Islip Town completes $1 million renovation of Brentwood Recreation Center

The Town of Islip has completed a $1 million renovation of the Brentwood Recreation Center, a community space that civic leaders say has needed upgrades for years.

Community members say the facility, built in 1963, had started to show its age. The basketball court floor was warped, the air conditioning did not work properly and the windows lacked adequate insulation.

The facility has needed the upgrades for "at least 20 years," said Councilman Jorge Guadrón, who represents Brentwood on the Islip Town Board. 

The town spent more than $1 million in state and federal funds to cover the upgrades. There are new gymnasium bleachers, basketball hoops and locker rooms, among other things.

In a separate project, the town has built a new turf athletic field at Modern Times Field in Brentwood, which is about a block from the recreation center.

The town also installed new fencing with backstops, dugouts and sidewalks at the field, Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter said, and renovated the clubhouse and concession stand.

The project, which Carpenter estimates will cost around $2 million, also will include new field lights and a new parking lot.

$3M investment overall

The upgrades represent a $3 million investment in Brentwood infrastructure, where residents say they've seen more attention from the town in recent years. 

“The Brentwood Recreation Center and Sports Complex are an asset to the community," Carpenter said in a statement. "These facilities provide the opportunity for community groups, youth, and families to gather for social and athletic events."

Hopefully, once both projects are done, Guadrón said, "we will really have a sports complex in Brentwood that is not only what the community deserves but really wants and needs."

Bruce Fabrizio, president of the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, said the recreation center — a community staple for decades — had deteriorated over the years.

“When I was in seventh grade, that recreation center used to have pool tables down there and the kids used to meet to play pool,” said Fabrizio, who is 74 now. “There’s so many things they’ve done over the years there.”

Construction of the two-story Brentwood Recreation Center started in 1963 and included a lower-level auditorium that could hold up to 700 people, according to Newsday's archives. The upper level was originally built to house a gymnasium and bleachers with a 400-person capacity.

The town’s decision to construct the facility was prompted, according to Newsday's archives, by resident complaints “that they were shortchanged on recreation opportunities" because they did not live close enough to the town's beaches and parks. 

Around 60 years later, residents are embracing the changes.

“I grew up in Brentwood, and so it was nice to see them unveil the new gymnasium,” said Ahmad Perez, 23, founder of the Islip Forward civic group and the youth-led Brentwood Votes initiative. Perez currently lives in Washington, D.C. and works with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a special adviser for implementation and climate justice. He said he plans to move back to his hometown in the new year.

“There are really limited spaces in Brentwood where young people and truly anyone can really find safe spaces and places that they can practice recreational activities, playing sports with friends, just coming down there to study, which is what me and my friends did,” he said.

Recent upgrades to parks

Fabrizio said he believes “that the Town of Islip is trying to make inroads into the Brentwood community,” citing improvements to Ross Memorial Park as an example.

The 3-acre park on Brentwood Road closed in 2020 for repairs and improvements, including a new playground and perimeter fencing, after a disturbance that left two Suffolk County police officers injured, Newsday has reported.

The town announced the park’s planned reopening in September of last year. 

Islip also has invested in the rehabilitation of Roberto Clemente Park in Brentwood, the site of illegal dumping in 2013 and 2014. The town opened its only skate park there in March of last year.

Fabrizio, reflecting on the reopening of Ross Memorial Park, said every time he passes by, he sees “mothers with young kids playing on the playgrounds, which weren’t there a couple of years ago.”

The Brentwood Chamber has been hosting events at Ross park, he added, including a Christmas tree lighting planned for Friday.

By Brianne Ledda

brianne.ledda@newsday.com@brianne_ledda

Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.