Long Island overdose victims to get memorial at Babylon park
Tracy Mieschberger, the mother of the late Maddy Mieschberger, 19, holds a photo of her daughter Saturday at Tanner Park in Copiague. Plans are in the works for a memorial to Long Island overdose victims to be built at the park. Credit: Morgan Campbell
Tracy Mieschberger’s daughter Maddy was 19 when she died in 2018 after taking a pill she didn't know was laced with fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid.
In the years since, Mieschberger, 53, has longed for a place where she could grieve her daughter and connect with others whose loved ones died from overdoses.
“You could get support and know that you’re not alone, that there are other people on Long Island who are affected by this on a daily basis,” the Lindenhurst resident said.
Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer said Mieschberger and other families approached the town years ago about creating such a place and plans now are in the works for a memorial to overdose victims at Tanner Park in Copiague.
Schaffer has long promoted substance abuse treatment in his role as supervisor and in his personal life.
“I lived with it as a youngster,” he said. “My mother killed someone in a drunk driving accident, so I’ve seen firsthand the impact.”
The Babylon supervisor said he also lost a nephew to an overdose and has watched friends and family struggle with addiction. He said he views addressing substance abuse as a “major obligation” of local elected officials.
“When we hear someone has cancer or another type of disease, we’re all quick to help families impacted by it,” Schaffer said. “When we hear somebody’s got a disease known as addiction, a lot of times people want to run away from it and stick their heads in the sand.”
The cost of the memorial is estimated at about $1 million, according to Schaffer, who said it will be divided evenly between the town, Suffolk County and the state.
The memorial will be located in an open area near the water, just east of the spray park.
There will be a brick walkway leading to a pergola with benches, Schaffer said. Fencing will be put up so locks with the names of those lost can be linked to it and their names also can be inscribed on the walkway.
Plans for the memorial include providing an educational component with information about drugs and how to get treatment.
In designing the tribute, the town has worked with about a half dozen families as well as organizations that specialize in addiction issues, Schaffer said. The memorial will be for all Long Islanders.
Town officials will consult with the families in January to finalize the design and hope to start construction in the fall.
The memorial will be dedicated to those lost to any type of substance overdose, said Delores Bocklet, a town consultant who ran a municipal facility that provides chemical dependency treatment services.
“There’s so much shame and stigma around this,” Bocklet said. “People feel like it’s their fault. Families need a safe place to remember their loved one and to heal from the trauma.”
In 2022, there were 619 overdose deaths involving opioids on Long Island, according to the New York State Department of Health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 105,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2022, with more than 79,000 from opioid-related overdoses.
Mieschberger said she hopes the memorial also spotlights the fentanyl epidemic. Her daughter, an award-winning athlete at North Babylon High School, had been battling depression and anxiety before the deadly overdose, the mother said.
John Venza, who has worked in the mental health and substance abuse treatment fields for about 40 years, also helped with plans for the memorial.
Venza, 62, a vice president with Brentwood-based nonprofit Outreach Development Corp., lost his son Garrett in 2016 after the 21-year-old used heroin laced with fentanyl.
“I have a foot in both worlds,” the father said.
Venza's son was turned onto heroin at a fast-food restaurant where he worked in high school, according to the father. The young man was sober for three years but then on his 21st birthday tried the drug again and died, Venza said.
“It never quite goes away,” the father said of his grief. “And since it never fully goes away, a memorial is a wonderful way of acknowledging that and saying, 'We’ve got a place for you to go with your thoughts and reflect on your loved one.' ”
Tracy Mieschberger’s daughter Maddy was 19 when she died in 2018 after taking a pill she didn't know was laced with fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid.
In the years since, Mieschberger, 53, has longed for a place where she could grieve her daughter and connect with others whose loved ones died from overdoses.
“You could get support and know that you’re not alone, that there are other people on Long Island who are affected by this on a daily basis,” the Lindenhurst resident said.
Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer said Mieschberger and other families approached the town years ago about creating such a place and plans now are in the works for a memorial to overdose victims at Tanner Park in Copiague.
Schaffer has long promoted substance abuse treatment in his role as supervisor and in his personal life.
“I lived with it as a youngster,” he said. “My mother killed someone in a drunk driving accident, so I’ve seen firsthand the impact.”
The Babylon supervisor said he also lost a nephew to an overdose and has watched friends and family struggle with addiction. He said he views addressing substance abuse as a “major obligation” of local elected officials.
“When we hear someone has cancer or another type of disease, we’re all quick to help families impacted by it,” Schaffer said. “When we hear somebody’s got a disease known as addiction, a lot of times people want to run away from it and stick their heads in the sand.”
The cost of the memorial is estimated at about $1 million, according to Schaffer, who said it will be divided evenly between the town, Suffolk County and the state.
The memorial will be located in an open area near the water, just east of the spray park.
There will be a brick walkway leading to a pergola with benches, Schaffer said. Fencing will be put up so locks with the names of those lost can be linked to it and their names also can be inscribed on the walkway.
Plans for the memorial include providing an educational component with information about drugs and how to get treatment.
In designing the tribute, the town has worked with about a half dozen families as well as organizations that specialize in addiction issues, Schaffer said. The memorial will be for all Long Islanders.
Town officials will consult with the families in January to finalize the design and hope to start construction in the fall.
The memorial will be dedicated to those lost to any type of substance overdose, said Delores Bocklet, a town consultant who ran a municipal facility that provides chemical dependency treatment services.
“There’s so much shame and stigma around this,” Bocklet said. “People feel like it’s their fault. Families need a safe place to remember their loved one and to heal from the trauma.”
In 2022, there were 619 overdose deaths involving opioids on Long Island, according to the New York State Department of Health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 105,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2022, with more than 79,000 from opioid-related overdoses.
Mieschberger said she hopes the memorial also spotlights the fentanyl epidemic. Her daughter, an award-winning athlete at North Babylon High School, had been battling depression and anxiety before the deadly overdose, the mother said.
John Venza, who has worked in the mental health and substance abuse treatment fields for about 40 years, also helped with plans for the memorial.
Venza, 62, a vice president with Brentwood-based nonprofit Outreach Development Corp., lost his son Garrett in 2016 after the 21-year-old used heroin laced with fentanyl.
“I have a foot in both worlds,” the father said.
Venza's son was turned onto heroin at a fast-food restaurant where he worked in high school, according to the father. The young man was sober for three years but then on his 21st birthday tried the drug again and died, Venza said.
“It never quite goes away,” the father said of his grief. “And since it never fully goes away, a memorial is a wonderful way of acknowledging that and saying, 'We’ve got a place for you to go with your thoughts and reflect on your loved one.' ”
Overdose Memorial Plan
- The memorial at Tanner Park in Copiague will feature a pergola, benches and educational information.
- Those lost to overdoses will be remembered with brick etchings and locks on a fence.
- Babylon Town, the county and the state will contribute funding for the memorial.
- The town hopes to begin construction in fall 2024.
Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.