Residents from the Town of Oyster Bay are cordially invited to attend the May 23 meeting of the Oyster Bay Town Board to discuss the Oyster Bay Main Street Association's vision for Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park which includes a proposed carousel project. The park is open to Town of Oyster Bay residents only and is located on a flood plain. The proposed carousel will be located where one of the town's picnic area buildings is located. The plan calls for moving it closer to the second picnic building in the park, which could cut down the area residents can use. The meeting will be held in the hearing room of Town Hall East, 54 Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay, beginning at 7 p.m. That board meeting has one hearing scheduled on their calendar, and then the presentation will be made.

The Oyster Bay Civic Association is opposed to the plan. President Marie Knight said, "We have been working on a revitalized landscape plan for the park. I have copies of the original deed that states the park will have, 'No circuses, carnivals or amusements that are dependent on mechanical operation or device shall be permitted in any part of the park, and this shall be construed to include among other amusement park activities, the carousel, switch-back, ferris wheel, roller coaster and other similar mechanical amusements of a noisy variety'."

She said the park took nine years to build and was finished in 1929. It was given to the town in 1942, and the deed was signed by Town Supervisor Harry Tappen and then-president of the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Association, James R. Garfield of Ohio. "The midwest people sponsored it and wanted it in the town TR loved the most. He was our conservation president," she said.

Ms. Knight continued that added to the deed on May 13, 1969 was the clause, "the town board shall have the right and privilege to restrict the use of the park to residents of the Town of Oyster Bay." It was signed by Len Hall, TRA vice president and accepted by Town Supervisor Michael Petito. Ms. Knight said, "The Oyster Bay Civic Association has hired an architect who has drawn up their plan for the park which will be submitted to the town shortly, after our parking plan is presented. It is being finalized for a presentation to the town board by Anthony LaMarca, the OBCA counsel."

She said the civic association plan that they have been working on for five years is to restore the lawn and landscaping. She said the Main Street Association proposal, "Wants to open the park to the general public as access to the waterfront."

In early May 2006, the Town of Oyster Bay had already issued 122 permits for using the picnic area at Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park. Every weekend between May and September is booked in both areas: All Saturdays and Sundays are gone. The town also gives out weekday permits. Each area holds up to 200 people, said a town spokesperson adding that the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park is for Town of Oyster Bay residents only. During the entire 2004 season, from Memorial Day through the end of September, there were 174 reservations for the spaces. The town allows the space to be used as long as the weather holds out, said a town spokesperson.

The popularity of the site for Town of Oyster Bay residents is evident, said the spokesperson. The reservations opened on Jan. 18, 2005 and by the end of that day, every weekend was booked.

There are two areas, Area - 1, and Area - 2. In that year the space was said by the town to be for 250 people, give or take. This year they are quoting 200 as the figure. You must be a town resident to book the space. A few years ago the town considered charging a $75 rental fee for the spaces, but the hue and cry against that stopped the idea. The majority of the groups using the location are families. Local fire companies use the areas, too.

What is of interest to Town of Oyster Bay residents is that moving the picnic area is part of a plan to put a carousel near that area. Moving one of the picnic shelters closer to the other, would appear to reduce the overall amount of space residents could use for their events.

According to Main Street Association president, Bill Sheeline, Main Street's vision is to create a quality, family-oriented experience that celebrates the compelling story of Theodore Roosevelt and Oyster Bay. The goals of the Main Street Association with respect to this project are to enhance the park's historical and educational resources in a way that is respectful of the park's tranquil waterfront setting and to make the park safer and more accessible to pedestrians. Building upon a recommendation of the Oyster Bay Hamlet Plan adopted by the town board in 2002, Main Street also seeks to open up the park to the downtown with walkways that more directly connect the waterfront to the hamlet's shopping district. Main Street is proposing an educational carousel based upon the life of Theodore Roosevelt and a new entrance to the park near the historic Oyster Bay Railroad Station as some of the improvements designed to help accomplish these goals.

"We are excited about presenting our proposal to the community and providing an opportunity for everyone to learn about the project," said Mr. Sheeline.

At the town board meeting, the educational aspects of the carousel will be discussed and the design of the carousel building will be unveiled. The carousel is proposed to be made in the old-world hand-carved tradition, and the building design will be historic and reminiscent of the timber frame architecture of the Oyster Bay Train Station, which is planned as a future railroad museum. According to Mr. Sheeline, Main Street believes that a new structure for the carousel, done tastefully and with reference to the historic past can co-exist well with the railroad museum and breathe new life into this area of the downtown.

Main Street envisions this unique feature of the park - a custom-built Theodore Roosevelt Carousel - to be fun and educational, encouraging families to embark upon their own adventure by discovering some of the influences that shaped Theodore Roosevelt's life and whetting the appetite to learn more. Main Street's long-term plans include a walkway with "learning opportunities" that leads people from the downtown to the waterfront and back again to explore all that Oyster Bay has to offer including historic and cultural places, dining and shopping.

"I know the idea of putting a carousel in Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park has been discussed in various venues, but this is the first time the complete proposal by the Main Street Association, including an artist's rendering of the proposed carousel building, will be presented to the public," said Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto. "This meeting is an opportunity for residents to hear, firsthand, from representatives of the organization that is spearheading the project and then share their views with Main Street and the town board. I urge everyone to attend what should be an informative and productive presentation."

They will be prepared to answer questions from the public about the proposed project, said a town spokesperson. For further information, contact Joan Mahon, executive director of the Oyster Bay Main Street Association, at 922-6982.

Because the carousel is proposed to be built on a flood plain there are building requirements that include raising it above that flood plain. That would mean raising it at least 4 feet above the current level in the front of the site. A previous plan for the carousel included a baffle arrangement for the roof that would keep the noise of the music down. For more information on the hearing specifics, please call the Town of Oyster Bay office of public information at 624-6380.