The underutilized Town Lane Park in East Hampton, where works by the late sculptor Sasson Soffer are on permanent display, could see a dramatic transformation, as proposed to the town board on Tuesday by Soffer’s widow, Stella Sands, and Emily Goldstein of the Drawing Room gallery in East Hampton.
The town acquired the five-acre property at 173 Town Lane in 2006 with the understanding that it become a sculpture park, Scott Wilson, director of the town’s Land Acquisition and Management Department, told the board. At least half of the property is heavily wooded, he said, describing the park in its present condition as “a bit rustic,” with a dirt parking area and narrow dirt paths. “At this time, the property is not as inviting as it could be,” he said.
A previous presentation to the Nature Preserve Committee drew an enthusiastic response, said Michael Jordan and Richard Mamay, its co-chairmen.
Ms. Sands and Ms. Goldstein told the board that the Sasson Soffer Foundation is prepared to fund the initial scope of the work, which they propose include widening and improving the entry road; a new parking area; potential additional access from the East Hampton Housing Authority property on Accabonac Road; creation of paths with consideration of wheelchairs and strollers while minimizing contact with ticks; benches and a common seating area for educational programs; signs to introduce visitors to the flora, fauna, and art at the site, and native plantings to encourage pollinators and serve as wildlife habitat.
“Sasson always envisioned this park to be a community park” where people could enjoy sculpture, wildlife, and the landscape, Ms. Sands told the board. “We never got it together enough to make it work.” With Ms. Goldstein’s help, she said, a vision to create a unique setting in which residents and visitors could appreciate the natural beauty and the artwork coalesced.
“The thing that piqued my interest was this five-acre parcel and the sculpture that was allowed to stay there in perpetuity to be enjoyed by the community,” Ms. Goldstein said, describing “a diamond in the rough.”
“I hope there is a way for the community to benefit further from its presence,” she said.
Preliminary discussions with educators, naturalists, and professionals who work with elderly, youth, and those with special needs, demonstrated unanimous support for the concept of using the park for enjoyment of the outdoors and learning about science and art, Ms. Goldstein said. With enhanced access and sustainable native planting, she said, the site could be a springboard for programming in ecology, biology, ornithology, art, and art history as well as a place for fresh air, relaxation, and mental health. Along with the nature preserve committee, representatives of Project Most, LongHouse Reserve, the East Hampton Housing Authority, the Parrish Art Museum, and the Duck Creek Arts Center have expressed interest and support.
“Sasson was a public sculptor,” Ms. Sands said, a believer in art for the public. His work was displayed in public spaces, she said. “Give us feedback as to what kind of driveway, pathways, how we do this,” she asked of the board, repeating the pledge that the Sasson Soffer Foundation would fund the initial scope of the work.
“We love to hear that,” Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez said.
Ms. Goldstein recommended exploring a public-private partnership, suggesting a Shelter Island resident who she said has been involved in many such projects in New York City and across the United States.
She and Ms. Sands presented renderings by the deMauro + deMauro landscape designer. They are committed to natural and sustainable designs that are unique to the East End’s ecology, Ms. Sands said, and “you’d be able to see sculptures from every point.”
The nature preserve committee “has approved going ahead and moving forward with this,” Mr. Jordan said. “We think it will be a big improvement to the property. . . . What can be created here will be really nice.”
“A lot of improvements can be made that will be of great benefit to the community,” Mr. Mamay added.
Richard Whalen, who has led hikes that started or ended in the park for the East Hampton Trails Preservation Society, also spoke in support of the proposal.
Board members were unanimously supportive of the plan. “Thank you for your generosity,” Ms. Burke-Gonzalez told the women.
