PROJECTS
Sag Harbor Partnership works with community organizations and Sag Harbor Village government on projects that both preserve and enhance the character of this vibrant place.
Here are some projects to showcase the scope of our past work.
Sag Harbor Cinema
Over a period of five years, with help from thousands of donors, the Southampton Town’s Community Preservation Fund, the Empire State Development Corporation, and legal volunteers, the Sag Harbor Partnership spearheaded the purchase and rebuilding of the Sag Harbor Cinema, forming a new not-for-profit organization, the Sag Harbor Cinema Arts Center, turning it into one of the most successful arthouse Cinemas in the country.
A new clock for the
municipal building
At about 7:30 a.m. on Monday morning, when Sag Harbor’s Main Street was still largely deserted, a crew with a bucket truck from Leo’s Electric pulled up to the Sag Harbor Municipal Building.
A short time later, a box truck arrived, and workers pulled out a new clock for the façade of the building.
The old clock, which had been in place for years, finally gave up the ghost last year. At the request of Mayor Tom Gardella, the Sag Harbor Partnership, which underwrites good causes, large and small, throughout the village, stepped in to buy a new one.
John Steinbeck Waterfront Park
After a nine year effort, and by working with several successive Village government administrations, The Partnership raised almost $400,000 to help with the establishment of the John Steinbeck Waterfront Park.
Money for the park was transferred to the village, and plaques thanking generous donors to the project are in place.
With the critical support of donors like yourselves and the vision and dedication of Ed Hollander, local award-winning landscape designer, the park is now beautifully landscaped and used year-round by many, including the Sag Harbor American Music Festival.
The Sag Harbor Volunteer Fire Department ROCK THE BOAT pARTY
In 2022, we learned the Sag Harbor Volunteer Fire Department lacks the minimum standard equipment to adequately protect lives, property and our coastline from emergency events, and critical, it lacked an updated fireboat necessary to protect firefighters themselves.
SANS preservation
In 2019, SANS (Sag Harbor Hills, Azurest, and Ninevah Subdivisions) received a New York State Historic Preservation Award, and the area was named as one of New York State Preservation League’s list of “Seven to Save 2020–2021” and also to Preservation Long Island’s list of Endangered Historic Places.
SANS efforts kicked off in 2017 with the goal of delivering local, state, and national recognition. The Sag Harbor Partnership was instrumental in helping to fund the SANS organization’s efforts that resulted in SANS areas being listed on state and national historic registries.
mashashimuet park grandstand
In the spring of 2022, Sag Harbor Partnership gave an extraordinary grant of $40,000 to the Park and Recreation Association of Sag Harbor, the 501(c)(3) organization that oversees Mashashimuet Park. The grant helped fund the renovation and refurbishment of the Grandstand, which was completed in September of 2022.
SAG HARBOR WATER QUALITY INITIATIVE
In 2018, Sag Harbor Partnership worked with the Sag Harbor Yacht Club, Sag Harbor Village, and East Hampton and Southampton Town Trustees to raise funds for a study of the water quality in Sag Harbor. The two-year study (April–October in 2018 and 2019) was undertaken by Dr. Christopher Gobler of Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences in Southampton.
HELPING MASHASHIMUET PARK'S NEW PLAYGROUND
In early 2016, The Park & Recreation Association of Sag Harbor embarked on a renovation of the Mashashimuet Park playground. Using designs and ideas from the students of Sag Harbor Elementary School, the Park Board contracted the playground company Kompan and began construction in October 2018. The Sag Harbor Partnership helped raise funds for the effort. To contribute to the park, please go to the Mashashimuet Park website.
new bike racks
An ad hoc Transportation Committee composed of Sag Harbor Partnership board members and local volunteers proposed six new bike racks for Sag Harbor Village. Sag Harbor Partnership helped raise funds for the effort to design, build, and distribute the bike racks throughout the village.
mask project
In 2020, Sag Harbor Partnership helped Save Sag Harbor (another local not-for-profit) fund a campaign to build awareness about mask-wearing as a way to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The campaign was recognized as a model for other towns.