The Evolution of Bay Avenue

In the fall of 2023 the MPD commissioners asked our Facilities Manager Ben Heins to install a dog park at an underutilized park district property on Bay Ave. While surveying the property, Commissioner Deegan met renowned industrial designer and Mattituck resident Brad Ascilon. As an avid tennis player Brad volunteered to help reimagine the property that houses our 50-year old tennis courts. 

Heins' next step was to call in Kristin Curtin, Deputy Beach Master for the Orient-East Marion Park District. They had worked together on multiple park, construction, and historic preservation projects. (Curtin has since joined the staff of the Mattituck Park District as Heins' assistant.) Over the next two months Brad, Kristin, and Ben drew dozens of plans for the property and determined a dog park just didn’t work. (We have since created a dog park at Aldrich Fields, Grand Opening coming in May, although it is open now)

Kristin suggested we abandon the idea of a dog park for Bay Ave. and utilize the property as a pollinator garden. The three of us went back to the drawing board and laid out a ½ mile hiking trail, berms for plants, a new tennis court location, a kayak launch and parking we felt fully utilized the property. Our drawings ranged from back-of-the-envelope drawings like this one: 

To more formal designs:

While the original plan called for some plants and seeding, when Alexandra Getches was elected commissioner, she offered her expertise to fully flesh out the pollinator garden and trails. Alexandra determined a mass planting of established plants would be better than utilizing seeds and small numbers of plantings, and the idea of “Planting Day” was born. Commissioner Getches curated a selection of some 1,650 drought-resistant native plants that will attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Originally scheduled for last fall, the historic drought forced us to postpone planting to this Spring.

On April 26th volunteers from throughout the region will gather to finish creating this beautiful natural resource and walking experience. Please join us; the more, the merrier. We will gather at noon, after the plants have been distributed across the property, ready for planting. Commissioner Getches will give a how-to demonstration, and then we'll get busy. Balo food truck will arrive a couple hours later, when we've all worked up an appetite.

When we're all done, the meadow will grow into a beautiful new amenity for residents and visitors--human and otherwise--for generations to come. You'll want to say you were a part of makiing it happen. Please sign up to help here.