Brentwood Skate Park Garners Needed Funding After Outcry

BRENTWOOD, NY — A long-time dream for a Brentwood skate park is set to become a reality, thanks to the advocacy of the community's youth.

The Islip town board passed a resolution approving a change of zone last week to apply for and accept $450,000 in grant funding from Dormitory Authority of the State of New York for the construction of the Roberto Clemente Skate Park.

The funding is the exact amount needed in the town's budget to complete the project's total cost, a representative confirmed.

The resolution comes after Assemblyman Philip Ramos (D-Brentwood) announced he could garner the funding, a representative confirmed.

Islip town officials originally approved contracts for a spray and skate park to be built in 2019, according to a report in Newsday. Ramos also originally donated an additional $250,000 to the project in 2019.

When the pandemic hit, the project came to a halt.

Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter told Patch that she intended to pass a resolution in March to continue the construction.

However, with increasing costs of materials due to the pandemic and recent inflation, the Town of Islip no longer had enough finances in its budget to construct the park, she said, and the town attorney advised tabling the matter.

In May, 2021, the office of Attorney General Letitia James delivered $627,000 to the Town of Islip from eight companies involved in illegal dumping of toxic waste in the park. The funds were intended to "be used to improve public park facilities in the Brentwood community, including Roberto Clemente Park."

However, Carpenter said that the town was unable to use the money for a skate park, as the funds were only authorized for use by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Alberto Melgar, a graduating senior at Brentwood High School, created a petition, crying out for the Attorney General's office to obtain the settlement money in order to fund the skate park.

Although he doesn't skate himself, Melgar said he recognized how much a skate park would mean to his peers.

"I think there's a lack of safe recreational facilities, like parks our community," he said. "I thought that working and fighting for this skatepark will create an amazing environment for kids to go and play safely."

The high school senior said he co-created the petition with Hassan Ahmed, a newly elected trustee on the Brentwood Board or Education. The two met in May at the supervisor's community meeting, with a goal of funding the park.

Melgar then networked with Brentwood High School students, teachers, and staff, he said, and obtained 1,110 signatures. He also attending Town Hall meetings and met with Ramos and Carpenter, who herself signed the petition.

"My purpose in this movement, it was listen to all the sides of the issue, understand what was going on and know the facts," Melgar said. "The whole point of this movement is to build a consensus, instead of trying to point fingers — bringing leaders together to create a solution."

Ramos told Patch he was inspired to take action after speaking with Melgar.

"They didn't care if that if the money fell from the sky, they just wanted the skate park," said Assemblyman Ramos. "This young man's maturity and the work that he did really impressed me. It motivated me to find a Plan B."

Construction is expected to begin within the next 30 days, a representative told Patch. Weather permitting, the project is anticipated to be completed between 60 to 90 days.

The Brentwood Youth Advisory Board, a youth advocacy group created by Councilman Jorge Guadrón (District 1), rallied last month, after their frustration over the park not being built.

Joshua Chan, the board's president, told Patch how satisfying it is to see action take place.

"It feels unreal, because for the first time ever, we organized youth, and it got done," said Chan. "I'm so happy Assemblyman Philip Ramos listened to our call to action on that."

However, Carpenter told Patch that Guadrón has not spoken with the other members of the town board about the skate park, and never announced the creation of the youth group.

"I have been unwavering in my commitment to not only the skate park but the entire Roberto Clemente Park," said Carpenter. "We've got a brand new Olympic-sized swimming pool with these gorgeous sail sunshades and lounge chairs and parking. It's magnificent."

Ramos said that he donated to the park in 2019 to bring a new era to Brentwood, and he is dedicated to continuing this promise.

"In a classic case of environmental racism, we've been able to invest $2 million to put the spray park there, we invested over $1 million to clean up," said Ramos. "So this skate park is just another phase of building back bigger and better ."

Guadrón has not yet responded for comment.