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A paved walking trail with exercise stations. A gazebo and benches. Native plantings. Parking spaces for up to 14 vehicles.
And plenty of open space.
That’s all coming soon to a former nursery property in Blue Point, which amounts to almost 17 acres north of Maple Street, south of the railroad tracks and west of Blue Point Avenue (map below) where housing was once planned by a developer.
It should all be ready before November, said Councilman Neil Foley (R-Blue Point).
“It’s moving pretty fast,” he said. “We’ll have it done by the fall, depending on conditions.”
The park, which doesn’t yet have a name, will be used for low-impact passive recreation — such as sitting, walking, jogging or biking — as opposed to organized, team-oriented activities, or events like large cookouts.
“It’s great that they preserved it, and that it will offer walking trails through a natural setting,” said Blue Point resident Steve Papa, who, along with other locals offered suggestions to the town as it was planning the park. “I think myself and some other like-minded people said there are other recreational parks in Blue Point, so it’s nice to have one that’s geared more toward a simple walking trail and nature.”
Brookhaven Town purchased the property in January 2013 for $3.5 million. Work started last month, after a string of powerful storm that heavily damaged Brookhaven Town’s North Shore in early August delayed the project by a couple weeks, Foley said.
The $500,000 project is being implemented by Brookhaven Town’s parks department.
“When this is all finished, said and done, it will be a great, great jewel of Blue Point,” Foley said. “This is the last big parcel left in this area. The idea was to have something that could benefit the community, without really affecting the community in a detrimental way.”
Suggested Facebook page: Blue Point Preserve, Maple Street
With the Bayport-Blue Point Library, Blue Point Elementary School, Blue Point Firehouse and a 55+ development all within a short walking distance away, Foley said the the preserve is perfectly situated.
“I think the idea is, come the fall, we’ll come up with three names, and we’ll let the kids at Blue Point Elementary come up with the name,” Foley said. “We haven’t started with that part yet.”
There will also be educational components at the preserve, in the form of informational plaques about the park itself and the local plant and animal life, Foley said.
The preserve, which will not be staffed, will be open from dawn to dusk.
