Park swap would help improve area near Smithtown's now-closed Oasis strip club, officials say

A new oasis is coming to Smithtown.

The town has acquired Paul T. Given County Park on Route 25 in a land swap with Suffolk County, which receives the town's Bill Richards Park on Veterans Memorial Highway in Hauppauge.

Smithtown plans to connect Given Park with the former Oasis Gentleman's Club property next door as part of plans for a refurbished marina and park along the Nissequogue River, town spokeswoman Nicole Garguilo told Newsday.

“It’s really like the unofficial entrance" to downtown Smithtown, about a mile east of the park, Garguilo said. “It’s very environmentally sensitive land. It’s going to look more like the historical pictures [of the area].”

Smithtown plans to build restrooms and parking to support kayaking and canoeing on the river, which runs along the properties, Garguilo said, adding the nightclub, which still stands but is closed, will be torn down.

Sketches prepared by town planners show plans for a visitors center, an upgraded picnic area, a playground, an overlook and a fitness trail. Garguilo said officials hope to open the expanded park in 2024.

The park swap was arranged after Smithtown agreed last year to pay $815,000 to buy the Oasis. The club — located across Route 25 from Smithtown's famous bull statue — had been the source of embarrassment for town officials. The purchase ended litigation between the town and the club's owner. 

Officials said the county's acquisition of Bill Richards Park will enable Suffolk to join it to adjacent Blydenburgh County Park.

“It always bothered me that Bill Richards Park had a chain-link fence in it separating it from Blydenburgh Park," Assemb. Michael Fitzpatrick (R-St. James) told Newsday. "It just makes a lot of sense to do that so Smithtown and Hauppauge residents can enjoy it. There’ll just be new ownership.” 

In a statement, County Executive Steve Bellone said the park swap "will allow us to extend our beautiful trail network from Blydenburgh County Park into Bill Richards Park. This will not only give our residents more room for their favorite recreational activities, it will also allow the Town of Smithtown to improve the area around the head of the Nissequogue River.”

The swap was approved in June by the State Legislature and signed into law last month by Gov. Kathy Hochul. State approval is required for changes of park uses or ownership.

As part of the agreement, Given Park's waterfront facilities will not be restricted to town residents. Anyone with a state park pass will be allowed to visit the park, said Robert Caroppoli, chief of staff to state Sen. Mario Mattera (R-St. James).

“It’s a win-win for everybody," Caroppoli told Newsday.

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.