Construction of Celebrate Park in Saint James just gained another boost with a generous donation this week from the St. James Chamber of Commerce.
Town of Smithtown officials joined Chamber board members on Monday, July 12, for presentation of a donation of $20,000 – represented by a large facsimile check! The money, donated to the Town of Smithtown, will be used towards the construction of a new park, centrally located on Lake Avenue, the hamlet’s ‘Main Street.’
“The St. James Chamber of Commerce has been a leader in offering assistance to businesses and residents alike during the pandemic. Now they are leading the charge in rebuilding our economy,” said Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim.
Once construction is complete, the new park and its amenities will complement the St. James Cultural and Arts District, providing a central performance space and village green, accompanied by a new off-street municipal parking lot, to help drive economic revitalization and create a more ‘walkable’ downtown.
“On behalf of the town, I am truly humbled to accept this very generous donation towards constructing this beautiful new park. This funding will be most helpful in ensuring our success in constructing a spectacular gathering place for the community, which will undoubtedly boost foot traffic to the local shops along Lake Avenue,” Wehrheim added.
At a groundbreaking ceremony and press conference at the site on November 4, 2020,
Natalie Weinstein, then president of Celebrate St. James and longtime business-owner and resident of the hamlet, praised the effort and noted its importance to St. James.
“This ground we stand on will, in the near future, be a place to gather, enjoy, and celebrate St. James and all it has to offer,” said Weinstein, still active in the efforts to boost her community. “[The park] will celebrate our ‘Hometown Heroes’ and our art, music, history, and culture. It will celebrate who we are and who we strive to be,” she added.
Community Effort
Celebrate St. James, Past – Present – Future, a local 501(c)(3) arts organization, has spearheaded fundraising efforts and solicited local Landscape Architect Bob Retnauer of RDA and Architect Michael Morbillo of Enspire Design Group to create plans for the park.
In an intergovernmental contract with Suffolk County, the Town of Smithtown purchased the former Irish Viking property in the summer of 2020, to construct a municipal parking lot. The Town has continued to coordinate with the not-for-profit group on the park design, funded 100% by donations from several organizations and families and residents of the community.
The former pub has now been completely demolished, and the property leveled. The Smithtown Highway Department has recently completed the installation of drainage infrastructure on the site.
As highway and construction crews continue with the construction of the municipal parking area and foundation work for the park, a rigorous planning phase is also underway to create the new open space and amenities. The Planning Department, as well as the community development coordinator, has met regularly with the two architects, Retnauer and Morbillo, regarding the process and progress of the park construction.
The architects, also St. James residents, have volunteered their craft and time to design “what will undoubtedly be a beautiful gathering place for Town of Smithtown residents,” Wehrheim noted.
“Our ‘Celebrate Park’ will also be a testament to what can be achieved when town government and the community work together for a common goal and the common good,” Weinstein said at the November groundbreaking.
Design plans for Celebrate Park can be found online at CelebrateStJames.org.
