The Town of Oyster Bay has been in the process of developing a Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan (LWRP) for many years. The benefits to a community to preparing a LWRP include clear direction, technical assistance, state and federal consistency, and financial assistance, including state and federal grants. It can significantly increase a community's ability to attract private and public resources to advance the community's vision that will take best advantage and respect the unique cultural and natural characteristics of its waterfront.

The implementation of the LWRP is being prepared with matching grants from the state. The town is currently sending out a RFP to hire a consultant to implement a $37,250 Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) matching grant to fund a study of the eastern waterfront in the Oyster Bay hamlet. That study, and a new EPF grant of $57,500 for studies that will fill in several other smaller areas needing attention, will help the town in completing their township wide LWRP.

Senator Carl L. Marcellino announced on Aug. 9, EPF grants to the Town of Oyster Bay (and the Village of Sea Cliff which is in the Town of Oyster Bay), for waterfront revitalization and increased recreational opportunities.

"The Environmental Protection Fund is the engine which drives a myriad of programs which improve the air, water, and quality of life for all New Yorkers. Whether it is protecting open space, or revitalizing waterfronts, the EPF gets it done. These projects are examples of our commitment to protecting our natural resources, and will result in a better, cleaner, and more enjoyable Long Island," said Marcellino, chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee.

The Department of State was soliciting grant applications this year from local governments for 50/50 matching grants from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund's Local Waterfront Revitalization Program.

The Town of Oyster Bay received $57,500 for a townwide Oyster Bay Local Waterfront Revitalization. The Town of Oyster Bay will develop a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program to integrate previous waterfront planning efforts. The town has completed land use and harbor management plans for the Oyster Bay-Cold Spring Harbor Complex, Hempstead Harbor, South Oyster Bay, the Oyster Bay Western Waterfront, Glenwood Landing, and the Oyster Bay Hamlet Eastern Waterfront - which is still in the works and which must be completed before the LWRP is done.

The Eastern Waterfront Revitalization group was begun as a grassroots movement by former Friends of the Bay Executive Director Louise Harrison, John McGrane of the Oyster Bay Marine Center and Abraham Poznanski of Island Properties. The group included representatives of the town, Friends of the Bay, the Oyster Bay Civic Association, the Main Street Association, and representatives of the Frank M. Flower & Sons, Inc., among others. The result was that the town applied for an EPF grant for a visioning plan - the plan they are currently implementing.

The town has put out a Request for Proposals to find a consultant for the project. When the consultant is chosen, in a few weeks, the town will create a citizens advisory committee, much like the one that helped create the Western Waterfront Plan. A town spokesperson said names for the committee are being reviewed by the supervisor's office. "We are moving ahead on it, and hopefully in three to four weeks will announce the consultants and then the committee members; and once that is done, we can get them together so they can work hand in hand to create the plan. As with the Western Waterfront plan, the primary stakeholder groups were appointed and there will be a similar group working on the Eastern Waterfront plans," said the town spokesperson.

The current, grassroots Eastern Waterfront Planning group was scheduled to meet on Tuesday, Sept. 12, after the town board meeting, at 1:30 p.m., at the Sagamore Yacht Club. Kyle Rabin, FOB executive director, is the coordinator of the group which he said has many different participants including representatives from the Town of Oyster Bay; Save the Jewel; the Oyster Bay Marine Center; the Oyster Bay Civic Association where either Marie Knight or Stan Speigelman attend; as well as Tony Cassandro of the Commander Oil Terminal; representatives of the Florence Park Civic Association; Fran Leone; Phil Rhoads of the Sagamore Yacht Club; as well as representatives of Senator Marcellino and Assemblyman Chuck Lavine who have also been invited to attend.

"It is an open group," said Mr. Rabin, "in that it is not very formal and people are invited to attend." He commented on the Eastern Waterfront Revitalization Plan saying, "The Hamlet of Oyster Bay's waterfront is an important environmental, economic and cultural resource to our community. The future of this unique waterfront is a topic on everyone's mind. The Town of Oyster Bay's Local Waterfront Revitalization Program can play a crucial role in building community consensus and coordinating the various plans - both existing and in the works - for the western and eastern waterfronts as well as those of neighboring villages. This program illustrates the need for the State's Environmental Protection Fund and for the environmental leadership exhibited by Governor Pataki and the respective chairpersons of the Senate and Assembly Environmental Conservation Committees, Senator Marcellino and Assemblyman DiNapoli."

Mr. Rabin added, "This funding made available through the state is critical to protecting our local environmental resources and we look forward to working with the town and providing input in helping to increase protection of the Oyster Bay/Cold Spring Harbor estuary."

New areas to be included in the plans are those portions of the town's coastal zone that have not been included in prior plans. They include the Atlantic Ocean barrier island, Tobay Beach as well as Ransom Beach, Centre Island and Stehli Beach and other town-owned underwater lands on the North Shore situated outside the OB/CSH complex.

The Village of Sea Cliff received $150,000 for Scudder's Pond improvements. The Village of Sea Cliff proposes to implement elements of the Phase One improvements identified in its Scudder's Pond Subwatershed Plan. The pond is located on property owned by the North Shore Country Club with public access provided through a long-term easement to the village. Work will include installation of a swirl separator to intercept sediment, redirection of flow to a treatment wetland, and replacement of the discharge wier with a two-stage spillway.

The Village of Sea Cliff also received $180,000 for the construction of a Waterfront Park on Hempstead Harbor. The Village of Sea Cliff will relocate a municipal parking lot to create additional recreational space and public access adjacent to Hempstead Harbor. Work will include removal of the existing lot, grading and paving of a new parking lot, and design and construction of the park area, including a boardwalk and sidewalk, gazebo, and landscaping the waterfront and the village's commercial district.