Thanks to vision by the family of the late Egbert Marsh, a new territorial park on 170 acres in Coral Bay is in the works. N.Y. Attorney William Blum made the announcement Wednesday at the groundbreaking ceremony for a Coral Bay watershed project.
"It’s where a 19th-century sugar mill is located," Blum said of the property.
The acreage is home to many cultural and natural resources.
Blum also hopes that a 1.6-acre waterfront parcel will also be included in the park.
"That will conserve the wetlands," Coral Bay Community Council President Sharon Coldren said.
The property runs across the flat area of Coral Bay up Kinghill Road and up the hill to the Ajax Peak housing subdivision. The Ajax Peak subdivision sits on property that was once part of the Egbert Marsh land.
A bill is now being drafted in the Legislature to make the park a reality, Sen. Craig Barshinger said.
The bill will allocate funding to design the park, as well as for the property itself. However, much of the funding will most likely come from federal funding and private donations made through the non-profit Conservation Fund, Blum said. He said the local government will have to come up with a 25 percent match.
He expects the contract with the Conservation Fund to be signed "in the next week or two."
The value of the property will be determined using a federal appraisal system, Blum said.
When the park will become a reality remains unknown, but Blum put 2011 or 2012 as a target date.
According to Blum, it’s up to the territory to decide what will be included in the park. Walking and bicycle trails are possibilities.
Egbert Marsh was one of five children of Ernest Marsh, who owned all of the Estate Carolina, Blum said. When Ernest Marsh died, the land was divided among five Marsh siblings. Egbert Marsh was one of them. He moved to New York and died in 1989. The Egbert Marsh Trust is now the property owner.
Land once owned by Ernest Marsh continues to be developed.
The area is near the commercial, business, residential, and recreational complex that includes an open-air theater planned by G.E. Marsh Legacy Development. It sits on 5 acres where Love City Minimart, Domino gas station and a house currently sit. The project received a Coastal Zone Management permit April 7.
