Federal Funding for Hempstead Harbor Projects Threatened

Your help is urgently needed to ensure that federal funds are available for projects that protect wetlands in Hempstead Harbor and neighboring waterways. Hempstead Harbor (along with Manhasset Bay, Oyster Bay Harbor and other key Long Island Sound waters) recently were designated as Long Island Sound Stewardship sites.

The designation makes municipalities in these areas eligible for funding under The Long Island Sound Stewardship Act of 2006 (H.R. 5160), proposed federal legislation now under review. The text of the bill is available from the search page of the U.S. House of Representatives: Office of the Clerk.

However, a recent change in the act (apparently prompted by a single voice in Connecticut) would eliminate all wetlands and underwater lands from the definition of a stewardship site, leaving only uplands above the mean high water mark. If this language is accepted, it will undermine the original intent of the act and eliminate funding for the most critical projects in Hempstead Harbor and surrounding waters.

The Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association believes that this change makes no sense and is highly damaging to Hempstead Harbor and to Long Island Sound.

Please consider sending the draft letter below, or some version of it, to the local offices of key congresspersons in New York and Connecticut. If you wish, you can go to U.S. House of Representatives: Write Your Representative to send your messages via email (see note below).

The suggested text was composed by Eric Swenson, director of the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee (HHPC), an intermunicipal organization made up of the municipalities surrounding the harbor (the towns of Oyster Bay and North Hempstead, the villages of Sea Cliff, Roslyn Harbor, Roslyn, Flower Hill and Sands Point, the City of Glen Cove, and Nassau County). The Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association participates in HHPC as a nonvoting member and supports the work of the committee in whatever way it can.

In the letter, Eric points out that "trying to protect Long Island's coastal ecology without protecting its wetlands and underwater lands is like trying to protect a tree while allowing its limbs to be cut off." Great progress is being made in restoring the wetlands and water quality in Hempstead Harbor and in Long Island Sound in general. This is an opportunity to help federal officials understand how to keep that progress on track.

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The Honorable Steve Israel
U.S. House of Representatives
150 Motor Parkway, Suite 108
Hauppauge, NY 11788-5152

Re: Long Island Sound Stewardship Act (H.R. 5160)

Dear Congressman Israel:

I am writing to you regarding the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act (H.R. 5160) which would establish the Long Island Sound Stewardship Initiative. My colleagues and I are concerned about a recent change to the “Boundaries” section of the legislation that would exclude all underwater lands and wetlands from the protections afforded by this otherwise much-needed bill.

We believe that the exclusion of wetlands and underwater lands largely defeats the very purpose of the bill, which was introduced “... to identify, protect, and enhance sites within the Long Island Sound ecosystem with significant ecological, educational, open space, public access, or recreational value through a bi-state network if sites best exemplifying these values.”

Wetlands provide irreplaceable habitat for various species and also serve as natural filters for stormwater which in turn protects the health of our harbors. In fact, the bill itself states that “approximately 1/3 of the tidal marshes of the Long Island Sound have been filled, and much of the remaining marshes have been ditched, diked or impounded, reducing the ecological value of the marshes”.

Not only should these areas be protected but they should be the main focus of this legislation. Trying to protect Long Island Sound coastal sites but eliminating protection of wetlands and underwater lands is like trying to protect a tree but allowing its limbs to be cut off. The wetlands and underwater lands are so integral and key to the protection of the coastal ecosystem that eliminating them from the scope of the bill effectively “guts” the bill.

As a community which has done much to protect and enhance Hempstead Harbor, we urge you to revise the Stewardship Act to include New York’s wetlands and underwater lands.

Thank you for your consideration.

cc:

Gary Ackerman
218-14 Northern Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361-3503

Timothy Bishop
3680 Route 112, Suite C, Coram, NY 11727

Joseph Crowley
74-09 37th Ave, Suite 306-B, Jackson Heights, NY 11372-6303

Rosa L. DeLauro
59 Elm Street, Suite 205, New Haven, CT 06510-2036

Peter King
1003 Park Blvd., Massapequa Park, NY 11762-2758

Nita M. Lowey
222 Mamaroneck Ave., Suite 310, White Plains, NY 10605-1316

Carolyn McCarthy
200 Garden City Plaza, Suite 320, Garden City, NY 11530-3338

Christopher Shays
10 Middle Street, 11th Floor, Bridgeport, CT 06604-4223

Robert Simmons
2 Courthouse Square, 5th Floor, Norwich, CT 06360-5763

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Note: U.S. House of Representatives: Write Your Representative seems to be set up to permit people to send messages only to the congressperson representing their particular district. It appears to be possible for those with legitimate reasons for contacting congresspersons outside their district to get around this by using the recipient's zip code instead of the sender zip code when prompted for the sender zip code. However, you should still type in all of your correct contact information in the various address felds that follow. In your message, you might want to include an introductory sentence to the effect that, although you do not live in the representative's district, you are writing on a matter of great concern to everyone who lives near Long Island Sound and that requires intermunicipal cooperation, so you hope that the congressperson will take the message seriously. You also may have to type in a number or letter in a required field to prove that you are not spamming. (To reach Timothy Bishop you can use any four digit zip code extension for the portion of Coram that Mr. Bishop represents; how to do this will become evident). It could be easier, but it's not as bad as it sounds.

Action Needed on Propane Field Acquisition

The Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association will renew its request that the Town of Oyster Bay (TOB) move forward with plans to acquire two waterfront lots on Hempstead Harbor adjacent to Tappen Beach at the Town Board meeting scheduled for Tuesday, June 27, at 7 p.m. Please try to attend. You may speak or simply show your support by your presence. Town Hall is located at 54 Audrey Avenue in Oyster Bay. The public comment period is usually at the end of the meeting. If you know you will be attending in time to RSVP, please send a message to gwghcivic@optonline.net.

The lot available for purchase is a fully remediated underground propane storage facility that is currently owned by KeySpan. There also is an adjacent wetland that has been cleaned up and is likely to be donated to the town. The parcels have been recommended for acquisition by the town's Save Environmental Assets Bond Act Advisory Committee. In addition, TOB has received two state grants to assist with the acquisition, and the Nassau County Open Space Advisory Committee also has recommended acquisition of the property with funds available under the county's environmental bond act (see Protecting Environmental Bond Recommendations, April 21; GWL Waterfront Scores as County Priority, March 10).

At least three major developments support swift action to bring the lots into the public domain:

• The possible sale of KeySpan, potentially to a British firm that recently made a serious offer (see KeySpan Buyout: Waterfront Implications, March 05). It does not seem likely that a new owner would be obligated to honor any understanding that the town and KeySpan may have, whether formal or informal.

• The impact of a project proposed for a parcel just south of the town line in the Town of North Hempstead (TNH) portion of Glenwood Landing (see EIS for GWL Waterfront Apartments Available at Gold Coast Library, May 27; Sewer Line: Consider Glenwood Landing, March 19). TNH recently accepted a Final Environmental Impact Statement for a 60-unit apartment complex adjacent to the Glenwood Landing Power Station that would be served by a sewer line to Glen Cove. The project could set a precedent that triggers a rise in the value of the propane field.

• The integrity of the remediation. While the propane field was pristine when remediation was completed, it is becoming a magnet for debris—just as any unused property would. Already, at least one abandoned boat has somehow found its way to the site. The longer the property remains unused, the more debris will accumulate and the greater the cost of eventual removal. Also, the wetland adjacent to the propane field was capped, precluding the site as an appropriate location for deep-routed plants. It does not appear that the wetland parcel is being managed to maintain the appropriate flora, which could lead to unnecessary expenses in the future.

Finally, this community accepted the intensification of industrial activity on its waterfront (i.e, the installation of two generators on the east side of Shore Road) predicated on an informal understanding with KeySpan and LIPA that two public benefits would follow: the propane field (and adjacent wetland) would be brought into the public domain and additional taxes (whether in the form of a traditional tax or a PILOT). Thus far, neither has been forthcoming. To say that this is discouraging is putting it mildly.

In recent years, TOB voters approved two town environmental bonds; voters also approved a similar county bond. This civic association distributed more than 6,000 educational flyers about these initiatives, which passed overwhelmingly. The first TOB bond funded acquisition of several worthy parcels, including the Underhill property, a large parcel near Route 107 in the vicinity of Jericho. The movement to acquire the Underhill property began decades ago and the civic association fully supported it. That purchase was accomplished with town, county, and state funds.

EIS for GWL Waterfront Apartments Available at Gold Coast Library

If you want to know more about the apartment complex proposed for the Town of North Hempstead (TNH) portion of the Glenwood Landing Waterfront, you need go no further than the Gold Coast Public Library. Library Director Genellen McGrath reports that two copies of the Environment Impact Statement (EIS) for the development were delivered to the library yesterday. The document also is available online through the TNH website.

TNH will accept written comments on the EIS through June 8. The next opportunity for public input will be at a hearing scheduled when an application to rezone the property from industrial use to multi-family residential use is filed. The Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association expects a rezoning application will be forthcoming.

The civic association, Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee, and Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor have been following the application and have commented at two previous hearings (see "North Hempstead Accepts Environmental Impact Statement for Waterfront Apartments in Glenwood Landing," May 23; "County Explains Role in Waterfront Sewer Line," May 10; "Sewer Line: Consider Glenwood Landing," March 19).

How the land proposed for this development is used will have a tremendous impact on Hempstead Harbor, Glenwood Landing, Glen Head, Roslyn Harbor, Sea Cliff, and the North Shore School District and will shape the character of the community and the waterfront for generations to come. The Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association urges residents to take full advantage of all opportunities to participate in the review process.

Glenwood Landing Bids Farewell to a Piece of History

Glenwood Landing lost a rare window on its past this morning, when a wrecking ball crashed into the Townsend House, a home that has stood at the corner of Glenwood Road and Kissam Lane for more than a century. Originally, the home overlooked a pastoral scene of rolling hills, farmland, and ponds. In more recent years, the view has been dominated by the Glenwood Landing Post Office, which is built over one of these ponds. For the last few decades and until recently, the home was occupied as a two-family residence.

According to a study commissioned by the Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association, the Townsend House was an excellent example of vernacular architecture, a building form that is fast disappearing from the Glenwood Landing landscape (see “Subdivision Review Reveals A Pre-Colonial Past,” May 11). The study also identifies the original owners of the home as the Townsend family, who were among the area’s first settlers.

At many hearings, the civic association suggested that the building be preserved and its present use be maintained. Unfortunately, this goal could not be achieved. In April, after prolonged county and town review of a seven-unit subdivision proposed for the site, the Town of Oyster Bay issued a permit that cleared the way for demolition. The site plan calls for construction of five homes at the rear of the 2-plus-acre-parcel, two homes at the front, and a new cul-de-sac that opens onto Kissam Lane near the stop sign. Much of the existing slope will be removed to accommodate seven new structures and extensive retaining walls will be required.

Stormwater Controls Implemented at GWL Site

A commendable effort to contain runoff has been made at the construction site on the northwest corner of Glenwood Road and Kissam Lane, where a seven-unit subdivision is planned. Earlier this month, an absence of stormwater control measures followed by several days of heavy showers permitted a great deal of mud to escape from the site and wash into Hempstead Harbor via Glenwood Road and a nearby storm drain.

Construction runoff is a key component of non-point source pollution. The Hempstead Harbor Water Quality Improvement Plan identifies non-point source pollution as a major cause of contamination and silt build up in the Hempstead Harbor. The harbor is particularly vulnerable to the impact of construction activities at the Glenwood Road / Kissam Lane site because of the site’s slope, close proximity to the harbor, and close proximity to the nearest storm drain.

To help reduce the impact of construction runoff on New York State waterways, the state recently mandated implementation of certain stormwater control measures at all construction sites of one or more acres. The Glenwood Road / Kissam Lane site is just over two acres. Developers and property owners are responsible for implementing the measures. Local municipalities and the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation are responsible for enforcement. Noncompliance can result in heavy fines.

Containing runoff at the Glenwood Road / Kissam Lane site is challenging because of the site's slope and proximity to the storm drain. Nevertheless, less runoff can be expected from today forward thanks to the installation of straw bales in front of a silt fence and around several mounds of exposed soil. Most importantly, the straw bales have been trenched into the soil a few inches in compliance with New York State guidelines. Additional measures, such as seeding and mulching of the open soil piles are still needed, however. Experts say these measures are fast, relatively inexpensive, and highly effective.

Memorial Day Weekend Fireworks in Hempstead Harbor

Fireworks are scheduled at Bar Beach on Saturday, May 27.

The event is offered by the Town of North Hempstead with funding from the Americana Manhasset and Wheatley Plaza.

The rain date is Sunday, May 28.

North Hempstead Accepts Environmental Impact Statement for Waterfront Apartments in Glenwood Landing

On Tuesday, May 23, the North Hempstead Town Council accepted an Environment Impact Statement (EIS) submitted by Glen Harbor Partners in connection with a waterfront apartment building proposed for town- and privately- held property in Glenwood Landing on Shore Road immediately south of the Glenwood Landing Power Station.

The property is commonly referred to as the Hinfin/Harbor Fuel site. The EIS can be viewed online and at the Town of North Hempstead (TNH) Planning Department and also may be available at Bryant Public Library. The Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association has requested that TNH explore the possibility of making the document available at the Gold Coast Library.

TNH will accept written comments on the proposal through Friday, June 8. Although the Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association had understood that a hearing would be held at the time the EIS was submitted, this impression was incorrect: the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) does not require a public hearing at this stage. However, TNH has elected to accept written comments because of the public interest the project has generated.

TNH has held two previous hearings on the EIS: a "scoping session" designed to determine what the EIS should include and a hearing on the draft EIS. These hearings were widely publicized by the civic association and TNH. The next opportunity for a public hearing on the proposal is likely to occur if an application is made to rezone the property from industrial use to multifamily residential use.

The project would involve some 60 apartment units, a pool, and several stories. A varience would be required to accommnodate the height of the building; the number of units is contingent upon constructing a sewer line on Shore Road through the Glenwood Landing Waterfront to Sea Cliff, terminating at the sewage treatment plant in Glen Cove. The project includes a public esplanade with public access from the north and south and would involve an environmental clean up funded by the developer.

Glen Partners and the Village of Sea Cliff have been discussing the possibility of constructing the sewer line in a manner that would accommodate some Sea Cliff properties. Those reviewing the project have routinely discounted the suggestion made by the civic association that the possibility of accommodating some Glenwood Landing properties also should be seriously explored, particularly in view of the high water table and cesspool problems familiar to many people in or near the Glenwood Landing waterfront and the impact of these issues on Hempstead Harbor.

Although a great deal of the sewer line would be constructed through the Town of Oyster Bay portion of Glenwood Landing, Nassau County appears to be the only permitting authority with regard to this aspect of the project because Shore Road is a county thoroughfare. According to the county, issuing a road opening permit for a sewer line is routine and there is no opportunity for public input or notification. Last month, the civic association met with the Nassau County Department of Public works to emphasize traffic, pedestrian, and construction concerns should the project move forward.

For more information, contact the Town of North Hempstead Planning Department (869-7679).

Stormwater Runoff Controls Needed at Glenwood Landing Site

Heavy rains last night created a river of mud this morning that flowed onto Glenwood Road from a slope on the northwest corner of Glenwood and Kissam Lane, opposite the Glenwood Landing Post Office, where excavation in connection with a 7-lot subdivision is underway.

The mud will inevitably wash down Glenwood Road into Hempstead Harbor. According to the Hempstead Harbor Water Quality Improvement Plan, runoff from construction sites, roadways, and private yards is a significant source of silt build up and pollution in Hempstead Harbor. Experts agree that the problem is endemic in virtually all Long Island Sound waterways.

Effective measures are available

To address the issue, New York State has adopted regulations that require developers and/or owners to implement stormwater containment measures at all construction sites that disturb one or more acres of land. The Glenwood/Kissam subdivision involves more than two acres. Furthermore, a great deal of soil will have to be disturbed to accommodate the seven lots called for in the site plan.

The measures that can contain stormwater during the construction phase of this or any other project are generally relatively inexpensive and easy to implement, and they are known to be highly effective when properly executed.

This morning the Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association contacted the Town of Oyster Bay (TOB) and the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation about the apparent lack of stormwater runoff control at the Glenwood / Kissam site. This afternoon a TOB building official said that an inspector had visited the site and that the town will insist on adequate stormwater containment.

Learning from the recent past

Glenwood Landing recently experienced a similar runoff problem early in the construction phase of a home on a steep slope located on Scudders Lane near the Swan Club opposite Glenwood Road in Roslyn Harbor. The site is in the Town of North Hempstead (TNH) portion of the hamlet. Eventually, containment measures were implemented—but not until after a great deal of soil had escaped.

The Glenwood / Kissam project has been under review for about eight years. At hearings held by TOB and the Nassau County Planning Commission, the civic association presented photographs of the Scudders Lane project before stormwater controls were implemented to underscore the importance of stormwater containment when and if the Glenwood / Kissam project moved forward. We are now confident that the cooperation of all concerned parties will be forthcoming.

Home measures also important

To increase awareness of the importance of reducing all forms of stormwater runoff and the contaminants it carries, the civic association is cooperating with TOB and Nassau County to mark storm drains in Glenwood Landing and Glen Head with medallions bearing the message "No Dumping / Drains to Waterway." Literature about stormwater runoff also will be distributed.

Note that if you live in Glenwood Landing or "lower" Glen Head, the storm drains you see on your street eventually open into Hempstead Harbor—even if the harbor is nowhere to be seen from your home. Thus, chemicals from your garden, soap from washing your car, pet waste that is left on the ground, and so on can and do make their way into storm drains. These pollutants are then conveyed to the harbor through an extensive network of pipes and tunnels under your feet. Eventually these pipes and tunnels open into Hempstead Harbor. Therefore, it is important to reduce the pollutants that enter storm drains from all sources, including our gardens and driveways.

Watch for storm drain markers and literature in your area. Attaching the markers is fun and a good activity for children, although some degree of adult supervision is required depending on the age of the children. If you would like to mark the storm drains on your street, send a message to the civic association at gwghcivic@optonline.net.

Subdivision Review Reveals A Pre-Colonial Past

Many generations of children raised in Glenwood Landing or Glen Head will recall combing the property at the northwest corner of Glenwood Road and Kissam Lane for arrowheads—and the thrill of coming up with a handful of mysteriously pointed stones. In fact, many of those presumed arrowheads were, indeed, authentic Native American artifacts.

The presence of artifacts used by the indigenous people of the north shore was recently confirmed by an investigation conducted in connection with a 7-unit subdivision proposed for the site that has been undergoing review for several years. The investigation was required by the Nassau County Planning Commission under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) at the expense of the developer (currently Anray Custom Builder of Sea Cliff).

Some of the items documented by investigators from the firm of John M. Milner Associates are relatively common artifact of fairly recent vintage. However, some of the items may date to the pre-colonial period. Known as pre-contact artifacts, such artifacts are prized by archeologists—although to the lay person they may often seem like nothing more than nondescript chips and chards.

Archeological experts say that no more sites of this type are likely to be diiscovered in Nassau County. One characteristic that makes the site so unusual, according to Charla Bolton, a preservation advocate for the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities, is evidence of continuous human occupation for so long a period of time.

The Native Americans were succeeded by the Townsends, who were among the area's earliest settlers. According to a historic study conducted by a consultant hired by the civic association, the Townsends probably constructed the main building on the site sometime during the mid-19th century and used it through the first third of the last century. John Collins, architectural historian, preservationist, and member of the Town of Oyster Bay Landmarks Commission, has described the building as a good example of the vernacular architecture of the 19th century, which was once common in Glenwood Landing and surrounding areas. It also is one of the few reamining such buildings in Glenwood Landing.

Vernacular architecture is a term applied to structures that are usually erected by non-academically trained builders based on local traditions, building techniques, and materials. According to the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, design and construction often occur simultaneously onsite; some of those who eventually use the building are often involved in construction, design, or both; and the shape of the building generally reflects local patterns that may be either centuries old or that reflect the technological advances of the time (such as the jigsaw, which made "gingerbread" embellishments possible during the late Victorian period).

The civic association commissioned the historic study with the hope that a mechanism for preserving the building, which was occupied as a two-family home until last year, could be found. The effort was unsuccessful, however. Last month, the Town of Oyster Bay issued a demolition permit, which includes removal of several structures and underground oil storage tanks.

According to a letter from Joel Klein, Senior Project Manager at John M. Milner Associates, submitted to the county Planning Commission, more than 50,000 stone and ceramic artifacts and animal remains were recovered and removed from the site as ordered by the commission and the state. The stone artifacts include “tools related to the procurement, processing and consumption of shellfish, fish, and mammals" and "numerous grinding and abrading stones, pitted stones, and debris resulting from tool manufacture.“ The ceramic artifacts include three reconstructable vessels and more than 11,000 fragments.

Forum for Consumer Questions in Farmingdale

• Overwhelmed at the thought of purchasing a home or renovating your current home?

• Concerned about improving credit or avoiding identity theft?

• Trying to find high quality child care?

• Wondering about child ID cards, how to find out about recalled toys, or the best criteria to use when selecting a school or school district?

Representatives from more than 20 state and local agencies will be on hand to offer tips about these and other consumer-related topics at “Consumer Action Day” on Saturday, May 13, in Roosevelt Hall, SUNY Farmingdale, 2350 Broadhollow Road, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The event is hosted by the NYS Consumer Protection Board (470-2954).

County Explains Role in Waterfront Sewer Line

Three area civics met today with County Legislators Diane Yatauro and Craig Johnson and Nassau County Acting Commissioner of Public Works Joe Davenport to learn more about the county’s role in a sewer line that may be constructed under Shore Road in Glenwood Landing. Jim Antonelli, an engineer with Sidney B. Bowne, the Town of North Hempstead’s (TNH'S) consulting firm, also attended.

The sewer line would carry waste from a waterfront apartment complex that may be constructed immediately south of the Glenwood Landing Power Station (on the site known as the Harbor Fuel/Hinfin property) to the sewage treatment plant in Glen Cove. The site is located in the TNH portion of Glenwood Landing. While some of the property is privately owned, a portion of the site is held by TNH; the project also includes a lot across the street.

A 40-unit apartment building or a 60-unit apartment building have discussed for the site. The plan also includes a public waterfront esplanade with access at both the southern and northern ends. The developer would fund the environmental cleanup at no cost to taxpayers.

TNH has mounted an active public outreach campaign and has held several hearings in connection with the proposal. The Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association, Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee, and Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor have provided comments at every opportunity. The Final Environmental Impact Statement is expected shortly. At that time, the town will hold another public hearing.

The sewer line would be installed under Shore Road, a county throughfare, and proceed through Sea Cliff. Two Sea Cliff routes have been discussed. One would run under certain village roads; the other appears to be entirely in the county right of way. It may or may not be possible for some commercial businesses in Sea Cliff to hook into the line. Officials have thus far dismissed the possibility of hooking up any part of Glenwood Landing to the sewer as financially and technologically unfeasible.

The number of apartment units constructed is largely dependant on the construction of a sewer line. It is the Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association’s position that if a way to accommodate sewering at least a portion of Glenwood Landing cannot be found, then maybe the applicant should be limited to the 40-unit proposal, which would probably treat waste in an on site system. In any case, the civic association believes that the footprint of the building is too large, the height of the building is too tall, and the public space is too limited for this project to be feasiable in Glenwood Landing, especially along the waterfont. Interestingly, the renderings of the 40-unit alternative and the 60-unit alternative both seem to show a building with the same footprint and height.

Should the project be approved with a sewer line, road opening permits will be issued by the county. There will be no opportunity for public participation or notification at that point in the process. Rather, if the project moves forward, the opportunity for public comment about the sewer line and other matters will be through hearings held by TNH in connection with the Final Environmental Impact Statement and an application to rezone the property from industrial to multiple residential. The Nassau County Planning Commission also will review the application and hold a public hearing.

It is important to recognize that participation in the review process can help shape the project. If you do not participate, you forfeit your right to complain! TNH has done two mailings to all of Glenwood Landing and parts of Glen Head to announce previous hearings, and the civic association has moutned a massive education campaign at considerable effort and expense. If you have been unaware of this project, it isn't for want of trying. There is every reason to believe that TNH will continue to encourage public input, and the civic association certainly will continue to do so. For more information, contact the TNH Planning Department (869-7679), watch this site for updates as information becomes available, and please inform neighbors about the situation.

Another Scudders Lot Possible

It appears that the lot on Scudders Lane adjacent to the six-unit subdivision on the southeast corner of Scudders and Lincoln Avenue currently under construction may be subdividable. The sloped parcel currently contains one blue house. If so, two homes are likely to rise on two smaller, newly created lots, bringing to 8 the total number of new homes to appear on that corner. Some of the new homes face Cleveland Ave in Hill Terrace.

TOB and Area Civics Discuss Knockdowns

The presidents of the Glenwood / Glen Head, Todd Estates, and Hill Terrance civic associations met with Town of Oyster Bay (TOB) Planning Department officials last Wednesday to discuss mechanisms that can be used to better manage a growing trend: replacing perfectly sound homes with the largest new structures permitted under the current zoning code and, sometimes, subdividing the property to create several additional lots—often in neighborhoods where the average existing lot size is much larger and the average existing house size is much smaller than those created by the new construction.

“The practice is visible throughout the town,” Commissioner Jack Libert said. “In fact, you can’t miss it almost anywhere you go.” The situation can be difficult to address. “We thought about upzoning,” Deputy Commissioner Leslie Maccarone said. “But then in most places there would be so many nonconforming lots that practically everybody would have to appear before the zoning board to do almost anything.”

Nevertheless, mechanisms to balance the demand for expansion capability with the desire to preserve community character do exist. Commissioner Libert said that TOB has hired Frederick P. Clark Associates, a planning firm that the town has used on many previous occasions, to analyze the situation with respect to TOB and to make recommendations.

The commissioner and deputy suggested that the department furnish the civic associations with copies of the Fredrick P. Clark report when it is completed and requested civic feedback. In addition, a public hearing will be held. The department also has provided the civic associations with a map that clearly delineates the various zones in Glenwood Landing and Glen Head.

According to Jack and Leslie, one key measure being considered for inclusion in the code is floor-area-ratio (FAR), which takes into consideration the amount of living space relative to lot size. Although FAR is included in TOB's commercial code, it is currently not in the residential code. Other measures being evaluated are the amount of pervious surface (such as a lawn) to non-pervious surface (such as an asphalt driveway), as well as maximum height and roof pitch.

All of these measures can work together to permit the expansion of existing homes or the construction of new ones in a manner that does not overwhelm a neighborhood. The civic associations have requested that the town examine some additional zoning techniques that are also designed to accomplish this goal, including:

• requiring subdivided lots and/or new construction or additions to conform to the average lot and/or building size in a neighborhood rather than be limited only by the conditions set forth for a particular zone (a measure that has been adopted by the Town of North Hempstead);

• protections for structures that are architecturally or historically desirable from a local perspective or that are essential for preserving community character;

• stricter controls on variances granted to nonconforming lots;

• special protections for slopes, the defining geographical feature of the north shore;

• restrictions on creation of oddly shaped lots, which are sometimes carved out only to maximize yield;

• application of cluster housing and conservation subdivision concepts to large and small parcels (with the proviso that these concepts are not intended to increase yield);

We have also suggested the town demand that relatively small lots comply with state stormwater requirements, which apply only to construction-related disturbances of an acre or more but can be extended by local municipalities to include smaller disturbances.

Tent Caterpillar Alert

Over the weekend, a sharp pair of eyes spotted a cocoon loaded with tent caterpillars on the young cherry tree in front of 98 Glenwood Road. The branch surrounded by the cocoon was quickly clipped, sealed in a plastic bag, and discarded in a trash can. Be on the lookout for these potentially destructive pests on any trees—especially the saplings planted along Glenwood Road last winter by Nassau County (see Adopt a Tree on Glenwood Road, April 8; On Your Mark, Get Ready, Start Watering, March 26). If you see a cocoon, don’t stop to ask—just cut off the branch that supports the cocoon, seal it in a plastic bag, and toss it in the trash.

Demolition Permit Issued for Glenwood Road Subdivision

The Town of Oyster Bay Building Department confirms that on April 26 the Building Department issued a demolition permit for structures located on the northwest corner of Glenwood Road and Kissam Lane opposite the Glenwood Landing Post Office, where a 7-unit subdivision has been proposed. The permit includes removal of underground oil tanks.

The subdivision has been under review for several years. An environmental review found that the site contained significant Native American artifacts. Demolition of structures and excavation was delayed until the applicant removed the artifacts to a location where they would be preserved. Proof of removal apparently has been submitted to the satisfaction of the appropriate authorities.

The existing buildings have stood on the site since the 19th century. They were originally owned by the Townsends, one of Glenwood Landing's earliest families. The civic association commissioned a historical study of the site and submitted it to the TOB Landmarks Commission with the hope that it would be possible to preserve the structures. Unfortunately, no mechanism was found.

The civic association has participated in review of the subdivsion and proposed several alternatives, including a cluster plan and a five-structure/six-unit plan.

Glenwood Fire Company Opens Window on the Past

For a rare glimpse of Glenwood Landing and Glen Head's past, visit the Glenwood Fire Company Website. The description of the fire company’s founding in 1907 through its 90th anniversary, opens a compelling window on the area’s history.

You’ll learn about the Fyfe Shipyard, a major maritime center on Shore Road for nearly a century, the great fire at Wenlo, one of the region’s most stunning mansions (which firefighters saved and was recently placed on the national and state registers of historic places), and much more.

And, an added bonus, the Website is an excellent resource for fire safety information

Civic Spot Adds Link to GW-GH Garbage District

Sometimes it seems easier to learn about what's happening on the other side of the planet than about what's happening down the block. That's why we recently were delighted to stumble across a weblog maintained by the Glenwood-Glen Head Garbage District and have added a link to the site from the Civic Spot.

All of the neighborhoods served by he Glenwood-Glen Head Garbage District are in the Town of Oyster Bay. That includes most of the Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association's target area (the neighborhood between Kissam Lane and Scudders to the north and south, and Glen Cove Avenue and Shore Road to the east and west), except for the southwest portion of Glenwood Landing (which is in the Town of North Hempstead).

The district's weblog is handy for checking up on practical information that it's easy to forget, such as collection days, weight limits, and the fall leaf collection and holiday schedules. You can also read some interesting facts and figures that you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else, such as how and when the district was formed, the number of households in the district, and district boundaries.

We hope the district will continue to maintain the site and look forward to using it to learn more about important district-related matters—especially the budget, election, and names and terms of the commissioners.

Protecting Environmental Bond Recommendations

The Nassau County Planning Commission is reviewing the Environmental Bond Act recommendations made by the Environmental Program Advisory Committee on March 6. County legislators will vote on the recommendations sometime in May. If approved, the projects will be funded by the $50 million environmental bond referendum voters passed in 2004 by a margin of more than 4 to 1.

The Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association urges the Planning Commission and the Nassau County Legislature to accept the Advisory Committee’s recommendations without alteration. We believe the application and review process was painstaking, fair and objective. We believe that altering the recommendations made by the committee would undermine public confidence in the legislature and in the environmental program that voters intended to support.

The Advisory Committee received 262 proposals and recommended 57 projects. All of these projects represent valuable improvements that will benefit everyone who lives, works, or plays in Nassau County. The list includes 15 parcels for open space acquisition, improvements at 18 parks, 17 stormwater improvement projects, and 7 brownfield clean-up projects.

One of the parcels recommended for open space acquisition is on the Glenwood Landing Waterfront; five others are in the immediate vicinity of Hempstead Harbor (see "GWL Waterfront Scores as County Priority," March 10). The remaining 51 projects are well dispersed throughout the county, from east to west and north to south. The civic association supports each and every one of these recommendations with full confidence in the criteria that the Advisory Committee established to evaluate the applications and in the judgments the Advisory Committee made based on these criteria.

Please consider contacting county legislators and the Planning Commission to express your views on this matter (see below). A press release titled Suozzi Advisory Committee Announces Proposed Uses for $50 Million Environmental Bond and the Environmental Program Advisory Committee Report are posted on the Nassau County Website.

The public servants below can be reached at 1 West Street, Mineola, NY 11501; legislators can be emailed directly from the Legislator Page of the Nassau County Website.

Patricia Bourne, Director, Nassau County Planning Commission (516-571-5847)
Lewis Yevoli, Chairman, Nassau County Planning Commission (516-571-5844)
Legislator Craig Johnson, LD 11, including Glenwood Landing (516-571-6211)
Legislator Diane Yatauro, LD 18, including Glen Head (516-571-6218)
Legislator Peter J. Schmitt, Minority Leader (516-571-6212)
Legislator Judith Jacobs, Presiding Officer (516-571-6216)

Buildings Secured at Proposed Subdivision

Unoccupied buildings on the northwest corner of Glenwood Road and Kissam Lane, where a subdivision of seven single-family homes is planned, have been secured. The buildings have been open to the weather since at least last fall. Earlier this month, and on several previous occasions, the Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association has requested that the Town of Oyster Bay (TOB) require the buildings to be properly sealed until such time as they may be demolished to make way for new construction (see Better Maintenance Needed at Glenwood Landing Subdivision, April 8).

We await word from the Nassau County Planning Commission about the status of site plan review for two lots at the front of the property created by a zoning change granted by TOB; protection of the Native American artifacts documented at the site; and seismic studies being required because of the scale of the retaining walls that will be needed to accommodate the extensive amount of soil that would be removed to create seven building lots.

The existing buildings have stood on the site since the 19th century. They were originally owned by the Townsends, one of Glenwood Landing's earliest families. The civic association commissioned a historical study of the site and submitted it to the TOB Landmarks Commission with the hope that it would be possible to preserve the structures. Unfortunately, no mechanism was found.

The civic association has participated in review of the subdivsion and proposed several alternatives, including a cluster plan and a five-structure/six-unit plan.

Living with Geese

It’s spring, and that means teams of specially trained municipal workers and volunteers are tramping around wetlands, golf courses, sumps, land fills, and even shopping malls armed with umbrellas, buckets, and vegetable oil. The teams are searching for geese that are nesting in areas that interfere with human activity and that are unsafe for the birds.

Like the goose at left, which is incubating her eggs in a planter on a dock, geese are increasingtly nesting in inappropriate places throughout Long Island and the entire eastern seaboard.

Each time a nest with at least one goose egg is located, the umbrella is used to shoo away the parents. The bucket is filled with water, and the egg is placed in the bucket. If the egg sinks, the embryo has not started to develop. In such cases, the egg is oiled to prevent oxygen diffusion. Cutting off the oxygen supply prevents the development of the embryo. Thus, a chick will not hatch. The egg is then placed back in nest so that the parents will not lay another egg to replace it—and population growth is reduced by one.

Eggs found in nests located in good nesting habitats also are oiled in order to limit popultaion growth as much as possible.

The effort is part of GeesePeace, a humane geese control program adopted by the Town of Oyster Bay, the Town of North Hempstead, and some villages. The program also involves site aversion. After the chicks hatch and before the birds molt (lose their feathers and are temporarily unable to fly), specially trained dogs (usually border collies) are used to systematically heard the birds away from inappropriate locations.

What you can do

It is important not to feed geese. Feeding geese is bad for the birds. Grasses and other plants are the natural diet of geese. A diet of bread and other human foods causes vitamin deficiency and makes geese vulnerable to serious, debilitating avian diseases. Feeding geese also encourages the geese to remain in an area and attracts more geese to the vicinity. This undermines the humane goose control management policies of local municipalities.

How geese affect water quality

For thousands of years, flocks of Canada geese have migrated across Long Island twice a year, in the Fall en-route to southern wintering grounds and in the Spring en-route to northern nesting grounds.

But, in recent years, flocks of resident, non-migratory Canada geese have grown so large that they have become a serious nuisance, a health threat, and a source of pollution. Runoff from geese waste drains into streams and storm drains and enters waterways, where it contributes to pollution. Geese waste also causes problems on golf courses, playgrounds, and ball fields.

The geese causing these problems were introduced to Long Island and neighboring states several decades ago for hunting and conservation purposes. The swelling population of these non-migratory geese—and the problems associated with them—were not anticipated.

Wonder birds

Geese are intelligent, excellent parents. They stay together all year and mate for life but will find a new partner if a mate dies. Migratory geese mate and nest in Canada. Only resident geese that were born in the United States mate and nest in the United States.

Migration is a learned process. Migratory geese return to the general area of their birth each year to mate and nest. Sometimes they nest in the exact same location from year to year, sometimes they choose a location nearby. Migratory geese do not become resident geese unless they are injured.

The flight range of migratory geese is 2,000- to- 3,000 miles. In contrast, resident geese fly 100- to- 200 miles to find food, water, and safety. Resident geese could fly as long a distance as their migratory cousins, but they have learned that long flights are not necessary.

Nesting

Nesting season is from mid-March to mid-May. Geese begin to nest at age three. They prefer isolated sites near water. Islands are their favorite location. Nests are usually on the ground. When egg laying begins the male partner, known as the sentinel goose, stands watch nearby—but not close enough to give away the location of the nest to a predator. When a solitary goose is seen during nesting season, it’s probably the sentinel goose—and a nest probably is somewhere in the vicinity.

The group of eggs laid by the female is called a clutch. She generally lays 1 egg every 24 hours for several days until a full clutch is established (5 eggs on average). When all the eggs are laid, she begins to incubate them. Thus, all the hatchlings are the same age when the hatch. The incubation period is 28- to- 30 days.

It is easy to tell if the embryos have started to develop. Eggs not being incubated are cool to the touch. Undeveloped eggs that are still fluid sink or float vertically with the wider portion of the egg pointing down. Developing eggs float horizontally or at a slight angle and break the surface of the water.
At that point the goslings are 1- to- 2 weeks away from hatching.

All geese eggs in a single clutch hatch on approximately the same day. Baby geese are called goslings. They can fly approximately 2- to- 3 months after hatching. Geese can live up to 20 years and usually weight 20- to- 30 pounds.

When geese are chased from a traditional nesting area or a nesting area with too many nesting pairs, they find alternative sites to nest. These sites are often quite marginal—too far away from water and food—and may be in highly inappropriate locations—such as rooftops, balconies, ball fields, golf courses, and parks.

Molting

Each June, adult geese lose their wing feathers, a process called molting, and are temporarily unable to fly. Molting season runs from early June to late July. During the molt, geese need to be near water for easy escape from predators, and a food supply must be accessible. Foxes, raccoons, owls and snapping turtles are the natural predators of geese. Geese can fly again approximately 6 weeks after molting. Generally, by early August all geese (except those that are injured) are ready for flight.

Photo by Jennifer Wilson-Pines
GeesePeace Coordinator

Adopt a Tree on Glenwood Road

Last Sunday afternoon, the 23 saplings planted along Glenwood Road in December received their first major drink of spring—four liters of water for each delivered by members of the Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association. Nature followed up today with a welcome 1.7 inches of rainfall.

The trees were planted by the Nassau County Dept. of Public Works to replace older trees that have been lost over the last several years (see On Your Mark, Get Ready, Start Watering, March 26; New Trees for Glenwood Road, March 16).

If there’s a tree in the vicinity of your home, don’t forget to help get it off to a good start by giving it a minimum of one slow, soil-soaking drink a week throughout the spring and summer (more if there is a dry spell). Civic Association waterers were able to skip watering two trees that had already been watered by nearby neighbors.

According to the county, nearly all of the trees planted are sidewalk- and wire-friendly. In two instances taller trees with deeper root systems were planted in locations with no sidewalks; these trees are also relatively easy to prune because they have no central leader.

The sidewalk- and wire-friendly trees are Japanese Tree Lilacs and Japanese Kwanzan Cherries. The county tells us that if you live at 13, 26, 28, 29, 34, 36, 49, 59, or 72 Glenwood Road, you received a Japanese Tree Lilac; if you live at 65, 77, 86, 91, 98 101A, 108, 109, or 112 Glenwood Road, you received a Japanese Kwanzan Cherry; if you live at 126 or 128 Glenwood Road, you received a stately Japanese Zelkova. In a few instances, two trees were planted in front of one property.

Have you watered your tree yet? Are you considering doing so? Consider posting a comment to let the civic association—as well as visitors to the site—know. If you cannot reach the tree with your hose or if you do not have a watering can, you can fill up a couple of empty soda or milk bottles. Civic association waterers used two-liter soda bottles last week. Have a better technique? Why not let us know?

Better Maintenance Needed at Glenwood Landing Subdivision

Concern about the condition of the property at the northwest corner of Glenwood Road and Kissam Lane opposite the Glenwood Landing Post Office has prompted the Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association to contact the Nassau County Planning Commission and the Town of Oyster Bay about improved maintenance and proper development of the site.

A seven-unit subdivision is planned for the site. In the interim between subdivision approval and groundbreaking, the property has fallen into disrepair. Existing buildings are open to the weather, the grounds are poorly maintained, and debris frequently collects along the sidewalk and at other locations.

Last year, the Oyster Bay Town Board approved a zoning change from commercial to residential that created two of the seven lots. The civic association has contacted the town on several occasions since the zoning hearing to request that the town require the property to be maintained in a manner consistent with the town code: specifically that existing buildings be secured until such time as they may be demolished and that the grounds be properly maintained.

Unfortunately, the buildings remain open to the weather, as they have been for more than a year, and the build up of yard debris is common.

The Nassau County Planning Commission has approved a site plan for the additional five lots in an existing residential zone, with certain conditions. Among these conditions are that:

• the two lots created by the zoning change be presented to the county planning commission for site plan review;

• the Native American artifacts documented at the site be protected before any demolition or construction occurs;

• seismic studies be conducted because of the scale of the retaining walls that will be required to accommodate the extensive amount of soil that would be removed to create seven building lots.

The civic association has contacted the county planning commission to request a hearing to determine if the Native American artifacts have been properly removed and, therefore, that they no longer impede any application a developer might make to the town for a demolition permit.

The civic association also has requested that the county provide information about when in the development process the seismic studies would be conducted and how the results will be documented and presented to the public.

The civic association has participated in the review of this subdivision for at least six years. Among its proposals was a five-unit residential plan with four single-family structures and one owner-occupied two-family structure; we also urged the involved parties to consider a cluster plan. Shortly before the zoning hearing, stakeholders in the Glenwood Landing Business District requested that the Town Board maintain the commercial status of the property; the civic association was pleased to support this request.

Prior to the zoning change, the civic association commissioned a study of the property that was submitted to the Town of Oyster Bay Landmarks Commission. The study documented continuous human occupancy of the site from the pre-colonial period through the present and noted the importance of the Native American artifacts at the site. The study also noted that the Townsends, a local family with historic significance, were the original owners of the property and that the family retained ownership from the pre-revolutionary period through the early part of the last century. There have been only three owners of the site since the Townsend’s relinquished title. Our historian estimated that at least one structure on the site dates to the1850s, although a site inspection was not permitted by the owner of the property at the time the study was conducted.

The Landmarks Commission concluded that the documentation submitted by the civic association did not indicate that the property merited further investigation and rejected landmark status for the property.

Ground Broken for Scudders Subdivision

Construction of six new homes has begun where one once stood on a lot at the southeast corner of Scudders Lane and Lincoln Avenue in the Hill Terrace area. The Nassau County Planning Commission has approved the subdivision, and the Town of Oyster Bay (TOB) has issued building permits for four of the homes.

The building permit for the fifth home is approved, but TOB is waiting for the Nassau County Dept. of Public Works to sign off before releasing it. The sixth home requires a rear-yard setback variance because of the way the home will be situated on the lot. The request is on the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) agenda for Thursday, April 6. To confirm the ZBA agenda or find out where to get more information, contact the ZBA at 624-6230.

Although the Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association perceives this project as significant, it did not participate in the review process primarily because of time constraints. In addition, because of the lot's proximity to Hill Terrace, we thought it best to defer to whatever comments residents in that area might choose to make.

However, concern about the breakup of relatively large lots into smaller ones has prompted the Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association to join the Todd Estates Civic Association and the Hill Terrace Civic Association to request a meeting with TOB to discuss aspects of the zoning code pertinent to this type of situation and how the code might be applied or improved to better protect the character of a neighborhood and preserve open space.

For example, perhaps, when a larger lot is being subdivided into smaller parcels, setback variances should not be an option—particularly if they are being used to accommodate a structure that would otherwise not be possible—or perhaps the minimum lot size required in subdivisions should be the average lot size in an area rather than the minimum lot size required by the code.

Be the Solution to Stormwater Pollution

Look beneath your feet this Spring and you may notice blue and silver medallions with the message NO DUMPING / DRAINS TO WATERWAY on storm drains throughout Glenwood Landing and northwestern Glen Head (the area between Cody and Glen Cove Avenues and Kissam and Scudders Lanes).

The waterway is Hempstead Harbor. The medallions are intended to remind people that what they do around their homes can affect the water quality in Hempstead Harbor—even when the harbor is nowhere in sight. The Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association is partnering with Nassau County and the Town of Oyster Bay to secure the medallions to storm drains throughout Glenwood Landing and northwestern Glen Head.

That’s because if you live in that neighborhood, the storm drains on your street empty into Hempstead Harbor. When it rains, runoff (also called stormwater) from your yard enters these storm drains. Eventually, the stormwater reaches Hempstead Harbor because all the storm drains in this area terminate at the harbor. On its journey, the stormwater picks up contaminants, such as automotive oil, pet waste, and garden chemicals. These contaminants are a significant source of pollution in Hempstead Harbor.

You can improve water quality in Hempstead Harbor by reducing the contaminants in stormwater. Simple household measures can help, such as:

• Keeping pet waste, garden clippings, motor oil, and any other waste products out of all storm drains.

• Properly disposing of household chemicals, motor oil, and antifreeze.

• Applng fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides sparingly.

• Keeping yard waste, trash, and dirt off the street and out of gutters.

• Cleaning up after your dog.

• Washing your car at a car wash or on the grass (which reduces runoff by absorbing water).

•Supporting humane geese control measures, such as the Geese Peace program conducted by Nassau County (waste from geese is a significant contaminant in the stormwater).

School Buses Headed for Shore Road?

At long last, North Shore School District buses may have found a new home. In May, North Shore School District residents will vote on a bond that would fund purchasing a lot on Shore Road and constructing a school bus maintenance facility there.

The lot is on the east side of Shore Road adjacent to the Glenwood Landing ExxonMobil Terminal. It is in the new Waterfront B zone created by the Glenwood Landing Waterfront Redevelopment and Revitalization Plan adopted by the Town of Oyster Bay in 2003. The Waterfront B zone calls for water-related uses, such as restaurants and recreation facilities, on the east side of Shore Road.

Although a bus maintenance garage is not an approved use under the Waterfront B zone, the Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association believes using this lot for a school bus facility is appropriate. In fact, for several years we have been urging the school district to explore this location for the buses. We were delighted when North Shore School Board President Tom Murphy phoned last year to say the district was, indeed, investigating the site for this purpose.

Attracting a water-related use at the location proposed for the buses is difficult because of the industrial activities on neighboring properties. We think a school bus maintenance facility is a good solution for four major reasons:

• the entire community would benefit from solving the bus storage and maintenance problem;

• relocation would relieve bus-related problems for residents on Smith Street in the vicinity of Glenwood School;

• there would be no increase in traffic since the school buses are already on local roads;

• construction of a new building and new landscaping presents an opportunity to screen the industrial equipment on neighboring lots—an important consideration in this waterfront zone.

The advantages of an in-house transportation policy versus contracting out, the price of the lot, and the cost of constructing a garage are outside the scope of the civic association’s mandate.

If the bond passes, the review process will be controlled by the North Shore School District rather than the Town of Oyster Bay. The civic association will have four major concerns: how well the facility screens the equipment on neighboring properties, the architectural features of the building, landscape design, and how well the facility handles stormwater runoff and potential contaminants. We would hope, too, that the district would make a positive declaration (meaning that the project would have a significant environmental impact) and require a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) with public scoping (which would permit public input about what the EIS should include).

A full EIS with public scoping is what was missing during the site selection process for the new generators. In our view, if this had been required, the Long Island Power Authority could still have met its start date and the project would have been a better installation.

On Your Mark, Get Ready, Start Watering

Did the county plant a tree in front of your home last December? You may have noticed that during a brief December warm spell, 23 saplings suddenly sprang up along both sides of Glenwood Road. The best thing you can do for them this spring and summer is to give them a long, slow, soil-soaking drink about once a week. If there is a dry spell, the trees will appreciate more frequent watering.

The trees were planted in a single afternoon by the Nassau County Dept. of Public Works. They replace older trees that have been lost over the last several years due to age and severe whether, and, possibly, we suspect, due to somewhat overzealous pruning practices occasionally employed by LIPA (see New Trees for Glenwood Road, March 16).

The county tells us that if you live at 126 or 128 Glenwood Road, you received a Japanese Zelkova; if you live at 13, 26, 28, 29, 34, 36, 49, 59, or 72 Glenwood Road, you received a Japanese Tree Lilac; if you live at 65, 77, 86, 91, 98 101A, 108, 109, or 112 Glenwood Road, you received a Japanese Kwanzan Cherry. In a few instances, two trees were planted in front of one property.

The lilac and cherry varieties the county chose to plant are sidewalk- and wire-friendly; the Zelkovas grow a little taller and have a more extensive root system, but they’ve been planted at the western end of the street, where there are no sidewalks, and are relatively easy to prune because they have no central leader.

The trees have been fertilized in preparation for their first growing season. However, the county says one long, slow, soil-soaking drink a week throughout the spring and summer will help the trees establish themselves. Additional watering may be advisable depending on rainfall. The civic association has sent letters to all of the homes on Glenwood Road urging those who received trees to water once a week throughout the spring and summer.

The civic association has been asking the county to plant trees on Glenwood Road for several years. We like to think that these requests played at least some roll in last winter’s plantings. It should be noted that the civic association had no input regarding the placement of the trees. In addition, when people do not want trees planted in front of their homes, the county says it makes every effort to respect that preference.

We've heard that the Town of Oyster Bay also planted some trees on side streets; Cody and Larsen avenues have been mentioned. Does anyone have information on this? If so, how about letting us know by posting a comment?

Photographs of trees similar to those that have been planted on Glenwood Road can be found at the Web sites below; the links will take you to a page where you can do a quick and productive search.

National Arbor Day Foundation Tree Guide

University of Connecticut Plant Database

Lundy Site: Closer to Cleaner Soil

Soil cleanup at the Lundy / Trans Technology site in Glen Head could begin in about four months and be completed in about a year, according to a presentation made by Tara Diaz, Project Manager, NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation.

About 40 people, mostly from Todd Estates, gathered at the Middle School on March 2, to learn about the Proposed Remedial Action Plan (PRAP) for soil cleanup. The site is a 7.75-acre property west of the railroad tracks and south of the stores on the north side of Glen Head Road, where a residential subdivision has been discussed (see Cleaning Up Soil at the Lundy Site, February 24). Todd Estates is located at the northern end of the parcel.

According to DEC documentation, the Lundy Electronics Company began manufacturing operations at the site in 1950s. Solvents, including trichloroethene (TCE), were reportedly used, and plating wastes and suspended solvents were discharged to on-site cesspools and leaching pools. Trans Technology purchased the property in 1978 and ceased operating in Glen Head in 1994. The buildings were then occupied by various small businesses, virtually all of which have moved out.

The PRAP recommends replacing 1,200 cubic feet of soil with clean soil. Nineteen cesspools or leeching pools would also be cleaned (6 were previously cleaned). The estimated cost of the project is $532,000, to be paid by the owner.

Questions from the audience focused primarily on the possibility that vapors might be released from soil during the clean up process, whether the drinking water supply would require special protection during the clean up, the extent of groundwater contamination and the possibility of contaminated runoff, whether the clean up would permit intrusion from any contamination on other sites, and who would pay for the cleanup if the owner runs out of money.

Next month, DEC will issue a Record of Decision that will describe the recommended remedy and include the agency’s response to public comments. The DEC contact is William Fonda, DEC Region I, Stony Brook (631-444-0350)

KeySpan Permit Granted

In a routine move, the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation has issued KeySpan a modified State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) permit for the Glenwood Landing Power Station (see KeySpan Seeks Renewal of SPDES Permit, March 9).

Although the comments the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee (HHPC) submitted did not produce any substantive changes in the permit, HHPC Director Eric Swenson says the review process was constructive. “It opened up a few doors of communication among KeySpan, DEC and HHPC,” he says.

The National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also commented on the application. NOAA’s concerns were primarily about whether coolant water discharged from the plant might raise water temperature enough to harm sea turtles at the southern end of Hempstead Harbor.

DEC documentation states that KeySpan has voluntarily agreed to provide HHPC with a study completed in 2004 about the affect of cooling water on juvenile fish, as well as copies of water quality data, monitoring reports, and incident reports that are part of the public record. Other reported data can be obtained from DEC or requested directly from KeySpan.

DEC documentation also states that KeySpan has voluntarily agreed to consult the Hempstead Harbor Water Quality Improvement and Harbor Management Plans when preparing the Best Management Practice Plan required under the permit. According to KeySpan, many of the practices identified in those plans are already used at the plant.

According to DEC, HHPC’s requests for certain additional monitoring practices, monitoring standards, and stormwater containment capabilities could not be required under the permit because these specifications fall outside the SPDES mandate.

Bryan Brown, who followed the application for the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor, says the permit specifies some useful biological monitoring requirements and details certain measures that KeySpan must implement concerning cooling water intake structures. Bryan says that the Coalition plans to track these items.

Conclusions about the effect of water temperature on sea turtles and other animals in the harbor dates from a 1977 study showing a thermal plume of 110 acres originating from the plant. At the time, this area was determined to be “adequate for the protection of indigenous populations in the receiving water.” Because the data are nearly 30 years old, DEC is requiring KeySpan to conduct a thermal criteria study. More recent monitoring data collected between 2002 and 2005 show that the water discharged from the plant was consistently below 112 degrees F, the permitted limit.

However, the sea turtles face another challenge: There is concern that construction currently underway at the southern end of the harbor in Roslyn may have harmed the animals. NOAA’s comments also noted an error in the upper level of chlorine permitted in discharged water; the error has been corrected.

Persuading KeySpan to provide information and to respond to community concerns can, at times, be challenging. The stormwater discharge provisions surrounding the new generators north of the Glenwood Landing Power Station are an example. During the site selection and review process, various groups pointed out that the stormwater treatment and containment specifications in the site plan would accommodate only about two-thirds of rainfall during a recent period and did not meet state and county standards already in place or soon to take effect. A rigmarole of meetings, attempted meetings, and correspondence ensued. The problem remains and, as far as we know, there are no plans to address it, despite assurances made by the Long Island Power Authority during the site selection process that these types of issues would be addressed.

We are pleased to know that many provisions of the Hempstead Harbor Water Quality Improvement and Management Plans are in use at the Glenwood Landing Power Station and look forward to learning more details. We can only hope that Eric’s optimistic view of the situation is confirmed and that the doors of communication between KeySpan and the communities surrounding Hempstead Harbor have, indeed, opened a little wider.

Overbuilding Concerns Three Area Civics

Under the banner of the North Shore Civic Council, the Todd Estates, Hill Terrance, and Glenwood / Glen Head civic associations have united to address concerns about building trends that all three groups believe threaten the character and quality of life in Glen Head and Glenwood Landing.

These trends include:

• an increase in the number of homes that have been demolished or that are threatened with demolition;

• construction practices that routinely maximize every possible parameter permitted by the zoning code;

• the subdivision of so-called “oversized” lots into two or more parcels that are often much larger than the average existing lot size in a particular neighborhood;

• development of the last open lots in the area and of lots that had formerly been considered marginally buildable—or even unbuildable;

• neglect in portions of the Glenwood Landing and Glen Head business districts.

We have requested a meeting with the Town of Oyster Bay to discuss provisions of the zoning code that are pertinent to these concerns, as well as to explore how the code might be amended to better protect the character of Glen Head and Glenwood Landing.

Originally formed 40 years ago by five civic groups that were active at the time, the North Shore Civic Council was revived last year by groups that are currently active in Todd Estates, Hill Terrace, Harbor View, Radcliff Manor, and the area between Kissam and Scudders lanes and Glen Cove Avenue and Shore Road.

Sewer Line: Consider Glenwood Landing

The Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association, with support from the Todd Estates and Hill Terrace Civic Associations, has met with County Legislators Craig Johnson and Diane Yatauro about a sewer line that has been proposed for Shore Road. Our goal is to make sure that the project’s impact on Glenwood Landing will be fully evaluated before the proposal is accepted, that residents of Glenwood Landing would be fully informed before any road work begins, and that measures would be taken to minimize inconvenience to pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers if the project moves forward.

So far, documents filed in connection with the project seem to have left Glenwood Landing out of the mix. For example, it would seem that a project of this nature might present an opportunity to solve the cesspool and drainage problems that are prevalent in lower Glenwood Landing. But this possibility doesn’t seem to have been evaluated.

The sewer line has been proposed in connection with a waterfront apartment complex under review for the west side of Shore Road on land immediately south of the Glenwood Landing Power Station. The project includes privately held land where Harbor Fuel once operated, as well as public land owned by the Town of North Hempstead (TNH).

A Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) submitted to TNH last year included two general scenarios: a 40-unit apartment building that would treat waste on site and a 60-unit building that would transport waste to the sewage treatment plant in Glen Cove via Shore Road. Because Shore Road is a county thoroughfare, the county would have permitting authority over construction of the sewer line. Under the current sewer line scenaro, the sewer line would not accommodate waste from any Glenwood Landing property other than the apartment complex.

We await a follow up meeting with Legislators Johnson and Yatauro and Peter Gerbasi, Deputy County Executive of Parks and Public Works.

TNH has held two public meetings in connection with the apartment complex proposal: a "scoping" session that gave the public an opportunity to suggest what the DEIS should include and a hearing in response to the DEIS. TNH and the Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association did separate mass mailings to publicize both meetings. The Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association, Hempsead Harbor Protection Committee, and Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor provided comments both times. When the developer submits a Final EIS to TNH, the town will schedule another public hearing.

Civic Joins Bi-County Open Space Coalition

The Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association has joined the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee and more than 100 other local civic, environmental, health, and advocacy groups in support of Long Island’s Last Stand (see Nature Conservancy link, right).

Launched by the Nature Conservancy, Long Island’s Last Stand is a 10-year action plan to save the most significant remaining open space and farmland in Nassau and Suffolk counties. The Nature Conservancy kicked off the initiative in January with an impressive assortment of local officials, including both county executives, in attendance.

Long Island’s Last Stand calls for protecting 25,000 acres of open space and 10,000 acres of farmland over the next decade and increasing funding for land and water management on Long Island by $85 million annually.

The Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association has supported open space preservation and progressive land use strategies since its founding in 1999. Among the Civic Association’s local open space initiatives are:

• distribution of more than 8,000 informational flyers about each of the four local environmental bond acts—two in the Town of Oyster Bay (TOB), one in the Town of North Hempstead (TNH) and one that was county-wide;

• a proposal to include a Glenwood Landing Waterfront Greenway in the NYS Open Space Plan that was accepted by the Dept. of Environmental Conservation;

• participation in the Glenwood Landing Waterfront Revitalization and Redevelopment Plan, which established two new waterfront zones in the Town of Oyster Bay (TOB) portion of Shore Road and rezoned the Glenwood Landing and Glen Head portions of the North Shore Country Club from quarter-acre to half-acre zoning in keeping with the minimum lot size required on the Sea Cliff side;

• a proposal to include the utility lot south of Tappen Beach as a priority acquisition under the TOB environmental bond act that has been accepted by the town;

• support for creation of a Hempstead Harbor Blueway (canoe / kayak trail) as part of the Hempstead Harbor Management Plan, a plan that has been accepted by the county and all eight municipalities surrounding the harbor;

• support letters for many grants submitted by TOB, TNH, and HHPC, including restoration projects on the western shore of Hempstead Harbor and storm drain retrofits at Scudders Pond;

• participation in the review process for the Hinfin / Harbor Fuel / TNH property on Shore Road, where a 60-unit apartment building has been proposed, and the property on the northwest corner of Glenwood Road and Kissam Lane opposite the Glenwood Landing Post Office, where a seven-lot subdivision has been proposed.

New Trees for Glenwood Road

An unexpected warm spell brought more than a balmy breeze to Glenwood Road last December. It also drew Richard Arnedos, a Landscape Architect in the Nassau County Dept. of Public Works, who saw a brief window of opportunity—and seized it.

In a single afternoon, he and his seven-person crew planted 23 trees along both sides of the street, from house number 13 through house number 128.

Their work goes a long way toward restoring the leafy canopy that has arched over Glenwood Road every summer for more than a century—a canopy that has eroded in recent years as many trees have been lost to age, disease, severe weather, and, possibly, to a certain changes in utility pruning practices adopted by the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) after the dissolution of the Long Island Lighting Company.

The Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association has been requesting that the county evaluate the tree situation on Glenwood Road for several seasons.

Vestiges of Glenwood Landing’s history echo in the remains of a few of the oldest trees that survive on Glenwood Road—mostly Sugar and Red Maples planted a century ago. In recent years, many of the Norway Maples that replaced them, mostly during the 60s and 70, also have been lost. The canopy did much to enhance the beauty of the neighborhood. It also seemed to serve as a subtle traffic calming device, especially for the largest trucks headed to and from the Glenwood Landing ExxonMobil Terminal.

According to Mr. Arnedos, today’s successors—two Japanese Zelkovas, 10 Japanese Tree Lilacs, and 11 Japanese Kwanzan Cherries—have been chosen for their beauty and practicality. “The neighborhood should get a nice explosion of color this spring and summer,” he says. Landscape suppliers describe Tree Lilacs and Kwanzan Cherries as among the showiest of the Japanese varieties.

But Glenwood Road has a number of practical concerns, including overhead wires and sidewalks, that also have been considered. Mr. Arnedos says that the Tree Lilacs and Kwanzan Cherries are on LIPA’s list of wire-friendly trees. They will reach a height of about 20 feet in 15 to 20 years, he says, and may not require any pruning even at maturity. In addition, “their root systems are less likely to push up sidewalks than those of the maples they have replaced.”

Japanese Zelkovas are disease-resistant relatives of the stately American Elm. Although Zelkovas will grow taller than the lilacs and the cherries, Mr. Arnedos says the Zelkovas do not have a central leader, making them relatively easy to prune. And, because Zelkovas have somewhat extensive root systems, Mr. Arnedos planted them in locations where there are no sidewalks.

The trees have been fertilized, “but a good, slow soaking once a week during their first spring and summer to help them get established would be a good idea,” Mr. Arnedos says. If the spring and summer are dry, more water will be necessary. The Civic Association plans to supply watering information and encouragement to residents who received trees in front of their homes.

It appears that this fall the Town of Oyster Bay planted some trees on town roads, including Larsen Avenue and Cody Avenue. Anybody with information about this project—or any other tree planting observations—is invited to post a comment. Did you receive a tree? Were you pleased to see that it was planted? Do you plan to water it for a while? Any watering tips?

If you live on a county road and would like to request that a tree be planted in front of your home, contact the Nassau County Commissioner of Public Works, 1194 Prospect Ave, Westbury 11590 (571-9604). By the same token, a county spokesperson says that the county respects the wishes of anyone who declines a tree.

New Civic Blog Goes Live

Press Release—Glenwood Landing, March 10, 2006

Did you know that:

• the Glenwood Landing Power Station may be sold to a foreign corporation along with KeySpan's other regional assets;

• the stormwater system at the new generator site on the east side of Shore Road in Glenwood Landing was unable to handle the amount of rain that fell in 2003;

• the KeySpan lot immediately south of Tappen Beach is listed as an open space priority by the Town of Oyster Bay and Nassau County Environmental Bond Act programs;

• the NYS Open Space Plan specifically calls for establishing a Glenwood Landing Waterfront esplanade;

• the Hempstead Harbor Management Plan calls for creating a canoe and kayak trail around the harbor;

• soil cleanup at the Lundy site by the railroad tracks in Glen Head may begin in as little as four months and be completed within a year;

• the Town of North Hempstead is reviewing a proposal for a 60-unit apartment building on the east side of Shore Road immediately south of the main Glenwood Landing Power Station on a site known as the Hinfin property that includes public and private land?

These and many other facts about Hempstead Harbor, the Glenwood Landing Waterfront, and land use in Glenwood Landing and Glen Head are or soon will be posted on the Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Spot, a new weblog launched and maintained by the Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association.

Your are invited to bookmark the site and to visit often. If you wish to be notified when new items are posted, send an email message with your name, address, affiliation (if any), and phone number (optional) to gwghcivic@optonline.net. Your personal details will be kept confidential and will be used only to notify you about Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Spot information.

The Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Spot is intended as a clearinghouse for local information about land use, water quality, and related issues and as a forum for constructive dialogue about these matters among all community stakeholders: residents, developers, business owners, members of community groups, elected representatives, government employees, and anyone else who would like to participate.

Items will be posted as information becomes available. You can visit the site to gather information. Then, if you choose, you can post a comment in response to an item that interests you. Commenting is easy; just click on “comment” at the end of the item that has inspired you and start typing (see Seven Simple Steps to Posting a Comment, February 27 posting).

Recently posted items include: GWL Waterfront Scores as County Priority; KeySpan Seeks Renewal of Discharge Permit; KeySpan Buyout: Waterfront Implications; Farewell to a Friend of Hempstead Harbor; and Cleaning Up the Soil at the Lundy Site. There are also links to other informative local Internet sites, such as those maintained by the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee and the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor.

Although the Glenwood/Glen Head Civic Association will make every attempt to ensure the accuracy of the items it posts, the Civic Association is not responsible for errors or omissions. We regret any inaccuracies that may occur and welcome comments that correct or clarify the record. Comments posted by visitors to the site are the sole responsibility of the author. The Civic Association reserves the right to remove comments deemed inappropriate due to accuracy, tone, or content, or for any other reason but does not anticipate the need to exercise this option often, if at all (see GW / GH Civic Spot Policies, February 25 posting).

GWL Waterfront Scores as County Priority

Public acquisition of the KeySpan parcel on the west side of Shore Road south of Tappen Beach has been endorsed by the Nassau County Environmental Bond Act Advisory Committee. Other recommended bond act priorities for Hempstead Harbor include stormwater improvements at Scudders and Roslyn ponds and in the vicinity of Skillman Street and Lumber Road in Roslyn; improvements along the Hempstead Harbor Shoreline Trail, located on the western side of the harbor; renovations at Hempstead House, Sands Point Preserve; and acquisition of property in the vicinity of Red Spring Lane, Glen Cove.

Ken Arnold, Sanitary Engineer IV, Nassau County Dept. of Public Works, and the county’s representative on the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee (HHPC), reported the news earlier this week at HHPC’s regular monthly meeting.

Voters overwhelmingly approved a bond for county-wide stormwater upgrading, open space acquisition, and park improvements in November 2004. In the weeks leading up to the vote, the Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association distributed 2,000 flyers about how the Glenwood Landing Waterfront in particular and Hempstead Harbor in general might benefit if the bond passed.

The inclusion of the KeySpan parcel on the county priority list increases the likelihood that the lot may be brought into the public domain sometime before our grandchildren have grandchildren. Public acquisition also has been endorsed by the United Civic Associations of North Oyster Bay, the parcel is among the priorities included on the Town of Oyster Bay’s (TOB) environmental bond act list, and TOB has received a grant from the NYS Dept. of State / Division of Coastal Resources to help fund the acquisition.

More details from Ken’s report are included in HHPC’s March 8 minutes, which will be available on the HHPC Website (see link, right) late next month after the minutes are approved.

Until recently, the KeySpan parcel was used for an underground gas storage facility. According to the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation, cleanup of the parcel is complete. There is some concern, however, about whether the proposed deal for a British firm to purchase KeySpan might interfere with sale of the parcel to a public entity (see KeySpan Buyout: Waterfront Implications, March 5 posting).

To be finalized, the advisory committee's recommendations must be accepted by the Nassau County Legislature.

KeySpan Seeks Renewal of Discharge Permit

With 19 permitted outfalls discharging 180 million gallons or more of effluent and stormwater daily into Hempstead Harbor, the Glenwood Landing KeySpan complex has a tremendous impact on Hempstead Harbor's water quality.

The State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) permitting process helps to regulate such discharges. On January 11, KeySpan applied to renew its SPDES permit for the main Glenwood Landing Power Station.

Noting the considerable impact that KeySpan’s activities have on the harbor, the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee (HHPC) has submitted extensive comments in connection with the application. Among the committee’s major requests:

• installation of a permanent, continuous monitoring device downstream of cooling water discharge outfalls;

• better control of stormwater, which the Water Quality Improvement Plan for Hempstead Harbor identifies as the single largest threat to water quality in the harbor;

• that the water quality monitoring that KeySpan is required to perform be conducted under the Quality Assurance Program Plan approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;

• that HHPC receive all water quality data, monitoring reports, incident reports, and studies required under the permit;

• that the best management plan that KeySpan is required to develop be broadened to include compliance with the Water Quality Improvement Plan for Hempstead Harbor and the Harbor Management Plan for Hempstead Harbor.

HHPC commended KeySpan for using sodium hypochlorite at two cooling water intakes. The practice prevents fouling of the cooling system, which results in foam around the outfalls—a problem that had, at one time, been noted by many passersby. Since the addition of sodium hypochlorite, chlorine has not be detected around the outfalls during regular water quality monitoring, and the Nassau County Dept. of Health reports that there have been no complaints about foaming in at least three years.

The way the KeySpan complex handles stormwater has been more problematic. Nine of the outfalls listed in the current permit application are stormwater outfalls. In 2003, when KeySpan received a SPDES permit for the two new generators located slightly east and north of the plant, it became clear that the stormwater specifications outlined in that permit fell short of both county and state guidelines. Furthermore, an analysis conducted by HHPC showed that the stormwater system that had been installed under the permit specifications did not accommodate area rainfall during 2003.

When these facts were brought to the attention of DEC, DEC could not require that KeySpan correct the situation because adequate specifications had not been included in the permit.

In view of this history, HHPC has requested that the stormwater capacity of the main power station be expanded and that the renewed permit for this portion of the KeySpan complex be based on county and NYS Stormwater Design Manaul standards.

HHPC is an intermunicipal organization. Comprised of the municipalities surrounding Hempstead Harbor, it is charged with assessing and ensuring long-term water quality in the harbor. The GW/GH Civic Association participates in the committee as a nonvoting member.

Wanted: Radcliff Manor Contact

Last Sunday afternoon some 80 neighbors piled into one of Radcliff Manor’s coziest living rooms to bid farewell to two of the Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association’s strongest supporters—Nancy Hall and her husband Jim—on the eve of their relocation to the mountains of North Carolina.

In between delivering hot meals to sick friends, hosting foreign exchange students, looking in on housebound neighbors, and a host of other kindnesses, Nancy has never missed an opportunity to offer encouraging words of support or to deliver Civic Association flyers to Radcliff’s 100 households.

“Nancy has been a force of nature in Radcliff for decades,” says long-time friend and neighbor Lou Wybaillie, “I’ve never been able to figure out how she accomplishes so much in a single day.”

To maximize its effectiveness, the Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Association has found it necessary to focus primarily on the neighborhood between Glen Cove Avenue and Shore Road to the east and west, and Kissam and Scudders lanes to the north and south. But because Glenwood Landing and Glen Head have so much in common, the Civic Association networks with people and groups in other nearby neighborhoods as much as possible.

Nancy’s departure leaves the Civic Association with a networking gap in Radcliff Manor that we hope to fill as soon as possible. We hope, too, that Nancy will keep in touch by visiting the Glenwood / Glen Head Civic Spot now and then—and maybe even by leaving a comment or two. If you would like to help carry on Nancy’s legacy by being the Civic Association’s Radcliff Manor contact, please send a message with your contact information to gwghcivic@optonline.net.

KeySpan Buyout: Waterfront Implications?

The announcement on Monday, February 27, of a proposed deal for National Grid, a British firm, to purchase KeySpan raises serious questions about the impact such a transaction might have on the Glenwood Landing Waterfront.

Newsday coverage of the proposed deal indicates that many people are asking good questions about how such a transaction might affect rate payers. But, while the impact that the sale may have on utility rates is important to all Long Islanders, Glenwood Landing (GWL) and Glen Head (GH) have some legitimate local concerns that often seem to be overlooked.

The Local Perspective

If the deal goes forward, what are the implications for upgrading, maintaining, or selling older plants like the GWL Power Station? How might the sale affect the tax base, if at all? Would the change in ownership affect the operation of newer generators, such as those that were recently installed on Shore Road northeast of the plant? How good is National Grid’s environmental record? What kind of relationship does National Grid have with residents in communities where it already owns plants? Might the deal help—or hinder—public acquisition of the vacant utility lot just south of Tappen Beach?

Bringing this lot into the public domain has been a long-standing goal of the GW/GH Civic Association. The elements needed for success seem to be coalescing, however haltingly: the lot is reportedly on the list of priority acquisitions at both the town and state levels; the acquisition has been endorsed by the United Civic Associations of North Oyster Bay; according to the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation, KeySpan has cleaned up the lot to residential standards; the Town of Oyster Bay (TOB) has been awarded a grant from the NYS Dept. of State / Division of Coastal Resources to cover a small portion of the cost of public acquisition; and bringing the lot into the public domain would advance the NYS Open Space Plan, which specifically cites as a priority the creation of a GWL Waterfront Greenway, and the GWL Waterfront Redevelopment and Revitalization Plan, which calls for bringing into the public domain as much waterfront property as possible along the TOB portion of Hempstead Harbor.

International Companies Eye GWL Waterfront

Acquisition of Shore Road assets by international conglomerates appears to be part of a national trend that began locally several years ago, when Aquarion, a company owned by Kelda Group, a British firm, acquired Sea Cliff Water Company. Coincidentally, on Friday, February 24, Kelda announced plans to sell Aquarion to Macquaire Bank, an Australian conglomerate that manages “infrastructure assets.”

Thus, if the KeySpan/National Grid deal moves forward, the parent companies of the two largest stakeholders on Shore Road in GWL and Sea Cliff will be multinational corporations headquartered abroad. Should residents be concerned, particularly when the companies involved supply needs as fundamental as water, electricity, and natural gas; control access to the waterfront and to waterfront view corridors; and hold among their assets some buildings that may merit protection based on their historic significance?

What You Can Do

Communities where industries locate often pay an esthetic and environmental price, but they may also realize certain economic benefits. Personally, I’m proud that the GWL Waterfront has been supplying Long Island with electricity for more than a century. I think we deserve more credit for it. I think the practice should continue. I think we should strive to minimize the impact of electrical production on the environment.

According to newspaper reports and press releases, both the KeySpan and Aquarion deals require regulatory approval. The Civic Association plans to express its concerns to the authorities listed below. We urge everyone who lives or works in GWL or GH to express their views, as well—whatever those views may be.

Contacts (to be amended as needed)

James Gallagher, Director, Office of Electricity & Environment, NYS Public Service Commission, Empire State Plaza, Agency Building 3, Albany, NY 12223-1350

Tom Dvorsky, Director, Office of Gas & Water, NYS Public Service Commission (see above)

Timothy S. Carey, President & CEO, New York Power Authority, 123 Main Street, White Plains, NY 10601-317

Joseph S. Seymour, Chairman, New York Power Authority (see above)

Richard Kessel, Chairman, Long Island Power Authority, 333 Earle Ovington Blvd., Suite 403, Uniondale, NY 11553

Farewell to a Friend of Hempstead Harbor

One morning a week from May to November, Mike Caputo, captain of the Town of Oyster Bay’s Boston whaler, has headed west, out of his home port in Oyster Bay, to Tappen Beach on neighboring Hempstead Harbor, where the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor’s Carol DiPaolo waited at the town dock.

Together, Mike and Carol would then ply the waters of the harbor. Their mission: to collect water samples from up to eight locations for delivery to Nassau County laboratory technicians. Once aboard, the samples would be analyzed, either on the boat or at the lab, for key water quality indicators such as ammonia, nitrogen, acidity, coliform and enterococci bacteria, dissolved oxygen, and salinity. Observations about the tidal cycle, water and air temperature, water surface conditions, wind direction and velocity, rainfall, cloud cover and general weather conditions during monitoring would also be gathered.

This collaboration, over many testing seasons and, often, on a shoestring budget, has produced an impressive body of data about Hempstead Harbor that marine researchers will mine for many years to come.

Sadly, on Sunday, February 19, Mike Caputo died suddenly at his home. The cause of death is as yet unknown. He was 50 years of age. His passing is a loss for all the waterfront communities on Hempstead Harbor, and, by extension, everyone everywhere who benefits from improving the water quality of Long Island Sound. “Working with Carol on the water sampling was the part of his job that Mike enjoyed most,” says Eric Swenson, a friend and colleague of Mike’s, as well as Director of the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee.

Often the programs that produce the most positive and desperately needed results require the cooperation of many levels of government, as well as the participation of nonprofit organizations and community groups. The water quality monitoring effort in Hempstead Harbor is just such an effort. Mike Caputo was key. He will be missed by many. His impressive wake will be remembered for many years to come.

DEC Lundy Meeting Rescheduled

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation meeting about cleaning up the soil at the Lundy property in Glen Head (see February 24 posting, below) scheduled for this evening, Thursday, March 2, has been cancelled due to inclement weather. The meeting has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 9, at 7 p.m. at the Middle School.