Babylon Village Trivia: Some Facts Residents May Not Know

As with most residents who grow up in a small town and spend their lives in the same small town, (to paraphrase John Mellencamp who was once known as John Cougar Mellencamp, Johnny Cougar and John Cougar), Babylon Village natives have the valid notion to think they know pretty much everything and everyone. But sometimes there are unique facts and trivia even the oldest living resident might not be aware of.

Patch luckily had an opportunity to spend time with the village's top man in charge of all things highway, maintenance and operations: Skip Gardner. Gardner is an encyclopedic braintrust about what's been done in the village in terms of highway, maintenance and projects, and can not only provide specifics on every village-owned vehicle and operations effort but runs a very skilled and talented work crew that takes care of everything from repairing the waterfalls at Argyle Park to snow cleanup and the daily street cleaning done in the early morning hours.

So Patch picked his brain for some interesting tidbits and mini-facts during a tour of village operations:

• There's always a truck prepped with four yards of sand at the ready in the village and no, it's not for the impromptu snowfall. It's for oil spill incidents and it has certainly saved some lives and helped avoid car crashes as the village has provided it in emergency situations throughout the town when needed.
• There are 185 streets in Babylon Village but no one's quite sure if that includes some of the most recent such as Turkey Lane and Rosebud Court.
• The village flowerhouse operation, where all the plants for the beautification efforts  and holiday decor during December come to life, is the backbone for making the village's 65 gardens come to life each year.
• The village highway department is out every morning doing a road sweep of the business district and railroad station area and everything's typically clean by the time commuters start pulling into the lots and well before shop owners open their doors for business.
• The trees along Carlston Place, on the north side of the main Babylon Fire House, and those on the sidewalk borders on North Carll Avenue in front of the fire station, aren't just a decorative touch. Most have been planted in honor of a deceased village firefighter and boast a plaque, bought by family members, that honors the fireman's service to the village. Right now there is a waiting list and requests for a commemorative tree should be made through the mayor's office.

Know something unique about the village, or a village neighborhood? Send it in to Patch for the next trivia article. Email judy.mottl@patch.com or post it in the comments below.