The religiously inclined spend their weekends flocking to their respective houses of worship. Young athletes too cherish their homes away from home.
With upgraded playing fields across the township, what local recreation-loving residents would dare express a desire to spend their free time anywhere other than on the best synthetic ball diamonds timely capital investments did buy?
Kings Park’s Very Own ‘Field of Dreams’
It all started with Kings Park’s ‘Daniel J. Flynn Memorial Park.’ First built in 1979, and located on the border of Kings Park and Commack, the four-field complex recently underwent a major, two-year revamping. The total infrastructure overhaul was completed by the grand re-opening last April, “six to nine months ahead of schedule.”
Satisfying the needs of levels ranging from Little League baseball to uSSSA softball, the youth and adult ballfields – all four of which are named after iconic Kings Park streets – have generated a “completely booked” slate of weekend tournaments and practices, year-round.
A new and improved “double-decker” concessions area features four different observation decks, guaranteeing a perfect view of any and all fields for those seeking an enhanced perspective for that “killer” photo op or broadcasting optimization.
All-cover, special dugout seating was instituted. Bleacher netting will simultaneously shade-protect fans from the scolding sun and the batted ball, with a nice breeze to boot. Significant car space, per the perks of an expanded-upon parking lot, also falls within the far-reaching shadow of trees galore.
A storage hut, pitcher’s warm-up area, and playground round out the field’s most notable “facelifts.” The latter has been centrally relocated to hold closer proximity to each field; thus, the whole family can now take a break and excess with a dose of out-of-school recess at any given chance without missing any of the action.
Flynn Memorial’s restoration efforts were “critical to the economic stability” of the area, according to the Smithtown Town Supervisor’s Office.
“Labor jobs always fuel the local economy directly,” said Public Information Officer Nicole Garguilo. “Workers stopping at the local market, or deli, eating there, bringing home dinner. It seemed crazy, at first; (keeping the project going early on) while other towns looked at us sideways. But we said, ‘we already have the money in place; it’s done. What, are we going to tell these people they’re out of a job? No; we’re going to keep them employed, and that’s going to pay off later. We were incentivized. And look where we are now.’”
Named for Daniel J. Flynn (on-site memorial pictured below), the late Kings Park native with professional baseball aspirations who, at just 20 years old, died less than three weeks after arriving in 1968 Vietnam as a member of the 725th Military Police Battalion, C Company, ‘Flynn Memorial’ clearly still retains its magic on and off the field.
“This park was a special project for me. Danny Flynn was a childhood friend, and a legend on the ballfield in Kings Park, where I grew up,” Supervisor Ed Wehrheim recalled. “I remember getting the news (of Flynn’s death in Vietnam) while I was over there. Twenty days in Country and he gave the ultimate sacrifice… We honor his memory, by sharing his story, and legacy. And so the park; Danny’s ‘field of dreams,’ had to be top notch and that’s exactly what it is!”
“Now, folks up and down the eastern seaboard are talking about this state-of-the-art complex. It is a fantastic asset which belongs to the people of this community, and I hope that everyone can make the time to enjoy and experience it,” Wehrheim added.
Upgrades For St. James and Others
Additional recreation lands around town experiencing intense reconstruction and consideration include St. James’ Gaynor Field and Moriches Park (photo below), otherwise known as Veterans Memorial Park. Both will be ready in time for the Spring seasons set to commence next month.
The town is currently assessing agenda items documented by leading Little League coaches and organizers, with a tentative plan in place to convert all susceptible-to-rainout fields to environmentally-preferred turf. Moreover, the same state-of-the-art LED sports lighting at Flynn Memorial is seeing incorporation across the board.
As far as game-lighting is concerned, Smithtown’s foremost priority: the emergence of soccer, and reacting to the sport’s explosion in popularity by supplying its participants with what’s been continually demanded.
“We just re-turfed the soccer fields at Veterans Memorial Park, and are looking into more expansions where they (soccer fields) are lacking,” Garguilo indicated. “We’ve expanded an area for kickers to practice at Browns Rd. When all these fields were originally built half a century ago, there were at least two or three baseball fields at each, and no soccer fields. Now, they’re everywhere.”
More to Come? Not an ‘If,’ But ‘When’
The Smithtown Town Supervisor’s Office next order of business: purchasing a piece of privately-owned land located a quarter mile away from the Smithtown Bull on 25A. They are currently in active discussions with Senator Mario R. Mattera to obtain the 10 acres of open space for the purpose of creating yet another soccer complex.
Recognizing they already have plenty, the town knows firsthand that it still requires even more (fields) to ensure equal opportunity for all soccer players Smithtown-wide.
“If there’s a soccer field, you can guarantee people are lining up to fight to use it,” Gargiulo said.
Final Takeaway
The rejuvenated fields have already begun to net a phenomenal return on its roughly $7 million dollar investment for the economy. Local pizzerias, diners, shopping centers, hotels – among others – have benefited vastly.
And you can as well. As alluring as Main Street may be, when was the last time you caught a quality ballgame for free?
