplished the challenging task of contouring the park
surface. Moving the water retaining clay loam soil which was
once farmed for crops and sod proved to be a difficult task.
Patrick Murray is an inspector for the consultants Greenman and
Pedersen who reviewed the work on site to insure the work matched
the contour plans created by Jim Garrahan, consulting engineer.
Many others were involved in putting in the drainage, the paving
of paths and parking lot, the laying of sod, the drilling of
a water well and installation of irrigation system. Check the picture
link to view
some of the work need to be done to change a flat field into a
contoured park.
Landscape Plan
The Heritage Trust commissioned the creation of a wonderful
landscape plan for the North Shore Heritage Park. Kyouichi Matsumoto,
a registered landscape architect and consultant to Kelly Brothers,
has created a visionary plan for the North Shore Heritage Park
based on concepts and ideas developed by the Heritage Trust and
Campani and Schwarting. This plan is the first step to enhance
the park environment. The plan is beautiful! It will provide places
for enjoyment, relaxation, recreation, education, volunteerism,
mediation and visual pleasure. Demonstration and community gardens,
children’s secret garden, Avenue of American trees, arbor
and sitting areas, small picnic area and a restoration ecology
area are all part of the plan. This plan will act as the basic
guide but is expected to be altered as the actual use and conditions
of the park are evaluated.
Now all we have to do in the next few years is to transplant
the plans from paper to plants in our park. The directors of the
Trust will organize and coordinate an “ Adopt Part of Park
Landscape” to begin the landscape enhancement of the park.
Given time and resources we will be creating a park to enjoy for
generations to come.
A major challenge to developing the landscaping is coping with
the compaction of the soil by the heavy earth moving equipment.
Soil remediation will take place as parts of the park are planted.
This compaction of the soil is a potential problem for the sod
sports fields. Volunteers have provided information to the
Town Parks Department concerning this issue.
Management
Brookhaven Town ’s Department of
Parks and Recreation and the Heritage Trust are partners in the
management of the park. Use of the ball fields is scheduled though
the Town. The Heritage Trust will help organize community programs
and events but all these must also be scheduled with the Parks
Department. Code enforcement is of course the responsibility
of the Town. We, as citizens, should encourage all visitors
to the park to use it responsibly.
Clean
up: Scouts from local troops volunteer to pick up
litter in the park every few weeks. Park personal also clean
up litter. Unfortunately litter is an on going problem in the
park.
Dogs: The
Town’s NO PET ordinance applies to the
park. Citizens bring their dogs anyway and unfortunately don’t
clean up the feces of their dog. This creates an aesthetic as well
as a hygiene problem in the park. The only thing that the volunteers
of the Trust can do is to encourage people to leave their pets
at home or at least clean up their pets feces. The Trust has advised
the Town of this on going problem.
Landscape maintenance: As time goes on the
Trust would encourage the formation of an area garden club. This
club could partner with the Trust to maintain and improve the landscape
of the park as well as other areas in surrounding communities.
Numbers to Call
Town of Brookhaven Parks and Recreation Department 451-Town
Code enforcement 451-6161
Town Councilwoman Jane Bonner 451-6964
Heritage Trust 509-0882 or msheritagetrust@ aol.com
Volunteers
Volunteers have made this park possible.
Volunteers still are an important ingredient in working with local
officials to create an enjoyable park rather than just a bunch
of ball fields. The park and center would not exist if citizens
had not volunteered time, effort and creativity to lead a grassroots
action to make it all happen. (See the “Volunteer
page” if you are interested in volunteering at the
park.)
Parts of the Park
See the Map of the Park or the Heritage Center pages
for more information about the wedge.
Maps
The “Wedge” to North Shore
Heritage Park 1988 to 2005
History
1988
The concept
of a Central Park in Mt. Sinai was first proposed in a sabbatical
leave planning study completed by Professor Fred Drewes while at
Suffolk County Community College. This study was presented to the
Mt. Sinai Civic Association, the Mt. Sinai School Board and the
Town of Brookhaven.
1999
This
first draft map was included in the “Proposal
for the Purchase of Land in the Hamlet of Mount Sinai for Recreational
and Open Space Purposes. The proposal was submitted
to the Suffolk County Legislature’s Parks Committee in
the fall of 1999. Two years of grassroots action coordinated
by Lori Baldassare, Ann Becker, Tom Carbone and other leaders
of the Mt. Sinai Civic Association and then by the Heritage Trust
resulted in the purchase of 18.2 acres of land (17.4 acres by
the County and 0.8 acres by the Civic and Trust with State funds)
2001
Many
different designs for the park were proposed during the many meetings
with directors of the Heritage Trust, the community, the Town of
Brookhaven and the Suffolk County Legislature. The desires and
ideas of the community and the creativity of architects Francis
Campani and Michael Schwarting were translated to paper by Francis
and Michael. The desires expressed in the Mt. Sinai Hamlet Study,
community park surveys and the need for athletic fields were integrated
in an evolving plan.
2006
The
actual structure of the park was based on Campani and Schwartings
plans and drafted into final form by landscape architect James
Garrahan of Greenman-Pedersen, Inc (consultants to Town of Brookhaven).
The final structure of North Shore Heritage Park is the result
of grassroots citizen action, of the many designs suggested by
citizens and professionals, and the physical development and building
of the park by the Town of Brookhaven.
What went into the park?
- Donations of money, time, and effort by citizens.
- Donations
of money, time, and effort by directors of the Heritage Trust
and Mt. Sinai Civic Association.
- Donations of professional services
and materials by local professionals and businessmen.
- Donations
of money to the Heritage Trust.
- Taxpayer approved Greenway Funds
of Suffolk County.
- Taxes of Town of Brookhaven.
- Taxes from various agencies of
New York State
- Support by elected officials from Town, County
and State.
Pictures
1976
Corner of Mt. Sinai Coram Rd. and NYS 25A.
1978
Looking east to Cr 83 before on NYS25A before 25A
was widened.
Davis Peach Farm can be seen in the distance.
We all new the present
development was coming.
1999
First demonstration for the “Wedge” took place
at the
Halloween Festival. Lori Baldassare is on stand and
Fred
Drewes is in the “wedge costume”.
1999
Farm
stand at the corner of Mt. Sinai Coram Road and NYS 25A.
Town
of Brookhaven Supervisor and Town Board members give proclamation
to Fred Drewes recognizing the beginning of a “Ride For A Park” Volunteers
Sarha Anker,
Deirdre Jersey and Ann Becker Various Town officials
During
2000 Lori Baldassare lead the grassroots
campaign to fight for
Mt. Sinai’s ‘Wedge’.
2001
A
view to the south from NYS 25A. A 17.4 acre field has
been developed
into the North Shore Heritage Park rather than
17 houses or a Home
Depot retail center.
2005
A view to the south from the play knoll shows the middle
of the park. Note the tree line and the homes that are now part
of the community. The Trust had to educate government officials
that a play knoll would provide forms of recreation and would
be enjoyed just as much as ball fields.
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