On the 14th anniversary of former Assemblyman James D. Conte’s death, a promise more than 15 years in the making moves closer to reality for a Huntington Station community that never gave up.
HUNTINGTON STATION, NY – October 19, 2026
Fourteen years to the day after former New York State Assemblyman James D. Conte died, his family stood alongside elected officials at Manor Field Park for an announcement Huntington Station residents have waited more than 15 years to hear.
On Friday, October 16, Governor Kathy Hochul committed an additional $7.5 million toward construction of the James D. Conte Community Center, bringing the combined state and Town funding to $19.5 million. Karen Persichilli Keogh, Secretary to the Governor, announced the commitment on Hochul’s behalf. The announcement marks a major step toward fulfilling Conte’s vision of a recreational and community gathering place in the neighborhood where he grew up, raised his family and spent much of his public life.
For residents and community advocates who have followed the project through changing administrations, multiple designs and years of planning, the significance extended well beyond the funding.
Deputy Assembly Speaker Phil Ramos, speaking on behalf of Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, addressed Huntington Station’s longstanding need for investment.
“Today we are celebrating the promise to the people of Huntington Station, a promise that their community matters, that their children matter, and that their future matters.”
Ramos continued:
“For too many years, communities like Huntington Station have faced economic challenges. But what has never been lacking in Huntington Station is their determination, diversity, resilience, or the spirit of the people. And what has too often been lacking are the investments necessary to turn that potential into opportunity.”
His remarks struck a particularly emotional chord with Huntington Matters, which has advocated for improvements in Huntington Station since its founding in 2014.
Where the $19.5 Million Is Coming From
The announced funding consists of $6 million from the New York State Assembly, $7.5 million committed by Governor Kathy Hochul and approximately $6 million already allocated by the Town of Huntington.
Karen Persichilli Keogh, Secretary to Governor Hochul, explained that Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie had visited Huntington with Assemblyman Steve Stern and subsequently called the governor about the remaining funding needed. According to Keogh, Heastie requested $7.5 million to close the funding gap, and Hochul agreed.
“This is what happens when government works the way it should,” Ramos told those gathered.
The $19.5 million announcement does not establish a final construction price. Town Supervisor Ed Smyth told Huntington Matters that the project has not yet gone out to bid, so its final cost remains unknown. He expressed confidence that the combined funding would be sufficient to build the center.
Watch Deputy Speaker Phil Ramos discuss the importance of working together to deliver for Huntington Station in our exclusive video interview below.
What Will Actually Be Built?
The latest design is significantly different from the armory renovation plans residents saw in 2017.
During a walkthrough of the new concept drawings, Smyth explained that the Town plans to construct a modular steel-frame fieldhouse on the existing grass field at Manor Field Park, along East Fifth Avenue.
The existing park building, where the press conference was held, will support the new facility with its bathrooms, locker rooms, meeting rooms and small kitchen or snack bar. An enclosed breezeway will connect the existing building to the new fieldhouse across the area occupied by the current driveway.
The concept drawing shows two primary athletic areas. One is an indoor soccer and practice field, smaller than regulation size, that could accommodate smaller games and training for local teams. The other is a multipurpose gymnasium with a basketball court that Smyth believes is regulation size. The gymnasium can be divided and reconfigured for other sports, including three regulation-sized pickleball courts depicted in the plans. Smyth anticipates that the courts will be marked for several uses, potentially including volleyball.
The driveway will be relocated to the east, with additional parking planned near the former state armory.
The armory itself will not become the community center. Smyth said portions of its outer structure may be removed, while the central hangar area would remain in use by Town General Services for storage, including Maritime Division boats, the Show Mobile stage and other equipment.
Watch Huntington Town Supervisor Ed Smyth give Huntington Matters a guided tour of the proposed community center renderings in our exclusive video interview below.
Why the Original Armory Renovation Was Abandoned
“We spent years looking at ways to refurbish the armory, but there was no way to repurpose that building into a usable, functioning community center without having exorbitant cost,” Smyth explained.
He said the modular steel-frame construction approach offers a more practical way to get the center built while preserving the possibility of future additions. The original proposal included features such as an elevated indoor track. That track is not part of the current design, although Smyth said it could potentially be added later.
“The original community center plan was aspirational and had a lot of fun features, but it made it really expensive.”
Smyth estimated that the process from bidding through construction could take approximately two years. That is an estimate, not a confirmed opening date.
Asked what had been the biggest obstacle over the years, his answer was immediate: “Money.”
A Promise That Began With Jim Conte
James D. Conte represented the Huntington area in the New York State Assembly from 1988 until his death on October 16, 2012. A lifelong Huntington Station resident, he helped advance legislation allowing the former state armory to be transferred to the Town for $1.
The Town acquired the property in 2013, and the planned center was named in his honor.
At Friday’s announcement, Conte’s daughter Samantha noted that the funding announcement fell on the 14th anniversary of her father’s death. Speaking with Huntington Matters afterward, she reflected on what the project meant to him.
“This community deserves it. Has always deserved it. One of the last things my dad ever did was wanting to get this community center built, and we’re finally fulfilling that promise.”
The Conte family’s roots in Huntington Station run deep. Jim Conte grew up in the hamlet and raised his children there. His son Jeffrey still lives in Huntington Station, and his wife, Deborah, remains in the family home.
Samantha shared that her uncle and brother play basketball together every week. When the Conte Center opens, they plan to move their weekly game there.
Hear from longtime advocate Matt Harris, Jim Conte’s daughter Samantha, and Huntington Receiver of Taxes Jillian Guthman in our exclusive video interviews below.
A Project That Has Spanned Multiple Administrations
The Conte Center’s history includes more than 15 years of planning, funding commitments, environmental cleanup, architectural work and changes to the original design. Here’s how the project has evolved and where the money has gone along the way.
2006: Huntington Matters founding board member Matt Harris recalls discussing the need for a community center with Conte in his Assembly office. Harris has advocated for the facility for approximately two decades.
2012–2013: Conte sponsored legislation permitting the former state armory to be sold to the Town of Huntington for $1. Following his death on October 16, 2012, the proposed center was named in his honor. The Town took possession of the property in 2013.
2014: Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci announced a $1.5 million Empire State Development grant for the community center project.
2015: The Town authorized a contract with Unitech Service Group for hazardous-material remediation at the armory, at a cost not to exceed $436,570. The work included asbestos removal, disposal of other hazardous materials and temporary waterproofing. The Town subsequently reported that asbestos, lead paint and mold remediation had been completed. Building improvements over the years included replacement windows. Source: Town of Huntington, April 2015
2016: The Town selected DCAK-MSA Architectural and Engineering, also known as Savik and Murray, to design the armory’s conversion. The original contract authorized engineering and architectural services at a cost not to exceed $603,000 over four years.
2017: In April, the Town Board authorized a project budget of up to $10 million, including $1.5 million in state aid and a proposed $8.5 million in bond financing. The Town’s announcement confirmed that environmental remediation had been completed and the project was in the design phase. Source: Town of Huntington, April 2017.
In November, Supervisor Frank Petrone unveiled plans to renovate the armory into a 22,500-square-foot community facility with a gymnasium, elevated track, recreational rooms and other amenities. Officials anticipated completion in 2019. The plans were documented in the Town’s November 2017 announcement
2018: The project underwent another review under Supervisor Chad Lupinacci after the proposed design grew beyond the original budget. Town officials said the plans had increased the estimated project cost to $14.2 million. DCAK-MSA requested an additional $850,000 in design fees, which would have increased its total contract authorization to $1.453 million.
The Town replaced DCAK-MSA with BBS Architects, Landscape Architects and Engineers, P.C., whose new contract had a ceiling of $711,000 over four years. A proposed $13.5 million bonding measure was withdrawn, and officials sought a revised design with lower construction costs. TBR News Media, reported that approximately half of the original $603,000 architectural contract had already been paid. Sources: Town of Huntington, 2018.
2021: The Town Board authorized additional work involving geothermal and solar improvements, reallocating $195,948 toward the project, approving another $106,285 for design work by BBS Architects, and setting aside $560,336 for implementation. State Senator Jim Gaughran secured an additional $50,000 for the Conte Center. Source: Huntington Now, May 2021
2023–2026: The Town moved toward constructing a separate fieldhouse beside the armory rather than converting the former military building into the center itself. State funding efforts continued, culminating in the October 16 announcement.
The project has involved three Town supervisors, Frank Petrone, Chad Lupinacci and Ed Smyth, as well as multiple generations of state legislators, Town Board members and community advocates.
For Matt Harris, the announcement was the culmination of years of pushing for something Huntington Station lacked.
Recalling his conversation with Conte in 2006, Harris said, “The community needs a community center. You know, other communities in Huntington get so much of our tax dollars. And what do we have? We don’t have these type of facilities.”
Harris said he was very happy to see the project reach this stage.
Huntington Matters has kept the Conte Center on the public agenda throughout its own history. Since beginning candidate interviews in 2015, I have asked candidates seeking office at every level of government serving the Town of Huntington whether they support completing the center and what they would do to make it happen. The questions have continued through election after election, regardless of party affiliation or office sought, to keep the project and the promise behind Jim Conte’s name from being forgotten.
From Conte to Lupinacci to Stern
There is another connection running through the project’s history: New York’s 10th Assembly District, the seat once held by Jim Conte.
Following Conte’s death, Chad Lupinacci succeeded him in the Assembly. Lupinacci later became Huntington Town Supervisor, and Steve Stern won the 2018 special election to fill the Assembly vacancy.
Stern had previously represented the area in the Suffolk County Legislature for 12 years. Deputy Speaker Ramos told Huntington Matters that Stern approached him about making the community center a priority even before Stern was elected to the Assembly.
Ramos, who serves as dean of the Assembly’s Long Island delegation, said he worked to bring the delegation behind the funding request to Speaker Heastie.
“There’s no Democratic way to build a community center. There’s no Republican way to do it. You’ve just got to do it, right?” Ramos said.
Stern recalled that the Conte Center was among the priorities he brought to Albany immediately after his 2018 special election. He described Heastie’s visits to Huntington as opportunities to show state leadership both the community’s needs and the Town’s commitment to completing the project.
The speaker’s subsequent request to Governor Hochul helped secure the additional $7.5 million announced Friday.
Stern also reflected on his personal connection to Conte, whom he knew while serving in the Suffolk County Legislature.
“I had the opportunity to meet with Jim on many, many occasions,” Stern said, recalling Conte’s years of service and the example he set for public officials of every political affiliation.
Asked about serving in the Assembly seat Conte once occupied, Stern said:
“It is not my seat. It is our community’s seat. And I happen to be an occupant of that seat.”
Watch Assemblyman Steve Stern discuss the years of persistence and collaboration behind the Conte Community Center in our exclusive video interview below.
More Than a Building
Huntington Town Receiver of Taxes Jillian Guthman was among those visibly moved by Ramos’s remarks.
“Phil Ramos’s comments just hit it. Right where it is,” she told Huntington Matters afterward.
Gathering her thoughts, Guthman spoke about the significance of people working across political affiliations toward a shared goal.
“It’s not the structure but the things that happen in the building. A place for people to connect and to grow. Because change happens in a moment.”
For Huntington Station residents, the Conte Center represents more than another recreational facility. It is a commitment that has been carried forward by Jim Conte’s family, community advocates, residents and public officials who refused to let the project disappear from the Town’s priorities. For some, securing this center has been a mission spanning nearly two decades, sustained through election cycles, changing administrations, competing budget demands and plans that never reached construction.
There are still important steps ahead. The Town must finalize the design, put the project out to bid, establish the actual construction cost and complete the work.
On October 16, 2026, the James D. Conte Community Center moved closer to becoming a reality than it has been at any point in its long history.
Years from now, when someone walks through its doors and asks who James Conte was, there will be a story worth telling.
Photography by Dana E. Richter. Videography and Editing by June Margolin.
