Southampton Town Receives State Cash for Good Ground Park
In order to plan and design Good Ground Park in Hampton Bays for the revitalization of Main Street, Southampton Town has been awarded a $128,519 grant from the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council.
The town applied in August with the backing 0f 45 letters of support and more than 200 petition signatures from local business owners, community groups, Hampton Bays School District and residents. The Hampton Bays Civic Association and local students led the petition drive, while members of the Hampton Bays Beautification Association, Hampton Bays Citizens Advisory Committee, Concerned Citizens of Hampton Bays and the Hampton Bays Chamber of Commerce led the letter-writing.
“The Hampton Bays community’s dream for a central community park has taken one very significant step closer to becoming reality through the award of this grant funding,” says Frank Zappone, the deputy town supervisor who helped lead the grant application process.
“This is terrific news,” Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst says. “The community has long discussed the revitalization potential of a park in downtown Hampton Bays, and with this grant we are able to take meaningful steps towards achieving that goal.”
The town purchased the parcel of land formerly owned by the Rosko family in 2003 using the Community Preservation Fund, which is funded through a 2 percent real estate transfer tax. Plans for the park so far include an amphitheater, playground, picnic tables and pavilion.
The town will next issue a request for proposals seeking design firms to draft construction documents.