News

Sound Avenue 9/11 park plan wins Suffolk County approvals

Thomas Kelly, FDNY
BARBARAELLEN KOCH PHOTOS| Reeves Park residents placed candles at a small memorial for Tom Kelly near Sound Avenue earlier this month on Sept. 11. A new park would be dedicated to his memory.

Plans to build a 9-11 Memorial Park on a four-acre parcel Suffolk County is proposing to buy on the corner of Park Road and Sound Avenue in Baiting Hollow took a step forward last week, when the Suffolk County Parks Trustees approved the park plan at their meeting in Montauk.

Suffolk County still needs to actually purchase the land, which requires an authorizing resolution from the county Legislature.

The property is owned by EMB Enterprises, headed by Kenney Barra, who had originally sought to build shops ton the parcel until the plan ran into opposition.

His attorney, Peter Danowski, has recently questioned whether the county plans to move forward with the purchase, citing the time it’s taken, although officials recently said the acquisition is moving forward.

The park would be dedicated to nearby Reeves Avenue resident Thomas Kelly, a NYC firefighter.

Bob Kelly, Tom’s brother, recently told the News-Review he hopes the park will happen within the next year.

He envisions the site as a memorial for all those who died on that day, as well as the families, loved ones and those who have gotten sick and died from working in the toxic air in the days and weeks that followed.

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