8/14/2019 January 5, 2007 - Senator Flanagan Letter to Acting Commissioner Ash

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loHN t. FTANAGAN2nd DISTR|CT

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THE SENATE

STATE OF NEW YORK

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

I write to memorialize several immediate concems from your meeting. It appeared tome from your comments and your response to my questions that yogdo not support the newaddition of almost 370 acres to the Nissequogue River State Park. When I specifically askedyou whether yOu support that parcel maintaining its designation as state parkland you wouldnot 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' impactsbeyond the mature growth area. Your concentration seemed to be less on the mission of Stateparks and more on cost issues that are more appropriately dealt with in the Executive Budgetenacted 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 theSpitzer administration.

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 andmonths 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

the efforts of a developer whose plan would have decimated the Kings Park community.

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8/14/2019 January 5, 2007 - Senator Flanagan Letter to Acting Commissioner Ash

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Simply put, the land is now a park and it should rcmain exactly that way. Anydiscussions 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 specificallyearmarked 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 hisproposed Executive Budget and that he include additional funding wherever possible. I wouldrespectfully 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

parcel as a park I will operate on the assumption that you do not and will share that

information with all interested parties, including my colleagues in the Senate.

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