After waiting since 1998 to get approval to build a marine education center at the Western Waterfront the WaterFront Center decided to challenge the town and force the concerned parties to begin a dialog on what will happen. The Center for Marine Education and Recreation at Oyster Bay, also known as the WaterFront Center (WFC), a Section 501[c] [3] not-for-profit organization, announced on Wednesday, Jan. 18 that it filed an application with the Town of Oyster Bay for building permits to erect a marine education center. Their plan is for the building to be located near the foot of Jakobson Pier, overlooking the Oyster Bay harbor, and will include classrooms, a community center and 200-seat auditorium, hatchery, and office space.

WFC attorney James Cammarata delivered the request for a permit on Wednesday, Jan. 18. A town spokesperson said on Friday, Jan. 20, "The application is deficient and has been sent back. It did not have building plans, it had no surveys, it had no site plan and they also need a separate application for plumbing, and it was not there. They also would have to have permission from the owner, because it is not their property."

The Jakobson Shipyard property is owned jointly by the Town of Oyster Bay and the NYS DEC. The town purchased 1.4 acres of the site and the DEC purchased the rest of the land, just under five acres, with its buildings and pier.

Peter Scully, Regional Director of the DEC said, "The State of New York has a significant investment in the site. The state has invested in excess of $11 million between the acquisition and some of the improvements on the site, and to learn from the media that this group is seeking a building permit is a little bit of a surprise to us. I think the fact that it was a surprise speaks for itself. There are a number of questions and legal issues still to be discussed on where on the site a facility will be constructed and by whom. The fact that a build permit was submitted is surprising and puzzling.

"There is more work to be done there. Basically the communications have been pretty good so I am surprised about the building application," he said again.

There is more work they are planning. Mr. Scully said, "We have improvements being designed for building 'I' (the rest room facility) and building 'J' (the wooden boat workshop) and improvements to the north side of the property, and the tidal wetland restoration in the Mill Pond area that flows into the harbor. The final piece a designer is working on is a boat launch ramp for access for people in the state of New York, since it is a state facility."

Mr. Scully said, "I understand the town rejected the proposal. They caught us by surprise. It was not anticipated. The environmental education center is subject for some discussion and the folks involved have spoken about placing that building - when it is built - in an area where it would not block that beautiful vista of Long Island Sound. Where is will be located is for further discussion."

In talking to members of the press on Wednesday, Mr. Coudert, WFC board president said the plan was intentionally vague as he believed the WFC, the state and the town would work together to decide on the actual plans. When he heard what the town's action was, Mr. Coudert, an attorney retired from his family firm of Coudert Brothers said, "We expected that - but they didn't reject it. Consider the saying 'It's not what you do but how you do it,' that is the point here. They didn't reject it but we thought they might. We need approval from the DEC saying it is environmentally sound. The federal government did an initial [Draft Generic] Environmental Impact Statement in 1999 on the site. The DEC has to check the site before work could be done. The important thing is that they didn't reject it. They said they need more documentation. They could have said it was rejected. To me it means it is as if, they are willing to work with us - which means they aren't going to axe it right away. It is a lot different from saying it was rejected." Mr. Coudert said, "A Newsday reporter was told they were going to reject the proposal - the town is not rejecting the proposal."

Mr. Coudert is basing his claim to build the marine education center on the work of the steering committee, chaired by Senator Marcellino, that sought the public's input and developed details for the plan through community meetings and other forums. From six proposed plans, Plan D was chosen as a reflection of the extensive verbal and written comments received from the public. Plan D included the development of a Community Environmental and Marine Education Center.

Senator Marcellino's office said, "As you go from the conceptual plans and turn them into reality there are issues to be addressed. The original Plan D did not address the needs of building on a flood plain, it was only a conceptual plan. The Jakobson Shipyard is built on a federally designated flood plain. According to federal regulations it has to be raised 13 ft. in one area and 15 ft. in another. The site of the proposal needs to re-visited." Any proposed construction will need to conform to the State Environmental Quality Review process. Originally the marine education building was 15,000 sq. ft and is now proposed at about 19,400 ft.

Mr. Coudert is aware the land needs to be raised. "The whole site is four feet below storm level. We will grade up the land as you move towards the water, terracing the land to the bulkhead. That would create an outdoor performance area," he said. "We are trying to open up the dialog. The last time this was discussed is 1998. The light of publicity has faded away. People are looking for the building that was promised years ago. This is the time to open the issue to the public again, to get comments from the public, to see what they want."

Mr. Coudert said the auditorium would be higher than the rest of the building. He said he talked to NYS Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Bernadette Castro who asked him if the building was set in concrete. [Mr. Coudert has shown people a proposed plan for the site, although this newspaper has not seen it, and it was not included with the permit application]. Mr. Coudert said he told Ms. Castro, that Plan D called for a marine education center and under that a proposal for a community room. He said, "She asked if we would be able to do without that and I said, 'within a heartbeat' if it was not wanted."

Mr. Coudert said, "We want a nice place for the public but no one has been helping us. It is time for the public to help us as we ask for permission to build. We are asking people to say, let's go!"

He said, "The DEC and town estimate $13 million was spent or committed to project which will not include a building on a site where the public will be able to use it only two months of the year. The environmental community marine education center is what was planned. That makes it to be 12 months use of area."

FOB Board President Jack Williams said, "It's an exciting moment to see the Center for Marine Education finally taking a giant step forward toward completion. Some 19 years ago, Friends of the Bay first proposed the idea of such a center to replace the decaying and contaminated Jacobson Shipyard at a public meeting at the Grace Auditorium."

FOB Executive Director Kyle Rabin said, "FOB strongly supports the concept of the new center. It is essential for the public to be involved in every step of this process including what the final building design, size and location will be. FOB will not support something that is bad for the environment. One of the primary motivations behind this new center is to foster greater awareness of this ecologically and economic and recreational resource. We are looking forward to an environmentally friendly building that uses green building design principles."

Since 1998 a lot has been done at the Western Waterfront. A new sewer line was hooked up to the area; LIPA put in lights; West Shore Road was built; the SRA building was restored; the pier and the bulkhead was restored; landscaping was put in; the 9/11 Memorial was built - which includes features to prevent flooding in that area. "Progress has not happened as quickly as Senator Marcellino would have wanted, but a great deal has been done," said Kathy Wilson, the senator's communication director. "The plan is eight years old. Maybe it has to be revisited. Today, with the open space and the beautiful vista the question is - what does the community want. The original plan was conceptual." All the funding came through the senator's office.

Mr. Coudert said that for the last five years the WaterFront Center has worked diligently to establish itself as a quality provider of marine education and recreation programs. Working from temporary facilities provided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the center provides marine education programs, beginner and advanced sailing instruction, kayak and sailboat rentals, and cruises on its National Historic Landmark, the oyster sloop, Christeen. Mr. Coudert said, "As requested, the WaterFront Center has been successfully providing people of all ages and walks of life the opportunity to learn about, and care for the Oyster Bay estuary and the increasingly rare opportunity to 'get out on the water' from a public facility."

In 2005, more than 9,000 children and 2,000 adults came to the WaterFront Center to learn about the sea and the world beneath. More than 1,000 children participated in summer programs, including two-week long sessions in marine discovery and sailing. Nearly 3,200 people boarded the Christeen, and over 500 adults participated in affordable learn to sail programs. The Center serves the public, local and regional schools, and civic organizations. Through its programs and as the host of Bay Day and as provider of tall ships and other waterfront activities at the annual Oyster Festival, the WaterFront Center helps to attract thousands of people to Oyster Bay shops, restaurants and other businesses.

"From the beginning, the community's plan called for the center to be built and operated with private funding, so as not to burden the taxpayers. Today, we are thrilled to announce that we have received a lead gift of half a million dollars for the construction of this building, as well as an additional grant of $250,000 for expanding our program offerings while we wait for the new building to be completed," says Gaye Verdi, executive director of the WaterFront Center. A major public capital campaign for the completion of the building project will be launched in the future.

Under the plan's requirements, the new building will be state-of-the-art and will be constructed utilizing solar and other energy technologies, recycled and other environmentally friendly materials and technologies. The building's many amenities will include a clam and oyster hatchery that will teach about the technologies and skills used in cultivating shellfish, and will supply clam and oyster seedlings to the local baymen, as well as five classrooms, two wet labs, and a modestly sized snack concession and gift shop.

You may receive more information about the WaterFront Center, or request a 2006 Program Guide by calling 922-SAIL. Information may also be found at www.thewaterfrontcenter.org.