Crab Meadow Golf Course renamed for former Huntington supervisor Robert J. Flynn

The Crab Meadow Golf Course in Northport was renamed on Friday after late Huntington Town Supervisor Robert J. Flynn, who revitalized the property in 1965.

Flynn, elected supervisor in 1959, sought to create a parks system in the town, of which Crab Meadow would become the centerpiece, Huntington Town Councilwoman Joan Cergol said during the ceremony.

"Make no mistake, if not for the foresight and grit of Robert Flynn to save this land from private development, this golf course simply would not exist for the people of Huntington to enjoy," Cergol said.

The golf course previously belonged to the Northport Country Club, which closed in the 1940s, town officials said.

In December, the town board passed a resolution to rename the golf course after Flynn, who died in October 2013 at 91.

Town Councilman Mark Cuthbertson said Flynn as supervisor put together a citizens' action committee that "educated residents on the need for open space and creating parks."

Initially, residents voted down a referendum to purchase parkland in 1961, Cuthbertson said. But in 1962, residents passed a $2.5 million referendum that allowed for the development of Crab Meadow and Dix Hills Park, including an Olympic-sized pool, riding stables and golf links.

"It’s fitting that the Robert Flynn Golf Course now stands alongside the Jerome Ambro Wetlands," Cuthbertson said. Ambro was a Huntington town supervisor, before serving as a congressman from 1975 to 1981. "These were two tremendous visionaries and titans in our town and it’s great to see them side by side for all posterity."

Flynn served as a supervisor until 1965. Along with revitalizing Crab Meadow, now named the Robert J. Flynn Crab Meadow Golf Course, Flynn adopted the first master plan of any town in New York State and a town ethics code.

Calling Flynn "the founding father" of the town’s park system, Supervisor Chad Lupinacci said the Bronx native’s vision for Huntington "ensured open space, protection of our environment and quality of life for future generations."

With Alejandra Villa Loarca