Thursday, May 15, 2008

A Pretty Good Week...

It was a pretty good week for proponents of Smart Growth. 

Progress in Albany:
After an inspiring swearing in for Governor David Paterson, talk in Albany turned to getting back to work.  The NYS Smart Growth Cabinet met to map out activities for the year after years of hoping that New York State government agencies would coordinate their activities towards Smart Growth policies.

Congestion Pricing advocates flocked to Albany on Tuesday to present the benefits of the full program.  The response was somewhere between cautious pessimism and reluctant optimism.  The need for a recurring funding stream for transit is necessary in order to fund East Side access, third track, station improvements, improved service, and fare stabilization.

Sewers in Our Future:
Kudos to Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy for organizing Long Island’s first Sewer Summit.  Over 250 folks attended and there are real opportunities to move sewers in Mastic/Shirley, Rocky Point, Smithtown, and Kings Park.

Opposition to Wal-Mart:
On a jubilant note community leaders mobilized to beat back a proposal from Wal-Mart in Rocky Point. In coordination with the Rocky Point Civic Association, local business leaders, and Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner, we will be screening the movie “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price”.  If you have a free evening to spend with a great community, some free popcorn, and an informative movie, come to Rocky Point next Friday.

On a final note, the planning for the 6th Annual Smart Growth Awards is underway.  We have some fantastic applications this year all around.  Special thanks to all who spent the time to submit their projects and programs.  We want to make this year's event the biggest ever, so please plan on attending and spreading the word.

Posted by Eric at 6:22:40 PM in Blog (23) | Comments (0)

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