Editorial: Us-versus-them mentality no benefit to Cow Harbor Park project or community

Entitled. Outsiders. Part of the “me, me, me” generation.

Those were the words used at the September 5 Northport Village board meeting to describe project organizers and supporters of the Cow Harbor Park Revitalization project, a plan first presented to the former Village administration over two years ago. A lengthy and tedious process followed, beginning with the election of new leadership: multiple presentations have since been given to get the board and community up to speed, a public hearing held, a compromise reached, and a resolution to move the project forward unanimously approved by the current mayor and trustees.

Yet a wave of discontent for plans to restore the long-neglected basketball court in Cow Harbor Park to a better, safer and yes, slightly bigger, state has reemerged. Emotions boiled over at the last Northport Village board of trustees meeting, with some of those opposed to the project resorting to an us-versus-them mentality that pitted Village taxpayers against the “outsiders” they believe will benefit from the renovations.

The resistance by community members has been displayed, at times, in a manner that contradicts the original purpose of this project – to give back to a community that not only helped shape the teenage boys who once gathered and scrimmaged at the court into outstanding basketball players and professionals, but contributed to long-lasting and impactful relationships with their neighbors, friends and mentors.

The original project organizers, the 1995 high school champs, are not entitled or part of the “me, me me” generation. They are generous, thoughtful and well-intentioned graduates of Northport High School, some of whom are now raising families of their own in and around Northport. For the first few decades of their lives, many of them lived in Northport Village. Their efforts to bring back to life an area of the park originally designed to give space – open, safe, functional space – to children, teens and families are admirable, more so now, in light of the challenges and disparaging comments they’ve had to endure to make their vision a reality.

Many community members, both in Northport Village and in the Town of Huntington (TOH), are on board. Funds raised from private citizens and local businesses pushed the initial plans forward. A grant from New York State, initiated by then-NYS senator and Northport resident Jim Gaughran with the full support of Trustee Dave Weber, brought in $75,000 for the project, while a plan to fully fund the rest of the project via the Town of Huntington’s Environmental and Open Space and Park Fund (EOSPA) is currently in the works. The Northport Native Garden Initiative, a local nonprofit, is supplying its expertise for a native garden, including perennials, shrubs and trees, that will border parts of the new court.

It’s a shining example of how a community can work together to benefit multiple generations with long overdue change, how a quaint little village like Northport can update and upgrade itself so that its residents, their neighbors and the environment can thrive into the future.

Recently, however, a campaign focused on skewed truths and misinformation has left the facts behind in favor of a fight members of the “Save Cow Harbor Park Committee” say is based largely on saving trees. The campaign, which has spilled from a full-page newspaper ad into the comment sections of local Facebook groups, sparked an ugly and divisive response both on social media and at this past week’s Village board meeting. In an effort to address the misinformation and keep the public informed with facts, we’ve provided a summary of the current plan and process below.

The Northport Journal has published 13 articles on the topic over the last two years, covering any changes to the plan and process every step of the way; we estimate at least two dozen articles have been available to the public both online and in print since the project was first announced.

Court size and plan details
The revitalized court size will be 64 feet long x 48 feet wide, eight feet longer than the existing court. It is not a full-size court (most high school courts measure 84 feet long x 50 feet wide and professional courts even larger), but it is enough to include an entire three-point arc. Dimensions of the full paved area of the court will expand from its current size of 53 feet long x 40 feet wide to 66 feet long x 50 feet wide.

Claims that Cow Harbor Park will become an “athletic field,” and that “the entire section” of the park, including the area between the existing court and the playground, as well as the space north of that area, will be changed by the court are simply not true.

A compromise reached
On July 8, 2022, Northport Village Mayor Donna Koch and the project organizers had a private meeting to discuss a compromise on the plan originally presented to the former administration. At that time, the two parties agreed to reduce the proposed new court size and “scale down” the hardscape around it. Koch noted that she wanted to lessen the overall footprint of the project. The organizers agreed and asked, in return, to ensure that a rain garden would be added to the “swamp area” of the park, next to the court, and that the court be dedicated to lifelong Northport resident and youth basketball coach and mentor, John Kennedy.

The compromised court size was announced at the beginning of the July 12 public hearing. At that meeting, after hearing from the public, the board voted unanimously to move forward with the scaled-down version and hire engineering firm J.R. Holzmacher P.E. to prepare a new plan. The board voted unanimously to send the completed plan out to bid on January 3, 2023.

The compromised plan, which went out to bid and was available to the public on January 6, 2023, includes a 3,300-square-foot basketball court finished with a SportMaster surfacing system, masonry bench seating, a 550-square-foot rain garden, a black vinyl-coated chain link fence to run along the back and street-side of the court, and a 2,809-square-foot walkway to run along the harbor-side of the court.

It is important to remind those unfamiliar with the plan that a basketball court currently exists in the space, and has since the late 1970s. The new walkways will replace and add to walkways already in place, but will be made with permeable pavers, which allow for better drainage.

Tree removal
Up to 12 trees could be removed for the entire Cow Harbor Park Revitalization project, though Village officials have said they’ll try to save as many trees as possible. Six to eight trees are slated to be removed due to the basketball court construction, one of which is growing directly under the court and causing the asphalt to crack, and four because of hazardous conditions resulting from the trees growing into and over power lines on Woodbine Avenue. Another tree will be removed for an upcoming bathroom renovation in Cow Harbor Park which, although part of the overall revitalization, has been funded separately by the contributions of a private resident. Twenty mature trees will remain in the space surrounding the court, picnic benches and playground.

At the July 2022 public hearing, Mayor Koch stated that few to no trees would be lost in the new plan. When asked at this week’s meeting why she has since accepted the removal of trees, the mayor admitted that the planning process opened her eyes to scenarios incapable of being avoided. “I originally didn’t want to lose any trees,” she said at the meeting. “But when you look at the project and you grow, learn and educate yourself, there are trees, no matter what we do, that are going to have to come down.”

Landscape additions
The project plan includes the addition of new trees, shrubs and native plantings where the park meets Woodbine Avenue, with an infiltration rain garden and a row of emerald green arborvitae behind the court fencing.

At Tuesday’s Village board meeting, Nicole Tamaro, co-founder of the local nonprofit Northport Native Garden Initiative (NNGI), stated that the organization plans to donate additional trees to Cow Harbor Park. “We hear the importance of the trees that are there in the park…and we agree that they are truly important,” she said. “So we would like to work in collaboration with the Village in donating multiple trees to Cow Harbor Park to meet the needs of the community that’s looking for shade, quaintness and different types of trees.” She said the donated trees will be substantial in size and contribute to an improved ecology in the park, and agreed, at the suggestion of Mayor Koch, to start the paperwork to have them donated as soon as possible.
Tamaro shared how excited she is that the Village approved a project that will maximize the green space in that area. “The word ‘green space’ does not just mean trees and grass,” she said. “It means having biodiversity – multiple different types of trees and plants that bring in pollinators, birds and butterflies.”

Funding
Over $143,000 has been raised to support the basketball court revitalization project. Donations made by over 230 unique donors to the project’s GoFundMe campaign have brought in $68,075 to date. In December 2021, then-New York State Senator James Gaughran announced the procurement of a $75,000 State and Municipal Facilities (SAM) grant for the project, funds which could be available to the Village within the next 60 to 90 days, Senator Mario Mattera’s office told the Journal this week.

The plan is for the Town of Huntington’s Environmental Open Safe and Park Fund Advisory Committee (EOSPA) to provide the additional funding needed to finish the project. According to Trustee Dolan, the raised funds will be used to complete the court, fencing and drainage, and the Village will work with EOSPA to cover the remaining parts of the plan, which include the rain garden and masonry.

Northport Village’s contribution to the project will be made with labor, as the highway department will be handling some of the demolition and site preparation work, which is expected to take one to two days at an estimated cost – in highway department salary – of just over $40,000.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Koch ensured the public that Village officials will not break ground until funding for the entire project is secured.

Timeline and communications
July 2021: Members of the Northport High School 1995 Long Island Champion Boys Basketball team present a plan to revitalize the basketball court to the then-Village board. Board members vote on, and unanimously approve, the proposal.

August 2021: The team unveils a GoFundMe page to help raise the money to put their plan into action.

December 2021: The team raises over $66,000 with GoFundMe. New York State Senator James Gaughran, in collaboration with the Village, announces the procurement of a $75,000 State and Municipal Facilities (SAM) grant. The team presents an expanded plan, which includes the hardscape, native plantings and larger court, to the board, led then by Mayor Damon McMullen.

March 2022: Donna Koch is elected as mayor of Northport Village; trustees Meghan Dolan, Ernie Pucillo and Joe Sabia join Dave Weber on the board.

May 2022: The team presents the plan to the newly elected Village board during a public board of trustees meeting. Mayor Koch states that the project would require plan approval by the Town of Huntington and certified project drawings are submitted.

June 2022: With town approval in place, the Village schedules a public hearing for July 12, at which residents are invited to voice their support of or opposition to the project.

July 2022: Mayor Koch and the team come to a compromise during a private meeting. The plan, now with a smaller footprint, is announced to the public at the beginning of the July 12 public hearing. The board votes to hire engineering firm J.R. Holzmacher P.E. to prepare the new plan.

September 2022: The new engineering plans are received by the Village for review.

January 2023: The project plan goes out to bid. Cost proposals far exceed the $140,000 raised for the initiative, with the lowest bid at $336,700. Trustee Dolan and Trustee Dave Weber meet with EOSPA to discuss the project, and 1995 teammate Doug Trani presents the plan to the committee.

July 2023: Trustee Dolan states during a public Village meeting that the plan is to “piece out” the project, with EOSPA and Village Highway Department covering the remaining costs and labor.

August 2023: A petition entitled “Save Cow Harbor Park” is circulated by Village resident Kevin Kavanaugh. Mayor Koch assures the public that the project is moving forward.

Outsiders? The Village lease with Huntington
Northport Village does not own the property that makes up Cow Harbor Park; the Village is in a 40-year lease, signed in February 1987, with the TOH. The lease divides the property into five parcels that include Cow Harbor Park and the waterfront area at the end of Main Street. The land that’s part of the proposed court revitalization is Parcel 4 and, as noted in the lease, is to be used as a public park available to both Northport Village and Town of Huntington residents.

The Cow Harbor Revitalization project is being funded by residents within and outside of Northport Village, through private donations, a state grant, Huntington’s EOSPA contribution, and labor from the Village Highway Department. It is a collaborative effort that will signify approximately $600,000 in improvements and upgrades to the area. The end result can and should be enjoyed by all TOH residents, as the lease indicates.

What’s next?
The Village is in the final steps of obtaining funding through EOSPA and receiving the state SAM grant. Once all funds are received, officials will be able to break ground on the project, which is expected to happen in late fall/early winter.