NORTHPORT, NY — A ceremony was held Friday to dedicate the renovated basketball court at Cow Harbor Park to the coach of the Long Island championship-winning 1995 Northport High School boys basketball team.
Kennedy Court will be dedicated to John Kennedy, who coached the team to victory.
The renovation is the first phase of the project, said Thomas Radman, a member of the 1995 Northport High School team who helped lead fundraising efforts for the court. Renovations included a new playing surface and hoops, as well as perimeter drainage to protect the harbor. Trees were donated by the Northport Native Garden initiative, Radman said. A separate fundraiser by the Louis J. Acompora Foundation was held to have a defibrillator installed in the park, Radman said.
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The team’s original blueprint also featured a rain garden and renovated bathrooms meant to “complete the beautification” of a portion of Cow Harbor Park, Radman said.
“The real dream is for this court to result in great Northport basketball players and teams,” Radman told Patch. “We’d love for people to say, ‘Do you remember the Northport team that won the Long Island championship?’ and they wouldn’t know who you were talking about because so many championships have been won, it’s become commonplace.”
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The basketball court renovations were first pitched in 2021 by the championship team, which began fundraising efforts to refurbish the park’s basketball court.
Support for the project was mixed, with opponents concerned over the character of Cow Harbor Park and how the court’s increase in size would impact the facility. Residents and trustees were also concerned about the safety of parkgoers after a November 2022 boring study by McDonald Geoservices discovered the “odor of petrochemicals” near the potential dig site for the basketball court renovation project, prompting the DEC to oversee its own study over a year later.
The DEC will not require additional investigation at the Northport park, the site of a former LILCO power plant, an agency spokesman told Patch earlier this year. The DEC said there was no indication of a petroleum release at the planned dig site and “considers this matter resolved.”
“DEC takes all reports of potential environmental contamination seriously and works to ensure compliance with state laws and regulations that are protective of public health and the environment,” the DEC wrote in a statement.
On Nov. 29, 2023, the DEC oversaw the collection of soil and groundwater samples at Cow Harbor Park by Village of Northport and Town of Huntington consultants, the agency said. The agency said the soil boring was done in the same spot as the 2022 boring that indicated the presence of a petrochemical odor at the soil and groundwater interface just over 5 feet below the surface. Mixed sand, loam and gravel are above the water.
The 2022 boring study caused tension on the Northport Village Board. Then-trustee Ernest Pucillo notified the DEC of the petrochemical smell, leading the agency to oversee the recent boring, after he said the village did not report the issue or notify the trustees.
Deputy Mayor Joseph Sabia was fired from his position at a Nov. 8, 2023 board meeting after Mayor Donna Koch said on or about Oct. 24, 2023, Sabia and Trustee Dave Weber were “down in Cow Harbor Park, a clear violation” of the village’s open meetings’ law. Sabia said the meeting was coincidental and not planned.
Koch, at the board meeting, said Sabia and Pucillo’s actions were “nothing short of a coup d’é·tat” against the village.
Before the DEC did its boring study, Pucillo, Sabia and some village residents expressed health concerns regarding the planned basketball court expansion, as the park is the site of a former LILCO power plant.
Pucillo previously said he was pleased that Cow Harbor is “safe for renovation and public access.”
“We can feel better that the people and children are not being exposed to any hazardous conditions,” Pucillo previously said.
Kevin Kavanaugh, a Northport Village resident, started a petition to halt the expansion of the basketball court in Cow Harbor Park. More than 1,350 people signed the online version, with more signing on paper, Kavanaugh said.
Kavanaugh previously said the expansion would result in trees being cut down and grass getting replaced with concrete, as well as “jeopardize the natural charm” of the park and “impose financial burdens on taxpayers.”
Sabia said he was never against the basketball court, though he was against “the way it was rolled out.”
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“The mayor and board made a promise to the village taxpayers the court could be rebuilt as long it did not cost the village taxpayers 1 dollar,” Sabia said. “So, I voted no because it cost so far $35K and going higher. I think the court is beautiful, and I hope the children enjoy it for many years to come. But the next, time tell the village taxpayers the truth from the beginning.”
Koch did not respond to Patch’s email request for comment.
Radman said compromises were made to save certain trees after concerns from village residents.
“I would say thank you to anyone who provided their opinion whether for or against the court,” Radman said. “I think the village board did a really good job of holding multiple hearings and trying to listen to as many people as they could — and many compromises were made to result in this finished product. I’m glad people pointed out areas of concern for the plans because it caused everyone to take a careful look on exactly which trees could be spared and what is the ideal size to balance basketball play as well as the great charm of the park. Now that the basketball renovation is over, I hope everyone can agree and become united in installing beautiful rain gardens and getting those bathrooms renovated.”
The basketball team’s GoFundMe page raised more than $114,000for the renovation, and $75,000 was matched by a NYS State and Municipal Facilities grant.
Radman said the court renovation was one of the first and “certainly largest” community projects he was involved in. He encouraged others to get involved in their communities and volunteer their skills.
“The more I learned about fundraising, the more I understood it’s a really important part of a happy life, and it was a great way to reconnect with old teammates and also classmates who it is all too easy to lose touch with as the years go by,” Radman said. “But you truly don’t get as close with people as you do with those you grow up with in the same way, so I’m really grateful for this opportunity.”
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