BBCA Community Center
The BBCA Community Center serve as a place to gather with neighbors of the six barrier island communities. In the spirit of inclusiveness and togetherness, meetings in this building will serve to promote the well-being of residents and the history and heritage of life on the barrier island.
Building History
The Community Center is a former United States Life Saving Service station and US Coast Guard station that has existed in Oak Beach dating back to 1886. It is owned by the Town of Babylon, and it is, in part, a functioning “museum” in honor of the Life Saving Service and curated by the Town’s Historian, Mary Cascone. It is also a meeting house for official Town business, and it is a local community center managed by the Barrier Beach Civic Association. The BBCA and the Town have a formal “Shared-Use Agreement” that allows the BBCA to continue its long-standing use of the building for annual membership meetings and BBCA-sponsored events. The agreement requires the BBCA to pay liability insurance as well a general “use fee.” These expenses are paid by members of the BBCA from all six barrier island communities.
Community Center Use Guidelines and Restrictions
- BBCA members can submit a “Proposed Use Form” to the Community Center Manager. Requests for use will be approved or denied by a committee comprised of BBCA Officers and Community Center Committee members. All efforts will be made for a speedy reply, but please expect a minimum of two weeks to hear back. All approved events will be advertised through the BBCA newsletter and may also be posted on community bulletin boards.
- No events hosted at the Community Center should provide income to its organizer(s), nor should events be an extension of any business or income-producing endeavor.
- No private functions or parties shall be held at the Community Center. As a general rule, if the event is not an invitation and a benefit to everyone from all six communities, the event is probably not a good fit for the Community Center.
- All events hosted at the Community Center need to be “BBCA sponsored events” as per our shared-use agreement with the Town of Babylon and with our insurance company. Note: An exception to this rule has been granted for the memorial services of a long-time beach resident with deep connections and ties to the barrier beach community.
- Past events have included: NYS Boating Safety Certification Course, CPR/AED training, Tide Talk lectures on issues and topics related to coastal living, History Night events, Cornell Cooperative Oyster Gardening Program, Etc.