By Greg Sleter
West Islip residents got their wish. The venerable La Grange restaurant and catering hall will remain a part of the hamlet and soon reopen.
The news, as first reported on WestIslipTribune.com, is positive on several levels. First, the structure that has stood in some form for more than three centuries will remain a part of the West Islip landscape. Secondly, the property at the corner of Montauk Highway and Higbie Lane will no longer site idle. And finally, the fears of many that a purchase of the property by Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center would lead to it being removed from the tax rolls will not come to fruition.
But while many West Islip residents will find the news about La Grange positive, the onus is now on the community as a whole to support those who are investing their time and money not only in the catering facility, but our also in our community.
The evening of March 13, 2008, saw several hundred local residents flock to La Grange to voice their opposition to a plan that included renovating the catering hall and constructing a Walgreens drug store on the west side of the property. While the merits of that plan no longer need to be debated, we’re still wondering what happened to most of those residents that voiced their opposition, but then did little to help find a solution to the issue at hand.
A few, such as the members of the West Islip Association (originally the La Grange Task Force) have been involved in helping find solutions to the issues in our hamlet for more than a year. What we’re hoping now is that when La Grange reopens, West Islip residents will find some time to support a local landmark they so dearly wanted to see saved.
Greg Sleter is the Editor-In-Chief of WestIslipTribune.com.
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