Suggestions for multiple uses for preserved site

From the time the Community Preservation Fund spent $3.9 million to purchase the site at 7 South Cartwright Road, there has been controversy.

Some said it was inappropriate to use CPF money on a property that has a house on it. A similar controversy had erupted several years ago over the possibility of acquiring a house owned by Vincent Novak on the edge of Fresh Pond. That deal never closed after the Town Board at the time decided the investment would not be wise since the house would have to be demolished and there could be considerable remediation of the site needed.

However, the Cartwright property, once belonging to Bolshoi Ballet dancer Magda Saleh and her Egyptologist husband Jack Josephson, was purchased over the objection of then supervisor Gerry Siller, who said the acquisition would set a dangerous precedent.

Since the acquisition, several plans for use with the house remaining intact have been recommended. Among them has been an artists’ group, which envisions the site as an art studio.

One of the CPF’s newest members, Kate Rossi-Snook, suggested it could be an example of a living shoreline, instead of a shoreline hardened with a bulkhead. Ms. Rossi-Snook is an aquaculture specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Another suggestion has been to make the house a meeting place on the Island, but CPF member Cathy Kenny argued there were other sites that could fill that need, including the Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall or the library, when work is completed on its expansion.

“I think the financing of this is a big stumbling block,” Ms. Kenny said at the time.

At the Oct. 20 CPF meeting Mark Thackrah had a multi-use idea that could be largely developed by local parents and children and financed by people with deep pockets. He identified himself as an architect willing to work on the project, if his ideas are embraced.

The site could have a community garden, a hiking path, and what he described as “a wheel park” for children. 

Mr. Thackrah distinguished that from a site with bike ramps, such as those in Greenport and Montauk, saying it would not be a slab of concrete with high ramps. Instead it would be an area for bicyclists to enjoy their sport surrounded by a walking path higher than the wheel path. And because the wheel path was lower, it would help to suppress noise.

An amphitheater could be on the site for educational programs. And a woodworker might like to create a woodworking shop open to other woodworkers.

It was suggested that Mr. Thackrah  might reach out to Jim Pugh, who is an expert at creating community gardens.

CPF members asked Mr. Thackrah to remain in touch with them while proposals for use are explored.