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Town begins construction at Oak Beach Park
Babylon Town officials held a ground-breaking ceremony at Oak Beach Park, unveiling phase one of the town’s redevelopment and environmental improvement program for the site, which formerly housed the Oak Beach Inn, a controversial bar and catering hall. The event, held September 21, was attended by town, county, state and federal officials who worked together to come up with the revenue needed to purchase the land, ensuring unrestricted public access to the Great South Bay from the site. The shoreline will offer 500 feet of walkways, 800-feet of refurbished pier, and a beach area for non-motorized water sports. The town will also put in drainage on the site, and regrade it at a cost of $1.3 million. "This is something that we have worked on for a long time and it is wonderful to see the plan moving forward," said Supervisor Steve Bellone, prior to the press conference. Phase two of the program will further develop the site, hopefully in a partnership with the private sector, said Bellone. Efforts by the Town to do the project in one phase were scaled back when the Town was unable to get reasonable bids for other things, including a restaurant/catering hall and an educational center. "While things are going to move a little slower than we had initially anticipated, the important thing is that the site is now a place the public can enjoy, and we are moving toward the final goal." Tom Melito, the Town’s consultant on the project, said that the project is taking time to complete because of the various governmental agencies and funding sources involved, and that the Town is hoping that the "critical mass" of money coming from those sources will ultimately be enough to do most of the work. "Then the town can fill in the gaps," he said, adding that the beginning of the first phase of construction is a milestone for the Town which has worked very hard to ensure that the land continues to provide the public with access to the shoreline, the water and the majestic views from the site. "The Town has made a commitment that it will make this site self-sustaining, and it continues to move in that direction," said Melito.
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