Babylon plans community center/firefighter museum at former Washington School site in Deer Park

Two long-promised buildings for the Deer Park community are being combined into one location in a new proposal by the Town of Babylon.

The plan would create a community center combined with a town firefighters museum, according to Kevin Bonner, the town’s deputy chief of staff. The building would be built on the site of a former elementary school on Washington Avenue that was shuttered in 1989, he said.

The center/museum is envisioned as a two-story building with meeting space on the first floor and the museum on the second, Bonner said. The intent is for light use, he said, to respect the fact that the site is in the middle of a residential neighborhood. He said he expects the building to be used by community groups for meetings of about 15 to 20 people.

“We felt that by combining the two, we would hit the right balance where the building is getting used on a regular basis, but also there wouldn’t be any large events or parties,” Bonner said. “The idea is for it to be an asset to the community.”

Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer said that with the plan, “We’re closing the loop on a commitment that was made over 10 years ago.”

Years in the making

After the school was closed, the building was used for private daycare and youth programs. But the district was looking to unload the property, and in 2014, voters passed a referendum to sell it. The building was demolished and developer Engel Burman built 200 senior apartments on the site. Fairfield acquired the property in 2023.

Engel Burman — after facing fierce opposition to the development from neighbors — had offered to set aside a small piece of the property for a community center, Bonner said. The land was cleared and a parking lot created, but the building never came to fruition, he said. The company set aside $700,000 for the center, he said, and that 95-by-145-square-foot property is now in the hands of the town.

Separately, the town for several years had pursued acquiring a problematic motel in Deer Park for the firefighter museum, either by buying it or seizing it by eminent domain. But, following pushback from the owners and facing a costly legal battle, the town abandoned that idea. It has since struggled to come up with another location.

By creating a combination community center and museum, the town can fulfill both promises made to Deer Park, Bonner said.

The town has $5 million in combined state money for Deer Park and the museum, plus the original $700,000 to build the center, Bonner said. Last month, the town hired a company to provide a cost analysis for the construction.

Schaffer said the building fits in with larger work the town is planning for Deer Park, including bringing sewers to some neighborhoods and creating an overlay district for mixed-use development in its main corridor.

Robert Waegerle, past president of the Babylon Fire Chiefs Association who has been spearheading the museum effort, said he’s looking forward to the building.

“It’s a good use of the property and it’ll work out nicely for the community,” he said.

Waegerle said the museum is being patterned after Islip Town’s museum and will feature exhibits on the town’s 11 fire departments and one ambulance corps and would only be open limited hours on weekends.

Divided sentiments

Community members are split on the idea of a double-use building.

Deer Park Chamber of Commerce president Melissa D. Mohan praised the plan, saying her group has had to rotate locations for monthly meetings.

“It’s going to be nice to have a home and a home base and a place we can really feel like this is ours and we’re not in somebody else’s space,” she said.

Mohan said having a home will also attract more businesses to join the chamber.

“It legitimizes us from a business perspective,” she said. “And from a community perspective, it creates another space to meet.”

Civic leader and volunteer firefighter Lamont Wilson called the combination center/museum a “beautiful idea.”

“When the George Washington school was taken down, we lost a lot in our community, including a place for children to go and people to gather,” he said. “Something like this is a plus for the community. The firefighter museum is the frosting on the cake.”

Others are wary.

Civic leader Donnell Cooke, who used to run a youth program out of the former school, said he would like to see the building be a true community center, with a basketball court for local children and other programming. 

“There’s nothing really for the youth,” he said. "I don’t want to see a parking lot there that isn’t used.”

Glennie Metz, who lives across the street from the site and has been a resident for more than 40 years, is worried about the building and the traffic it could bring.

“I don’t like the idea at all, I like things just as they are,” she said.

If something has to be built there, she said, it should be a space for local seniors to gather.

“It should be a place for us to enjoy what we’re paying all these major taxes for,” she said.