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Too much news... Stay Tuned for detailed updates next week! |
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NYPA Plans for Wastewater Energy Reductions
At a press conference at West Babylon's Bergen Point Wastewater Treatment Plant on Wednesday morning, Richie Kessel of the New York Power Authority (NYPA) joined with environmental, business, and community leaders to announce a new campaign to reduce the energy demand of waterwater treatment plants in New York State by 20% by the year 2015. The Saga of the East End Shuttle
East End Shuttle is a proposed new transportation system for the five East End towns of East Hampton, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Southampton, and Southold. It would serve as a coordinated shuttle train and bus network, providing reliable public transit from Speonk to Montauk on the South Fork and from Ronkonkoma to Orient Point on the North Fork. As far as the rail component goes, shuttle trains would run on existing tracks and would stop at 21 stations, including 15 existing stations, 5 reactivated stations, and one new station. Trains would run as often as every thirty minutes during peak periods and would run seven days a week year-round. Buses would coordinate directly with the trains to provide seamless transfers between the stations and surrounding villages. It is expected that this system would switch 10-15% of drivers over to transit, thus reducing congestion and protecting the environment. The Shuttle network would replace the LIRR and Suffolk County Transit buses on the East End, with connections to and from LIRR trains available at the Speonk and Ronkonkoma stations. Fares would be kept extremely low, comparable to the $1 average Suffolk County Transit bus fare. With over $60 million in taxes collected by the MTA annually from East Enders, the system would cost less than $40 million annually to operate, with a portion of taxes being used. It would be much more cost effective than the current East End transit network. A new East End Transportation Authority would oversee The Shuttle. Meanwhile, in October, 2007, the LIRR decided to temporarily increase service on its existing East End rail lines to provide an alternative for drivers during the congestion-inducing construction on County Road 39 in Southampton. The experiment was so popular among commuters (ridership peaked at 8,000) that the ending date was pushed back twice, finally terminating in June 2008. According to an article in June 2008's Newsday, "early completion of work on County Road 39 in May and the end of school caused a serious drop in ridership. It was down to 3,240 in May, and June is expected to be even less. Officials said it is unlikely the shuttle will start up again, although data obtained from the service will become part of an East End regional transportation plan." Although the trains cut commuting time in half for South Fork commuters and one-way tickets were only $2.25, once CR-39 reopened with an extra lane, ridership dropped by over 50% as people reverted back to their cars. The recent East End transportation situation can only be described as a saga. We look forward to seeing how each transit plan affects the other in the long run, and how The Shuttle will promote smart, sustainable growth on the East End of Long Island. For more on the East End Shuttle, see their website and the interim report from July 2008. For more on the LIRR service expansion from last year, see Transit Blogger (quoting Newsday) and the MTA website. Nassau Master Plan Kick-off Meeting
Attendees at the meeting included County staff, local government officials, regional leaders, and other stakeholders. County Executive Tom Suozzi reviewed his goals for planning Nassau's future, many of which have been outlined in past meetings. Attendees had the opportunity to comment on the County Executive's vision, and those comments will be included moving forward. Future meetings will be held to review Suozzi's vision and public comments, and a draft master plan will be written in the coming months. Vision Long Island encourages Nassau County to work with local towns and villages to provide financial resources and technical assistance toward implementing local community goals. For more details on the event, you can view Suozzi's informative power point online. You can also learn more at the official Master Plan website. |
A key component of almost any future Island-wide growth strategy includes some new development on the East End. This of course does not exclude open space preservation, but East End development is a stark reality that comes with projected population growth. As development discussions emerge, it seems that population growth is almost directly linked to the transportation issue: without increased LIRR service, more people won't come to the East End, and without more people on the East End, train service will not increase. This unfortunate chicken-and-egg conundrum has been used as an excuse for too long, which is why there is a level of excitement surrounding the East End Shuttle, which has shown a way to break the cycle by building better transit now. 
On Monday evening, Nassau County held a kick-off meeting for their new Master Plan for future growth, development, and preservation. Nearly 200 people came out to the Mineola Legislative Chamber to hear about this exciting new initiative, titled "New Suburbia." The plan will address Nassau County's planning, preservation, and development needs for the next twenty years and will provide guidelines on how to address those needs. The plan will incorporate existing plans, such as the County's 10-Point Economic Development Plan and County and local initiatives.|
Transit Grants Awarded to Long Island
In Ronkonkoma, the funds will be used to conduct the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) for the Town's Land Use Plan surrounding the Ronkonkoma train station. The Ronkonkoma Hub project is looking to revitalize the area around the busy station so it is not just a train station surrounded by big parking lots. Goals include better pedestrian facilities, retail expansion, compact and mixed-use development, and aesthetic improvements. This forward-thinking plan has been recognized as a project that will revitalize the Ronkonkoma/Lake Ronkonkoma community, and with this grant it will be able to move forward much more quickly. Paul Rogalle, Brookhaven Planning Director, said, “A comprehensive approach to sustainable new development and use of smart growth principles for redevelopment will incorporate land use and design elements that foster neighborhood identity and improved quality of life." The results of this land-use plan will lead to the legalization of zoning that will allow for transit-oriented development projects.
Out of over 40 regional applicants, 8 grants were administered to the two Long Island communities; Ossining, Peekskill, and Mount Vernon in Westchester; Stratford in Connecticut; and Trenton and Newark in New Jersey. These grants will help pave the way toward a more sustainable future. Suzy Sonenberg, Executive Director of the Long Island Community Foundation and a member of One Region Funders, said "These two communities have the opportunity to become leaders in transit oriented development on Long Island. We hope these grants help the towns plan for a greener and more equitable future and serve as models for other towns in our region.” Read the press release here. Shoppers Village Returning to West Hempstead
Shoppers Village will feature 175 vendors, employing about 300 people within two floors and 125,000 square feet. As of early March, construction was 60% complete and over 40 vendors were signed up. The planned opening date is May 1, 2009, though this will depend on construction speed. Ron Morello posted on the official Facebook page (over 2,700 members!): "Shoppers Village will be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, just as before, the food court is coming back and so are many of our original vendors including the Air Brush Shop. No word from the Pickle People yet. I think they need to hear from you." There has been a great deal of blogging and virtual discussion over the market, and everyone seems to be eagerly anticipating the reopening!
Vendors Wanted! See Craigslist and the official website to apply for space. Read more at LIBN and see the official Facebook page. |
The Tri-State Transportation Campaign has administered $25,000 each to the Town of Brookhaven and the Town of Babylon for transit centered development projects. Backed by the One Region Funders' Group, these grants were awarded to places that are "actively promoting more equitable and sustainable types of development around transit hubs."
An additional grant went to the community of Wyandanch, where the funds will be used to hire a consultant to study low impact transit oriented development techniques around the train station. After the study, the Town will publish a "best practices" guide.
It should entertain followers of Long Island development news to hear exactly where Shoppers Village will be located: directly across the street from the soon-to-be demolished Courtesy Hotel. This much-hated and long-fought "blight" is slated to become a new upscale housing complex adjacent to the Hempstead train station. Trammell Crow Residential is contracted to purchase the property, and at last estimates the apartment would be 4 stories tall with 150 rental units, and would include mixed uses such as a pool, a courtyard, underground parking, and possibly first floor cafes or restaurants. In collaboration with the new Shoppers Village, this area of West Hempstead is about to get a major, exciting revitalization!
Act Now to Stop LI Transit Cuts
Please call your Senator or Assembly Member now: State Senators: Assembly Members: Crab Meadow Beach Pavilion Demolition Planned; voice your opinion now
Word has it that the February 10th resolution required no work be done for 30 days in order to allow public comment or a petition to be filed. A stop work order has been filed on the site to begin the petition process, but some damage has already been done. The Town sent a letter regarding the plans to a small group of residents who live in the immediate area of the beach, but the public was widely ignored on this issue and the fast tracking of the construction seems suspicious. According to the Town, the only course of action was to demolish the Pavilion as "it had deteriorated to the point that it is a potential safety hazard and could not be preserved." According to the Engineer's report, there were actually three possible options for this site. The last option was to tear it down. Given the amount of people who use this beach and the historic value of the building (erected in the 1930s), this is truly a Town-wide issue. On Monday night, 3/23 at 7pm, there will be an informational meeting that is open to the public at the Golf Course off Waterside Road, just before you hit the beach, by Fuce's Preserve. The more people who attend the meeting the better, so make sure to show up and show your concern! You can also call the Town Supervisor's Office and Parks Department to voice your opinion. For more information, see this site. Prevent Cuts to Open Space Funding
The Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) is the state's dedicated source of funding for open space protection, and is slated for a 31% cut in Governor Paterson's proposed budget. This will pose a large risk to Long Island's environment, and will undoubtedly impact our communities. Take action now to protect funding for Long Island's open spaces and natural landscape. |
Take action to stop the proposed transit cuts! Vision Long Island, in coordination with Tri-State Transportation Campaign, ACORN, Long Island Progressive Coalition, and other advocacy organizations, are calling on Long Islanders to oppose the massive budget cuts and fare increases proposed by the MTA. Call your State Senators and Assemblypersons to seek alternative funding mechanisms to fund needed transit services. The recommendations proposed in the Ravitch Commission report spell out necessary funding offsets such as payroll taxes and tolling of East River and Harlem bridges.
On February 12th, the Town of Huntington began demolishing the Pavilion at Crab Meadow Beach with no warning and no opportunity for public comment, only two days after the Town Board approved it. The Pavilion and sun deck connect the two main buildings at the beach. 
Tell New York State Legislators to protect open space funding! Long Island's last remaining open spaces are being replaced by strip malls, highways, and big box developments that are antithetical to livable neighborhoods. Open space protection includes protecting clean drinking water, recreational opportunities, and quality of life. It means protecting our beaches, forests, coastal areas, and groundwater recharge areas.
Lighthouse Development Group to Hold 180th Community Outreach Event
The session will be held at the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale. For more information visit www.lighthouseli.com or lighthouseliblog.blogspot.com or call (516) 414-5800. Kings Park Public Meeting for Nissequogue River State Park
Lead public figures in this project include New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Carol Ash and State Senator John J. Flanagan. Sen. Flanagan said, “I am pleased that Commissioner Ash has agreed to meet with the community and that the remediation of this park is moving forward. Her willingness to discuss the future of this park directly with the residents is a great sign for the future. This land is important to the entire Kings Park area and I look forward to continuing to work with Commissioner Ash to make sure that everyone’s voice is heard on this issue.” The meeting will take place at the Kings Park High School auditorium. For more information, see Newsday and this from Senator Flanagan. Bob DeLuca to Speak at Stony Brook Southampton
DeLuca said: “We are on the verge of a revolution in our environmental thinking, but lasting change requires more than green slogans, clever marketing and advancements in technology. Lasting change requires a fundamental shift in the values that permanently shape the ethical behaviors of our culture...An environmentally literate public must be mobilized to sustain the vigilant reinforcement that will be needed to achieve our environmental aspirations. The greatest risk of failure lies in the complacency of believing that somebody else will take care of the details.” For more information, contact Darren Johnson at (631) 632-5088 or (631) 316-1873. Clean up Greenport on March 26 and April 6
Group for the East End has received grant funding to create walking and biking trails, educational signs, and to restore the native habitat here. Join the volunteer group around the corner from the Greenport School on Thursday, March 26 from 3:30-4:30 to work to restore this natural beauty. Collection bags will be provided, but please bring gloves. This work will continue in future weeks, with organized cleanup days on the first Monday of every month (April 6, 3:30-4:30). For reservations or more information, contact Jeremy Samuelson at (631) 765-6450 x209 or jsamuelson@eastendenvironment.org. For more information on the Exploration series, visit Group for the East End's website. 1st New York Women's Conference for Sustainability March 27th-29th
Conference activities will include speakers and conversations, music and dance performances, an information fair, community focus dialogues, networking opportunities, yoga, hikes, meditation, tea tasting, and meals provided. Speakers thus far include Margaret Wheatley of Berkana Institute, Harriet Fulbright of J. William & Harriet Fulbright Center, Wendy Gordon Rockefeller of Mothers & Others for a Livable Planet and The Green Guide, Richard Leakey of Wildlife Direct and the Turkana Basin Institute in Kenya; Sara Gordon of The Climate Project and Greener Days, Patti Wood of Grassroots Environmental Education, Sarah Newkirk of the Coastal Resilience Project and The Nature Conservancy, and Beth Fiteni of Neighborhood Network and LI-Climate Action Network. Themes from the keynote addresses will be integrated into a series of participatory conversations and focus groups: attendees will actively engage in developing tools for grassroots leadership, action plans, and post-conference networking. The conference organizers are looking for partners to join in outreach for the event. See their website for details. Costs are as follows: There is a discount until Feb 15, making tickets $145. Registration from Feb 15- March 15 is $165 and registration taking place after March 15 is $225. Tickets to attend Saturday's dinner are $22. WISE, based out of Southampton, is on a mission to assist one another to lead communities and the world toward social, economic, and environmental health by focusing on climate stabilization. Women hold keys to change – the power to create a sustainable future for the planet. For more on WISE and on the conference (and to register), visit their website. Earth Hour on March 28
Read more here and see a video here (scroll down). Pedals for Progress - Used Bike Collection on April 4th
This year's collection will have a Long Island location on Saturday, April 4th from 11-2 at the Massapequa Public Library, Bar Harbour branch (40 Harbor Lane in Massapequa Park). It will be hosted by the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Long Island. Because the cost of shipping a bicycle is up to $35, those donating are asked to include a minimum $10 shipping fee. The program also accepts cash donations from corporate and community sponsors. For more information on Pedals for Progress, see their website and this article in Garden City Life. For more on the April 4th collection, call Bette Bass at 516-606-1400 or Linda Merola at 516-242-2041. Reducing your home energy costs seminar from LI Sierra Club - April 18th
Presenters at the event will include a tour guide from the Heritage Center at North Shore Heritage Park, Chuck Schwarz from L.I. Green, Leah Sontag from Sun Power Systems, and Anita from Majestic Son and Sons. JANE JACOBS' LEGACY CELEBRATED IN JANE'S WALK MAY 2ND-3RD
Now, community lovers throughout the U.S. and Canada are coming together to celebrate Jacobs' ideas with "Jane's Walk." Jane's Walk began shortly after Jacobs' death in 2006, when a group of her friends and peers organized to honor her legacy. Anyone can join in for one of several free neighborhood walking tours, with the intention of fostering connection to the built and natural environment, as well as to one another. Jane's Walk promotes urban literacy by combining insights into urban history, planning, design, and civic engagement. The walks are accessible, fun, and free. "It's about getting out and walking, observing your city, meeting your neighbors, discovering new areas, and learning about civic institutions and agencies that shape our urban existence. Jane's Walk helps knit people together into a strong and resourceful community, instilling belonging and encouraging civic leadership." This year's Jane's Walk will take place on May 2nd and 3rd, with participating cities so far including New York City, Anchorage, Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, Ogden, Salt Lake City, and Washington, D.C. Tours are generally kept under an hour and a half. You can also create your own walk--all you need is an enthused tour guide, a knowledge base of your neighborhood, and the capability to plan a route that is logical and wheelchair accessible. You do not need to be an expert on your neighborhood, but rather need to be passionate about it (and have some stories to back it up). More details can be found on the Jane's Walk website. After all, as Jacobs once said, "No one can find what will work for our cities by looking at ... suburban garden cities, manipulating scale models, or inventing dream cities. You've got to get out and walk." Learn more about Jane's Walk here. |
On Thursday, March 26 at 7pm, the Lighthouse Development Group will be conducting an unprecedented 180th public meeting for the Lighthouse project in Uniondale, which will transform 150 acres surrounding the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum into a mixed-use destination center. The Community Outreach Education session will be open to the public and will allow for question and answer with the Lighthouse staff and consultants, including Lighthouse principals Charles Wang and Scott Rechler. Government leaders are also invited to attend. 
On Thursday, March 26 at 7pm, a public information meeting will be held to discuss the new Nissequogue River State Park in Kings Park. The meeting will outline a proposal to demolish 14 buildings at the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center property, which will be the first phase in a long remediation plan. Plans to clean up the 365 acre site and cost estimates will be addressed in an engineering study to begin next month, and will be presented at the meeting.
On Tuesday, March 24th at 7pm, gather at Stony Brook Southampton Campus's Duke Lecture Hall for a talk by President of Group for the East End, Bob DeLuca. The lecture, "Sustainability Starts with You," is a part of Stony Brook Southampton's Sustainability Series. DeLuca will address the growing interest in all things "green" and sustainable, as well as the importance of public advocacy and personal conviction in bring about lasting environmental change. He will outline methods for developing community-driven conservation campaigns and teach the audience how to be committed environmental activists, all while keeping in mind environmental and societal challenges.
Group for the East End, an environmental group dedicated to protecting the natural landscape on Eastern Long Island through public education and advocacy, presents its Explorations series, with many environmentally fun events hosted throughout the year. Build a bird box or go on an organized hike in some of Long Island's most beautiful land. In Greenport, you can help restore the Silver Lake area along North Street and Moore's Lane. With the help of Mayor Nyce and the Village Highway Department, volunteers have made tremendous progress removing couches, tires, batteries, trash, scrap metal, and televisions from this illegal dumping ground. 
The newly formed non-profit, Women's Initiatives for a Sustainable Earth (WISE), presents The 1st NY Women's Conference in Sustainability: "Mobilizing for Climate Stability One Conversation at a Time." From Friday, March 27th through Sunday, March 29th at SUNY Stony Brook- Southampton campus, women and men of all ages and backgrounds are invited to participate in this great event. Learn innovative techniques to build a dynamic movement through grassroots leadership; strengthen networking strategies and passion for protecting life on Earth; move from ideas to crystallized action strategies for green mobilization; and help build a sustainable future where the climate is steady, the environment is hearty, and the economy is humming. The conference will increase awareness of predictable, potential outcomes from global warming; suggest personal and community actions to achieve carbon footprint reduction; enliven a network of people with shared concerns about the Earth's future; and provide a safe, supportive space for exploration of these concerns and possible outcome. 
Earth Hour is "the world's first global election, between Earth and global warming." Vote Earth! On Saturday, March 28 at 8:30pm local time, turn off your lights and electrical appliances and spend 60 minutes outside with friends and family. This will count as your vote for Earth! This global event is sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and is now in its third year. Over 1,500 cities in 80 countries throughout the world have already officially signed up to participate. The goal is to reach 1 billion individuals, including homes, businesses, and public landmarks (last year the Golden Gate Bridge and Sydney Opera House participated). That worldwide vote for sustainability will be used to leverage global climate change action at the 2009 Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, which will be meeting to replace the Kyoto Protocol. 
Every year, Americans purchase 22 million new bicycles. Go Americans! From a planning perspective, biking is one of the best modes of transportation: zero energy emissions, support of local communities, and exercise. However, with new bicycles come old, unwanted bicycles, many of which end up sitting in storage space for years before ending up in a landfill. One group has found a win-win solution to this problem. Pedals for Progress is an international program that collects old bikes and ships them to communities in developing countries overseas. The poor communities are in need of inexpensive, non-polluting transportation to get to jobs, schools, and markets. The program also supports local bike repair shops by offering the first of a series of bike cargo shipments for free (money raised from selling those bikes pay for the next shipment). In its 6 years of existence, Pedals for Progress has collected 117,892 total bikes, with 6,628 in 2008 alone.
The Long Island Sierra Club will be hosting an upcoming presentation called “Reducing your Home Energy Costs.” On April 18th at 1:30pm at the Heritage Center in Mt. Sinai, come to this free, 2-hour community meeting to learn how to save money on your energy bills. The educational program will give you a tour of a very efficient public building and provide ways for you to reduce energy consumption while making your home more comfortable. The meeting will also explain how to become free from paying LIPA for all the electricity you use with no upfront costs, with monthly payments less than or equal to your current ones. You will also learn about energy audits and how to get one for little or no cost, as well as home-ready solar systems that are no more than what you currently pay. 
Jane Jacobs is a legend in the planning world. Some would call her the anti-Moses (Robert Moses, that is), a staunch advocate for pedestrianized communities and dense urban living. Build mixed-use, she said, and communities will flourish. Build smaller blocks, she said, and there will be more opportunity for commercial and residential development, not to mention walkable communities with high quality of life. Most importantly, Jacobs believed in a community based approach to planning. She organized grassroots efforts to block urban renewal projects that would have decimated communities, such as Moses' Lower Manhattan Expressway. In 1961, her masterpiece The Death and Life of American Cities was published, and remains to this day one of the most widely read and praised planning books.|
Huntington Station Paint-In
This Sunday, 3/22, from noon til dusk, artists will be setting up along New York Avenue in Huntington Station for an old fashioned "paint-in." The event comes in response to the bad press Huntington Station has been getting lately, specifically the high crime activity. Rumor has it that residents will refer to themselves as living in "Huntington South" to avoid the stigma. Organized by Cynthia Grimm of The Artists in the Attic, the paint-in will let passing drivers and pedestrians know that there is more to the Village than what has been on the news lately. The more folks who come out the merrier, so come with easels, watercolors, oils, sketch pads, journals, or other creative medium. You can also set up in small groups, as long as you do not block sidewalk passage. This event is expected to continue all spring and summer, potentially culminating in an art show at The Artists in the Attic. Free Rita's Ices Today, March 20!
Read more at Rita's website and see all the Long Island locations here, including downtown spots. |
Today, Friday March 20, is free Rita's Ices Day! From noon-10pm, stop by any Rita's store for a free 10-ounce Italian ice treat in your favorite flavor. Rita's has been celebrating the first day of Spring with free sugary goodness for 17 years. Long Island has six Rita's locations, including Bellmore, Huntington Station, and Oceanside.
"It is very clear to all of us that the Obama administration clearly gets it on smart growth." - Smart Growth Leadership Institute President Parris N. Glendening |
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