Keep It Passive

Cilli Farm in Sag Harbor has remained untouched since it was preserved in 2000 in a joint effort by the Village of Sag Harbor, Southampton Town and Suffolk County. At the time, the effort to preserve the 9-acre parcel had a singular goal: to protect it from development. In that respect, the effort was more than successful.

However, while the property has been left alone, it is fairly overgrown and in need of some attention. That, perhaps, is why the nonprofit Dawgpatch Bandits Inc. last week proposed taking over stewardship of Cilli Farm, to remove some of the rusted-out car parts on the site, a vestige of days past, as well as invasive vegetation.

Drew Harvey, the ambitious, community-minded and talented leader behind this nonprofit, suggested that the organization also could put in walking and biking paths and install flora and fauna signs to create a passive park for residents at Cilli Farm, with his group funding the park’s maintenance through its fundraising efforts.

Mr. Harvey is quite impressive, and since 2018 his nonprofit has been very successful in raising funds to support initiatives that empower people to make healthy choices in the face a growing opioid epidemic. The Sag Harbor native’s efforts have been largely focused on supporting the local community. This proposal appears to be in that same spirit.

Few would disagree with the idea that Cilli Farm could use a bit of attention, more than it’s gotten in the past two decades since its municipal purchase. However, it was preserved as open space, and while more stewardship is important — the area is often littered with garbage and old beer and soda cans — the village, town and county should move forward with caution on any plans that do anything more than develop a park that is truly passive. It will also need to ensure that any agreement for stewardship ensures village residents access.

In truth, the Village of Sag Harbor has a lot on its plate, and undertaking the task of developing its own stewardship management plan for Cilli Farm may be more of a lift than the Village Board can take on right now. Mr. Harvey and his nonprofit may be the right people to take on the effort, eventually, provided that they understand the limitations of what can — and should — be done on one of the few pieces of true open space the Village of Sag Harbor has.