Soil testing contract awarded for Central Islip park site

The 20-acre dream park slated for Central Islip that’s been billed as a mini-Prospect Park is getting closer to breaking ground.

On Tuesday, the Islip Town Board approved a resolution to award a $73,960 contract to L.K. McLean Associates of Brookhaven for engineering of the site plan and soil testing at the property, located on one of the sites of the former Central Islip Psychiatric Center.

Soil testing would be needed at the town-owned lot -- bordered by Clayton Street and Lowell Avenue -- because there could be some environmental issues associated with the property’s past use, according to Islip Councilman Steven Flotteron.

Flotteron said there could be asbestos in the soil, residue from demolished buildings dating to the 1800s that never were fully removed.

While L.K. McLean was the second-lowest bidder, Flotteron said the firm was chosen because it had cleaned up the once-contaminated site of the Brookhaven Ecology Center.

Flotteron said the hope is to start laying sod for the park and building walkways this year. The park, which will be constructed in three phases and will include a band shell and picnic pavilion, will be paid for by grants and a $1.2 million fund set aside for recreation at the site of the former psychiatric facility.