January 5, 2007 - Senator Flanagan Letter To Acting Commissioner Ash

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January 5,2007

Commissioner Carol Ash Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Agency Building I Empire State Plaza Albany, New York 12238 Dear Commissioner Ash:

It was

a

pleasure to meet you the other day with Mr. Foye in my Albany ofhce. I was prior to the State of

glad to be able to accommodate your request for an immediate meeting the State to discuss the new addition to Nissequogue River State Park.

I write to memorialize several immediate concems from your meeting. It appeared to my questions that yogdo not support the new addition of almost 370 acres to the Nissequogue River State Park. When I specifically asked you whether yOu support that parcel maintaining its designation as state parkland you would not say yes. In my humble opinion, anything less than a direct yes should be construed as a no. While you attempted to answer my question, your focus was on reviewing 'other' impacts beyond the mature growth area. Your concentration seemed to be less on the mission of State parks and more on cost issues that are more appropriately dealt with in the Executive Budget enacted in conjunction with the Legislature. To say the least, I was very troubled and disappointed that you want to overturn a parkland designation in the very first days of the Spitzer administration. me from your comments and your response to

I believe I was very clear as to my stance on this issue but I will reiterate exactly what my position is on behalf of the people that I represent. We worked very hard for months and months in concert with local and state officials to act in the best interests of the Kings Park community, The fruits of those efforts include almost 370 acres of new parkland, preservation

of approximately $ I million in tax payments to the Kings Park School District and defeating of a developer whose plan would have decimated the Kings Park community.

the efforts

tJ

Simply put, the land is now a park and it should rcmain exactly that way. Any discussions of development within the park is worthwhile and reasonable as long as it is always contemplated as a park, not as a vehicle or tool for commercial or industrial or economic development. I will aggressively fight any effort to undermine the status of this land as anything other than parkland. As to your concem regarding funding, please know that my office has again reconfirmed that there is a $25 million appropriation in the2006-2007 budget specifically earmarked for the cleanup of the Psych Center property. This is historic, it is precedent setting and recognizes that the State should pay for the cleanup. I will proactively and aggressively try to seek additional funding and hope that you will partner with me in that advocacy. I intend on requesting that Governor Spitzer re-appropriate that $25 million in his proposed Executive Budget and that he include additional funding wherever possible. I would respectfully request that you support that effort in writing to the Governor. Please know that this issue is critically important to my constituents and I believe to the State as a whole. Until I hear from your office in writing that you support this entire

will operate on the assumption that you do not and will share that information with all interested parties, including my colleagues in the Senate.

parcel as a park I

Thank you for considering my thoughts and I look forward to your expeditious response.

J. Flanagan

Govemor Eliot Spitzer { , Senator Joseph L. Bruno Senator Owen H. Johnson Senator Mary Lou Rath Commissioner Patrick J. Fove Jeff Lovell Mike Avella Richard C. Mereday Darren Suarez