A paved, multiuse recreation path has been completed at Boys and Girls Harbor Park, a large wooded property off Springy Banks Road, on the west side of Three Mile Harbor in Northwest Woods in East Hampton. The paved pathway accommodates users of all ages and abilities, including children learning to ride bicycles, according to a statement issued by East Hampson Town last week.
The original Boys Harbor camp was founded by Anthony Drexel Duke and, from 1954 to 2006, was a rural summer sanctuary for underprivileged inner-city youth who came to the camp to hike, boat, swim, and learn about nature. Some 26 acres of the camp property were sold by the Duke family to East Hampton Town and Suffolk County in 2011 for $7.3 million, with money coming from the Community Preservation Fund. At the time that sale was finalized, in 2011, Mr. Duke made it clear that he hoped to prevent the overdevelopment of the land, on a sensitive and stressed watershed, and hoped it would be used by the public.
The new pathway is the second Americans With Disabilities Act-accessible trail installed at a town recreational property and part of an ongoing effort to increase access for all at public places. A similar A.D.A.-accessible trail can be found at the Buckskill Meadow Preserve, in East Hampton Village.
The Boys and Girls Harbor site has, in the eyes of many observers, been underutilized since it became a park. A bunkhouse, mess hall, and other structures were removed; an open-air pavilion and a comfort station are yet to be installed.
“All of East Hampton’s residents and visitors should be able to access the town’s facilities and parks,” Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc said in the statement from Town Hall. “The addition of multiuse paths to our extensive natural trails system, and the use of equipment such as beach mats and available beach wheelchairs help to remove the impediments that can prevent some from enjoying the best of East Hampton.”
A ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for Monday morning was postponed due to inclement weather. It has been rescheduled for Monday at 11 a.m
