Last year the Main Street Association's annual meeting was a quiet event with friends. This year it was evident the group has a lot more friends shown by the increased attendance at the meeting. It included members from many of the organizations they have been working with including the Waterfront Center, the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce and Friends of the Arts. The work they have been doing behind the scenes is beginning to come to fruition and they are making a splash on the Oyster Bay streetscape. On Wednesday, June 4, at the Doubleday Babcock Senior Center Jerritt Gluck, MSA president quoted famous anthropologist Margaret Mead as saying, "Never doubt that a small group of citizens can change the world: I believe that is the only way anything ever has or ever will."

What has happened in Oyster Bay, he said, is that people have come together to create a new vision for the hamlet and that by working together, it is happening. The meeting was an opportunity for the chairmen of the four MSA committees (design, promotion, economic restructuring and organization) to tell what their groups were doing.

Nick Voulgaris, promotion chair explained the concept behind the new kiosks in town, saying that they are a way to get boaters off their boats and into the hamlet. "I'm an avid sailor. I spent one month a year on my parent's boat going to Block Island, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard and Oyster Bay possesses the same scenery and landscape as those other harbors," he said. "Three hundred boats are here between Cove Neck and West Harbor any weekend in June, July and August," and they are Main Street's target audience.

He said the first part of the plan was to create a map of Oyster Bay showing where the cultural sites are located, as well as where to get ice, fuel and find the pump out stations. Next they approached the WaterFront Center and the Oyster Bay Marine Center who agreed to provide dinghy docks for the visiting boaters. Next the WFC agreed to provide bike rentals for the boaters so that they can visit the local cultural sites, as well as get into town to the stores and restaurants.

Local architect Ellen Roché designed the kiosks that will hold the brochure with the maps. They are advertising Oyster Bay in Soundings magazine to promote the concept of "rediscover historic Oyster Bay." Mr. Voulgaris said, "Over the next five years, Oyster Bay can become a destination for cruisers."

That was when Rob Crafa made his entrance into DBSC, riding a bike and wearing a helmet. He looked around and said, "I've been to one of these meetings before." (Mr. Crafa was the second executive director of the Friends of the Bay, and returned here several years ago so he has a long history with the hamlet.) He said, "Ten years ago this building wasn't here; 10 years ago the Boys & Girls Clubhouse wasn't here; 10 years ago the Book Mark Café wasn't here (although that has changed) and 10 years ago the WaterFront Center wasn't here, it was a contaminated industrial site."

Mr. Crafa said, "One of the most exciting things is the bikes at the WaterFront Center." He invited everyone to visit the WFC on Thursdays for Community Night. "We call off the rain and have sailing," he said. "We're bringing up a whole new breed of racers to take on Jack (Bernstein)." He said, "The kayaks and sunfish are free on Thursdays from Memorial Day to Labor Day to thank the community and to get them involved in the WaterFront Center."

He then went into a short speech on what would be available at Bay Day, June 7. "The weather will be great, even if it's as nice as today," he said, as the rain beat down on the building. White Street was a creek when people left the meeting at 9:30 p.m.

Mr. Crafa complimented Katie Schwab, the former and first executive director of the Main Street Association, thanking her for two years of wonderful behind the scenes work that resulted in the kiosks we are just now seeing.

That was the cue for Joan Mahon to thank all the people involved in making the kiosks happen. The list was daunting and resulted in a major photographic opportunity for the press. She presented plaques with a photograph of the kiosk to everyone who was involved, including: Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto, who attended the meeting before giving out citizenship awards to students in several high schools.

John Chicherio of Friends of the Arts (FOTA) described the new Passport to Historic Oyster Bay. It was designed to highlight three weekends in Oyster Bay that they hope to attract people from New York City and other parts of Long Island to come and enjoy the ambiance of Oyster Bay. It is tied into special concerts at Planting Fields: the Fourth of July Weekend that features their "Bayou Bash" Concert; the Jazz Festival Weekend, Aug. 1, 2 and 3; and Summer's End Weekend, Sept. 6, and 7 which offers a Folk Festival. Each weekend there are events at other local sites including Raynham Hall, Sagamore Hill, the WaterFront Center and the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary. Actually, the events should interest local residents too, including the Art Walk on Aug. 2 and public sails aboard the Christeen.

There will be a Passport trolley to get people to the historic sites, in a motorized loop, he said. It is a pilot program and will be funded through a benefit night to be held at Planting Fields on July 19 of Ain't Misbehaving. There will be a reception in the Hay Barn Courtyard with hors d'oeuvres donated by the businesses of Oyster Bay followed by the show. Only 100 tickets are available at $75 per person.

Adding to the mix two Oyster Bay High School students, Brad Goldberg and Matthew Haefele will act as town criers on those weekends to alert visitors to what is happening in town. They will work out of Obies. Adult volunteers are needed to work as supervisors for the young people for three-hour shifts on those weekends.

David Lamb spoke next, about the parking plan for Townsend Square which is covered in a separate article - see below.

Design co-chair Ellen Roche spoke next about the façade improvement project. The town has donated a significant amount of money toward the façade improvement project and Main Street wants to find out how many local businesses are interested in participating in it with either one-on-one grants or low interest loans. Anyone in the hamlet with a façade that needs to be improved is eligible for the program, she said. The work could include painting, roof work, gutters, awnings - all outside work. "It's not just for front facades, but also for rear facades," she said. "We want to stop the deterioration of buildings and preserve historic buildings," she said, to enhance economic revitalization.

She also said Main Street has been talking to the Town of Oyster Bay about improving the lighting in town. She said their design criteria was not to replicate the Victorian past but to have a fresh appearance, that is respectful of the past but always looking forward. They had a sample street lamp that she said would also look well on the waterfront: that it had a nautical appeal. They are using the same supplier the town uses to make maintenance and repairs easier for the town.

Caroline DuBois asked if Main Street could work with some of the merchants in town to avoid brightly lit signs and instead have low level lighting that is not glaring.

Jack Bernstein reported on the Oyster Bay Joint Marketing Committee that has hired a broker, Brown, Harris, Stevens. He said they were advised by experts that, "You've got to go out and get a broker to bring in the right kind of business to make your town survive!"

He said BHS group will have an office in town to meet with tenants. "The next step is to see if property owners will use BHS group. They (BHS) are champing at the bit," said Mr. Bernstein. "They have prospective tenants already."

MSA President Jerritt Gluck complimented Marie Knight, president of the Oyster Bay Civic Association for handling the issue of mounds of snow in the hamlet. Three entities plow the streets in Oyster Bay and after the last storm, he said, "you cuold see where the plows were dropped." New York State does South Street; Nassau County does West Main Street and the Town of Oyster Bay does Audrey Avenue. The result was that the garbage cans were floating on snow mounds, he said. "Ms. Knight made it apparent to Supervisor John Venditto who (took care of the problem and) showed that the town cares for Oyster Bay."

Mr. Bernstein went on to compliment John Specce for his ability to "weave the fabric of Oyster Bay into a unified whole." He thanked Chris Mills who came to Main Street saying she would like to see something good happened in the streets of Oyster Bay. She has been invaluable, he said.

Mr. Gluck thanked Rich Cieciuch for saying he'd like to see a way for more people traveling here and to get around in town which was the beginning of the Passport to Oyster Bay concept. "It's our Oyster Bay. It's our project," he said, and repeated the quote from Margaret Mead.

And for an impartial comment: Dennis Browner who was at the meeting with his wife in anticipation of buying a house in East Norwich said, "Things are going in the right direction." He said he grew up in Jericho and came to Oyster Bay with his dad's boat since he was 5 years old. "I always looked around and thought it (the hamlet of Oyster Bay) was worthy of revitalization."

Parking has long been a problem in the hamlet of Oyster Bay. The Main Street Association has been working on a plan to improve the quality of parking at Townsend Square to create a revitalized area that will function as a focal point for the hamlet. Trees, a parklet, better lighting fixtures and well designed walkways will allow the area to function as a desireable place to walk through as well as better parking for cars, under a canopy of trees.

David Lamb, MSA design co-chair spoke about the plans for the Townsend Square parking lot at the meeting on Wednesday June 4 at the Doubleday Babcock Senior Center. He said they have been working with the Town of Oyster Bay and the Department of Public Works has scheduled the work for October. It includes planting trees throughout the lot to provide shade, and the addition of lanterns to give light but not glare.

He said Chris Robinson in doing the plans discovered the present configuration of the lot is the best layout for the cars and the addition of the trees and lighting will not change the number of parking spaces: they will remain the same. They will create a pedestrian area around the lot by changing the paving material along the west side of the lot. It will continue as a path to the exiting areas to East Main Street and Summit Street. They will put in plantings at the two entrance/exits.

"In 10 to 15 years there will be a canopy of trees in the area near the stores. This becomes a covered room of trees and makes a real different space," said Mr. Lamb. "We have a great opportunity to work with the alleyway between South Street and the parking lot. It is a critical connection in almost the center of town, and will become a vest pocket park with seating, plantings and lighting to keep it safe at night. There will be a fountain at the end of the alley. I see a little bubbly fountain to create a public area at the end where you could hold little festivals or art fairs," he said. There will also be benches in the alleyway.

They will create a terrace entrance to the Oyster Bay Community Center building and put the handicap ramp on the opposite side of where it is now. "It will add a gracious entrance to this very fine building," said Mr. Lamb.

In answer to questions from the audience, Mr. Lamb said: "Drainage patterns will be studied; bike racks will be located there, in fact, bikes will be the mode of travel in the hamlet."

Claire Bellerjeau said, "I commend you as someone whose business is in Townsend Square. That (the plan) is wonderful."

Mr. Lamb added in the renovation of older towns, the back end of buildings (facing a parking lot) can become important and increase the building's retail value.

Charlie Doering commented that most of the parkers in the lot stay from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the whole day. He asked if Firemen's Field could be used. The topic broke down into a discussion of the need to regulate the duration of parking in a spot to make it more conducive to quick turnovers. Enforcement is another part of the solution, said Mr. Lamb.

Susan Donovan asked when the project will happen and Mr. Lamb said, "In theory, if we get through all the 'hoops' the Town of Oyster Bay Department of Public Works wants to do the work in October and have it finished for Christmas."

He said they are considering a Business Improvement District (BID) as a way to get funding for the parking area and planters and street cleanup, but so far, there is no solid answer to finding the funding they need to complete the survey on parking for the entire hamlet.

Mr. Doering asked why they hadn't re-designed Firemen's Field and Bill Sheeline, MSA vice president said they had an initial design for Firemen's Field and how to manage the parking lots but after talking to the town they prioritized the work and wanted to do "one" thing this year. "This is a multi-year process and this is a good beginning," said Mr. Sheeline.

MSA President Jerritt Gluck said, "We are trying not to push so hard we don't get anything done, so it will take 18 to 20 months to get ideas to come to fruition. To help (in the effort) join the organization," he said.

People entering the meeting were given the opportunity to join MSA for $25 and to receive a signed copy of the new map of historic Oyster Bay designed and signed by Oyster Bay artist Brook Meinhardt.