After months of renovation work, the Ponquogue Beach Pavilion and Facility, the Town’s most popular ocean beach, is ready for its close-up. The Southampton Town Board will hold a ribbon cutting in time for the 2019 beach season.
Monday, May 20, 2019 at 11am
Ponquogue Beach Pavilion and Facility
280Dune Road, Hampton Bays
The facility will then close for a few days to put on some final touches and to get ready for beach goers. It will re-open to the public on May 25.
The renovation began in November, 2018 and will be completed for this Memorial Day weekend. Built in 1966, the entire 3.9 acres site has been transformed into a modern, eco-friendly facility utilizing sustainable products, including an increase in natural lighting through sky-lights and harvesting rain-water for irrigation and restrooms.
In addition, the renovation includes a new roof, upgrades to exterior materials including epi decking and low maintenance, chemical free siding. The ramp to the beach has been extended and widened and the concession area has a new look with additional outdoor seating. The indoor and outdoor lighting has been replaced with LED fixtures. There are more outdoor showers and the renovated restrooms include changing areas. The parking lot has been upgraded with rain gardens and native plantings. The parking area surface has been recoated and restriped. And, the attendance booth and entrance have been replaced and modernized to improve appearance, accessibility and safety. Electric Vehicle charging stations will also be installed. The total renovation costs $3.35 million.
The improvements follow several community meetings, including a beach survey and an on-line poll. The Community responded overwhelmingly in favor of keeping it a “low key and family oriented beach”. The Town Board worked closely with the Parks and Recreation Department and the architects to achieve that goal and create a facility that is reminiscent of the old but more spacious, more accessible and more sustainable.
