Health & Fitness
The Case for a Village Green
Making a case for why Hauppauge needs a village center, or centrally located park.
I believe that I have found something around which I hope nearly all Hauppauge residents and businesses can agree with. Hauppauge lacks a village green, hamlet square, or "central park" of sorts for the common use of all of its residents as passive recreation.
Some may counter with the Methodist Church's cemetery, which while ideal for quiet reflection was not designed for use as a public park lacking open unobstructed lawns, paving stone pathways, fountains, a small amphitheater/ bandshell, monuments commemorating Hauppauge's history or the contributions of its citizens, accent lighting for night time use, or a unitary design inviting public use rather than private preservation.
Such a village green or hamlet square would serve a number of purposes. It would reinforce Hauppauge's place identity, especially if it were to include monuments commemorating our history. Our hamlet would become a more desirable place for residence and business with such an exhibition of warmth and pride. Furthermore, it could reinforce the center of Hauppauge as a hamlet "downtown" encouraging people to walk or bike to shops, services, and restaurants, or even to picnic in our hamlet square. It could become a hub of activity for our community's various social groups, with the potential for meetings or performances.
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The final salient concern of this reverie would be, where could we locate such a public space? It just so happens that the landscaped lot east of Moloney's Funeral Home is vacant land not owned by the funeral home. The lot west of the funeral home is also worth consideration, particularly due to the large number of mature trees. Both lots are located on one of Hauppauge's oldest roadways and are thus prime candidates.
As an example of what such a square could possibly look like I recommend checking out The Green in Morristown, NJ; The Village Green in Woodstock, VT; the Race Street Pier in Philadelphia, PA (http://www.visitphilly.com/museums-attractions/philadelphia/race-street-...), or the Village Green in Lindenhurst, NY.
