Southampton Town Hosts Ribbon Cutting for Good Ground Park

Southampton Town officials and the community turned out in force last week for a ribbon cutting and flag raising ceremony at Good Ground Park in Hampton Bays.

A crowd gathered on October 14 at Good Ground Park, located off Squiretown Road, with local and state elected officials past and present turning out for the ceremony.

On Saturday, the community enjoyed a day-long celebration at the preliminary opening of the park, town officials said.

Fun included entertainment and activities at the park's natural amphitheater.

The park will close down to the public as Phase Two kicks off with plans to build a comfort station and playgrounds.

A grand celebration will take place in the summer of 2017, when the 36-acre park will officially open to the public.

The ribbon cutting was a day long in coming: A dream for the park was first born more than 10 years ago, when Southampton Town officials purchased the parcel with Community Preservation Funds for $3.5 million.

New York State pitched in nearly $2 million in grant funding for the park, with construction begun in February.

The goal is for the park to become the jewel of the hamlet, a cultural center for the Hampton Bays business district, town officials said in a release.

“We are excited for residents and visitors to take a look at this unique par," Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said. “We hope the community will be very proud of this beautiful amphitheater and enjoy taking their families to see some top rated performances in their own backyard. This is truly a gem for eastern Long Island."

Patch photos courtesy of Southampton Town.