11-20-2007

Mineola, NY – Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi today announced the recommendations made by his advisory committee, made up of environmental and civic leaders, for proposed uses for the $100 million environmental bond issue overwhelmingly approved by Nassau County voters in 2006.

The Environmental Program Advisory Committee, appointed by Suozzi, reviewed the 299 proposals submitted by the public and by local governments. Of those, the committee recommends 95 projects, including acquiring over 300 acres of open space, preserving four farms, improving parks throughout the county, cleaning up contaminated properties, and protecting waterways and wetlands.

In a show of strong bi-partisan support, the Nassau County Legislature in September 2006 unanimously approved the $100 million Environmental Program. An overwhelming 77% of Nassau County voters agreed, approving the November 2006 referendum to authorize the issuance of $100 million in bonds to fund the program. Since then, the $100 million from the bond act has been leveraged to generate $130 million in environmental benefit, thanks to the County working with local governments and private organizations.

“These recommendations are crucial to preserving everything we love about suburbia,” Suozzi said. “If we want to keep Nassau County a financially strong, attractive place to live, we must protect our remaining parcels of open space, clean up polluted brownfields and continue to improve our parks and recreational centers. And if we want to make Nassau the healthiest county in the nation – which is the goal of my Healthy Nassau campaign – it is vital that we ensure the safety of our water quality. Many of these projects would do just that.”

The Committee’s recommendations must now be reviewed within the next 75 days by the Open Space and Parks Advisory Committee and the Planning Commission. The recommendation will then go to the County Executive and the Legislature for final approval.

Among the 28 open space properties to be preserved are four farms – Rottkamp’s Farm and Young’s Farm in Old Brookville, Grossman’s Farm in Malverne, and Fruggie’s Farm in East Meadow. Thirty acres of the Hall Estate in Muttontown and 25 acres of the Frost Mill Manor Estate in Mill Neck are also among the properties slated for preservation. About $77 million will be used for open space preservation.

The county will be working on preserving a total of 319 acres. Preserving open space not only saves these properties from development, it protects groundwater and the county’s drinking water supply. County-acquired open space will be available for public use.

Some $8.4 million is earmarked for 37 parks recommended for improvement. These projects include construction of a playground in Long Beach, restoration of the Old Grist Mill in Roslyn, installation of a multi-purpose playing field in Roosevelt, and creation of a water trail along the south shore, including canoe and kayak launches.

The 25 storm water improvement projects will help prevent pollutants in storm water runoff from contaminating Nassau County’s many waterways and wetlands. These projects, which will use about $10.4 million of bond act funds, include installation of treatment devices in over 1,700 catch basins throughout the county, dredging of Willow Pond in Hewlett and installation of a sediment collection system and wetland plantings in Manorhaven.

The five brownfield projects, which will use $3.8 million in funding, include demolition of the former Glen Cove incinerator, performance of environmental site assessments in Mineola and cleanup of contaminated soil in Baldwin.

“I want to thank the Environmental Program Advisory Committee for their hard work and dedication,” said Legislative Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs. “I’m excited to see open spaces preserved, brownfields cleaned up, and our parks system improved. By keeping the few open spaces we have left, we are ensuring that future generations of Nassau County residents will have the same green spaces that are so important to our quality of life.”

“Not only will the recommendations of the Advisory Committee protect drinking water, preserve our few remaining farms, and improve our parks, but the committee has worked hard to get the best value for the Nassau County taxpayer by getting matching funds for most projects with a result that is much more than the $100 million in county bonds,” said Brian Meullers, the chair of the Long Island Chapter of the New York League of Conservation, and who serves as chair of Suozzi’s advisory committee.

“We are very excited to release these recommendations and provide Nassau County residents with a meaningful plan for land preservation, protection for our bays and beaches, andpark improvementsprojects,” said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment.“Wefelt a strong obligation to craft a set of recommendations that would achievethe expectations of 77% of the voters who supported this critical environmental bond.”

Suozzi Announces Proposals for Use of $100 Million Environmental Bond

95 Recommendations Include Open Space Preservation, Park & Water Quality Improvement, and Brownfield Cleanup