The improved look of West Islip is due to the efforts of the West Islip Beautification Society (WIBS). The Society was founded 25 years ago by Dorothe Karwoski and now has a membership of over 30 people of whom some 15 are the ones you see digging, raking, planting, etc. almost every day. In addition some 40 part-time volunteers are on call to help with seasonal jobs. WIBS pride and joy is the traffic island at the intersection of Higbie Lane and Udall Road , by Best Yet Food Store. The County redid the intersection three or four years ago creating one large new traffic island which WIBS promptly named Dorothe’s Island. The center of the island is planted with beautiful flowers and the two areas on either side are landscaped with a variety of shrubs.

Another spot that few folks even knew existed was Pine Lake on Montauk Highway just at the eastern entrance to West Islip. Many years ago Bohlsen’s restaurant had been there but the restaurant disappeared and the southern end of the lake was a jungle of vines, underbrush, rotting trees, etc. which WIBS laboriously cleaned up. they built a retaining wall along the lake shore and installed three benches on a patio for residents to sit and admire the view up the lake. The Hagstorm map representatives even took a picture of the view for the cover of their Western Suffolk map.

The traffic island at the bottom of Higbie Lane, by the library, and the one at the top of Keith Lane, at Union Boulevard are each landscaped with both perennial and annual flowers, with Keith Island boasting two cherry trees.

WIBS’ latest project is the planter on John Street at the entrance to West Islip coming from Babylon. The raised flower bed was created from the old wooden light posts that formerly graced Robert Moses Causeway, but they’re being replaced with block retaining walls next spring. One of the WIBS volunteers even added flowers to the “Welcome” sign on Montauk Highway near the Delphi Diner.

When there is a big job involved all WIBS members pitch in, but normally each project is maintained by separate WIBS members including several by husband and wife teams. The project managers are: Dorothe’s Island Phyllis and Jack Stehling; Pine Lake -Marie, Rocky and Debbie Pepe; Higbie/Montauk Diane Munch, current WIBS president; Keith Lane John Freville; John Street Lynda and Don Boyle; Delphi Diner Sharon Bieselin and the Senior Citizen Center Amy Moore and Kris Fontana.

The WIBS grant committee deserves obtained grants for the old fashioned clock and lamp posts at Dorothe’s Island and also obtained grants to extend the old style lampposts south on Higbie Lane from Dorothe’s Island. More will be coming next spring.

Come Christmastime both the Society members and the part-timers turned out in full force to decorate the sidewalk planters with greens, ribbons and bows and the fancy lampposts with bows, roping and lights. they also decorate the white picket fence on Montauk Highway near the Library with roping and bows.

WIBS has “adopted” a section of Union Boulevard opposite the shopping centers with five or six members picking up litter once a month along the railroad fence from Dzus Factory to Milligan.

For more information or to get involved call 631-669-8216.