A Strike for New Lanes
Whatever you do, don’t call it a bowling alley, said Howard Ellman, architect of what he called the “family entertainment center” planned for East Hampton Indoor Tennis on Daniels Hole Road.
Mr. Ellman and the facility’s owner, Scott Rubenstein, spoke earlier this week about the project with the East Hampton Town Planning Board. The board is ready to approve it once they receive comments from the Suffolk County Planning Commission.
In addition to 10 lanes for bowling, there will be an 18-hole miniature golf course designed by Harris Miniature Golf, Mr. Rubenstein said yesterday.
The plans also call for a 200-seat sports bar, three pool tables, three indoor bocce courts, and a game room. “We will also have a golf simulator with 70 different golf courses you can play on,” he said.
The key to the plan, Mr. Rubenstein said, was bringing something to East Hampton that the whole community could use. Diana Weir, a planning board member, complimented Mr. Rubenstein during the board’s March 9 meeting for reaching out to community groups.
“It is a big project,” said Reed Jones, the board’s chairman, expressing surprise that no one from the public had addressed the board during a Feb. 24 hearing on the plan. Mr. Rubenstein said he had been guided by the town’s Planning Department and the planning board, making for a smoother process.
A new septic system will be designed to handle 150 percent of the flow required under formulas in place in both the town and county. In reality, Mr. Rubenstein said, much of the facility will be used seasonally, while the formulas are based on year-round use of the entire grounds.
Mr. Rubenstein is ready to break ground as soon as the project is approved by the Suffolk County Health Department and the town, but will not work on it in the busy summer months. The best-case scenario, he said, is to have the facility up and running in the spring of 2017. Barring that, he would aim for a September 2017 debut.
A contest is being held to name the facility, with the winner to receive a year of free bowling and golf, along with a dinner for four at the new restaurant.
The South Fork has been without a bowling alley since June of 2013, when East Hampton Bowl closed after a 36-year run. The move also left local leagues and the high school bowling team without a home alley. In the case of the high school team, that may not change with construction of the new facility.
Rather than a traditional pin setup, Mr. Rubenstein is considering a string pinsetter. As the name implies, pins are attached to strings and are reset using a different system than the ones found in regulation lanes. Such systems are supposed to come with lower maintenance and power costs and to reduce the need for an onsite technician. The downside is that those alleys are not sanctioned by the United States Bowling Congress. The East Hampton High School bowling team, for example, could practice on those lanes, but would not be able to play sanctioned tournaments on them.