The members pf the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce were invited to meet at the Matinecock Lodge on Tuesday Feb. 5, to listen to a presentation by Theodore Roosevelt Association President Jim Bruns. Their aim was to make a decision on the museum proposal but after the discussion they decided they didn't have enough information to make a decision.

Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce President Alex Gallego set the format for their meeting. He said people have been talking at each other and now he asked that they listen to each other and discuss the issues.

He said John McEvoy would help him and that Muir de Guzman was tape-recording the entire meeting.

Mr. Gallego said on Dec. 27 the chamber held a special meeting to find out how each director felt about the proposed museum. The result was a letter sent to members that stated their position, that they were in favor of the concept of the museum but that they couldn't speak for the size, location, the results of the environmental studies, the traffic and economic impact. They were following their bylaws that say they are to promote the commerce and commercial welfare of the OB-EN area.

Mr. Gallego said that day, Feb. 5, the stock market was down 300 points adding that "We are in a recession - how deep, who knows." He said manufacturing was reported as down for the past 53 months. Following that report on the financial picture in the country, he said, "This type of museum can attract good things to this town."

He said the Virginia Commonwealth University did a study that said even though cultural attractions are not thought of as economic entities, they provide benefits to the community in various ways. That includes needing things like office supplies, building maintenance, landscaping, food service and encouraging tourism, as well as business for local restaurants, hotels, gift shops and tax revenues. It can be the source of jobs including those for custodians and security personnel and other positions.

Mr. Gallego said 85 percent of the stores located in the hamlet are occupied but 15 percent are not and said that was the highest percentage in Nassau County.

But on a positive note he said there are incentives for individuals to locate here. "What about a Rough Rider Café?" he asked and added, "We all care about this town."

As asked, the members created a large circle in which to listen and dialogue.

TRA President Jim Bruns gave a short summary of the TRA including giving their TR Park to the town, giving the federal government Sagamore Hill. When he became TRA president, he said, he was asked by the board what he thought they should do next. He answered TR was one of the five greatest presidents but he doesn't have a museum. At first he thought Washington D. C. was where it should be since it gets 43 million visitors a year. But, he added, "The more I get to know Oyster Bay and its connections with Theodore Roosevelt - there is no better place to build a museum for TR. No better place." He said it makes sense to build it in Firemen's Field, adjacent to the park they gave away in 1928 to the town. It is also adjacent to the train station and he said, "People won't come by car. They will visit us and go home," after an average visit of two-and-a-half hours.

Mr. Bruns said, "This is an attractive hamlet. It is not wall-to-wall Wal-Mart. It is small businesses and small business is big business. It is not an easy business."

It is here he proposes to build a museum that is a two-story building that is from 80,000 to 100,000 sq. ft. with a two-story parking garage to hold about 320 parking spaces.

John McEvoy said it was time to ask questions.

Frank Totora asked how will something of such an overwhelming size fit into the small hamlet?

Mr. Bruns answered that the hamlet community will have a say in the look, feel and design of the museum.

Dave Relyea said his main concern was the environment and the overdevelopment of Oyster Bay, with the inevitable cause of the loss of his business as has happened to the oyster industry in areas closer to the city. "Mine is the last on Long Island. If the project stimulates too much growth I'm out of business." He asked how the TRA would handle the environmental issues.

Mr. Bruns' answer was that he was going to build the highest LEED certified building he can. It will be less polluting than any other tenant, he added. Mr. Bruns said he didn't know what business Mr. Relyea was in. [Mr. Relyea did not explain that he was the spokesperson and co-owner of Frank M. Flower & Sons, Inc. shellfishers.] Mr. Relyea said he was familiar with environmental solutions and thought they could be acceptable but added, "More important is the overall growth of the hamlet. What can you do to avoid the impact on the community of getting too large?"

Mr. Bruns gave an example of the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, IL. He said it's a beneficial economic generator but it doesn't necessarily fill vacant stores. That depends on what the community wants to attract to fill 15 percent of the vacant stores. "Our museum will not fill your empty stores. That you have to do as a community," said Mr. Bruns.

"I think you have it all wrong, I'm not in 'business,'" said Mr. Relyea. There was no further discussion and the next speaker was ready with a question. Carla Panetta asked about the size of the building in relation to other presidential museums and relative to the size of the town and the size of the community.

Mr. Bruns compared the size of Springfield City, the capital of Illinois, to the entire Town of Oyster Bay. He equated the central core of Springfield where the museum is located with the hamlet itself. "Your shops and historic area are about the same size. It works there. I hope it works here."

He mentioned the Rutherford Hayes Museum and the Herbert Hoover Museum and suggested people could look up the information on Wikipedia. According to the Internet, The Lincoln Museum is three full city blocks. It had its millionth visitor two years after opening. The Clinton Presidential Library and Museum is 153,779 sq. ft. on a 27-acre park with a staff of over 100 and its one millionth visitor came since the opening in November 2004. The Oyster Bay hamlet is 1.58 sq. miles and Firemen's Field is 3.5 acres.

Mary Donna Kappel asked what he would do, "if the chamber says no, it's not a good idea?" He said, "I wouldn't build it here."

Mr. Bruns said opinions are always welcome, as are questions and ideas and that he was willing to listen to the community.

Jim Skopek of Chromatrope Design, asked about the scale of the museum. He said, "I wouldn't want to be a museum with no artifacts, no documents, no research material." He said half the size would be half the problem and asked, "Why not 80,000 sq. ft.?"

Mr. Bruns said they do have artifacts and that they have loaned them to other institutions and will get artifacts on loan from other entities/museums. He said the museum business has changed over the years; there was a time when they filled rooms with artifacts in cases with captions. Now he said it will not be the number of objects but the value of those chosen - the most iconographic that will fill the museum. His example was when TR was shot. The bullet was halted by the speech in his pocket and a small eyeglass case. Mr. Bruns said, "He dabbed at his mouth and when he saw no blood he knew he didn't have a punctured lung." TR went on to make a 90-minute speech.

Mr. Bruns said, "Afterwards they found his shoes were full of blood. We have the speech with a bullet hole through it. We can borrow the eyeglass case. We have his T-shirt. It is all blood-stained. You don't need anything else."

Today, he said, people use the electronic library with computers and digitized information. "I will be happy to have Harvard and the Library of Congress to preserve the materials and give me the digital material." [The Library of Congress has digitized material but Harvard has lists of the material they have. They do not intend to digitize their collection because of the cost involved. Researchers who want to use the Harvard collection must visit Harvard.]

Mr. Bruns added that the size of the building may come down. "Every square foot costs me money and you know that. I will try to make it smaller." Still he said, exhibits today have to entertain. The new way is to have interactive experiential laser exhibits with audio and video components that are expected by the children of today and their children will expect even more so, he said.

He painted a picture of being at the museum in a time machine to experience the world TR lived in when the average American earned $400 a year, 14 percent of households had bathtubs; there were 8,000 cars that went 10 mph; most men graduated from sixth grade; there were no planes. He said, "Then they will realize what he did as president and that it was amazing in the context of his time and not yours." The interactive exhibits need space, he added.

Traditional museum visitation is down 7 percent but visitation at experiential museums is going up, he said.

The Rev. Ray Melograne of the North Shore Assembly of God asked about parking spaces. Mr. Bruns came up with several ideas: parking underneath the museum so they can have more green space around the building and a new concept of building a parking structure over the LIRR train yard with the top landscaped. A jitney bus could pick up visitors and take them to the TR Museum and on to other Oyster Bay attractions including Sagamore Hill, Raynham Hall and Youngs Cemetery. "If you think it has merit, let's look into it," said Mr. Bruns.

Diane Steiner said she was 90 percent for the museum but asked at what point will the TRA walk away?

Mr. Bruns said there may come a time when it is too painful for the community and too painful for the TRA. "Now I think it is Oyster Bay and Firemen's Field. If you say 'don't come there,' I'd still look in the hamlet." He quoted Archie Roosevelt saying it was his father's wish to have his funeral service conducted by his friends in Oyster Bay. "This is where it needs to be," he said.

Claire Bellerjeau, a MSA board member, asked what synergy there is between the museum and the other attractions in town. Mr. Bruns mentioned the jitney going from site to site and said, together they form a critical mass of interest to visitors.

Mr. Gallego, too, was concerned with the size of the building, saying it looks big. He said he talked to Bill Sheeline of the Main Street Association and they are considering getting Dan Burden of Walkable Communities to come back to Oyster Bay for a third time to run a forum on the museum like the one they held at the Canavan Performing Arts Center at St. Dominic's.

In answer to Kieren Shea's question about Firemen's Field, Mr. Bruns said they are asking to lease Firemen's Field which will always be a town property, "Then we become an asset of the town," he said.

"Is there revenue for the town?" asked Mr. Shea of The Bakery Café. Mr. Bruns said Firemen's Field is not on the tax rolls, but they plan to make payments in lieu of taxes to the town and will ask that the money be set aside for the improvement of TR Park. He is working on an economic impact statement for the museum including visitors' purchases of gas, food and admission to the museum for 2.5 people - a family. There will be 50 to 70 museum employees and if they spend $10 a day in town that would come to about $181,000 a year, he said.

Les Schachter of Memecrafter Group, Inc., asked about the percentage of space allotted to each of the museum uses and asked if the different areas could be split up in locations in town to create a research center, a visitors' center, and administrative office, making this a "world class town." People would have to stop in town then. He asked if that was viable? The answer was "yes and no." Mr. Bruns said the research center might be located at the high school. They might create a museum study program with Hofstra University or C.W. Post. "I haven't said no to anything," said Mr. Bruns.

Someone asked if the museum could use the new Oyster Bay High School Performing Arts Center auditorium but Mr. Bruns said he didn't want his programs to be limited to use.

Mr. Gallego concluded that portion of the meeting. The group relaxed for a few minutes and Mr. Bruns and several people left. The rest stayed for the second half of the program.

After listening to Theodore Roosevelt Association President Jim Bruns make a short presentation on the proposed Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Museum and Research Center with a 100,000 square foot museum and 320 space parking garage, and answer their questions at the Feb. 5 meeting at the Matinecock Lodge, the members of the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce took a short break and returned to their seats, arranged in a circle, to discuss what they heard and to listen to each other's views. The goal had been to vote on supporting the proposed museum but just as the Oyster Bay and East Norwich Civic Associations had concluded, they realized more information was needed. Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce President Alex Gallego, of The Gallego Group - Stifel Nicolaus, suggested that instead, the community as a whole should get together to formulate ideas and opinions on the museum. He is talking with Main Street Association President Bill Sheeline to see if it is possible to have Dan Burden of Walkable Communities come back to Oyster Bay to help the community focus on the museum proposal and what it will mean for the hamlet.

At the meeting Mr. Gallego said, "Jim's going to sell his museum. Now we need to examine the facts. We have no environmental impact statement on the traffic and we can't speak to the size of the building. But it is possible to make it smaller so he could come back and say it might be smaller. What's the next step? More meetings, let's keep the interview process going." He said about the vote, "This is a process. I don't think we need a vote yet. Let's continue the dialogue." Mr. Gallego added that there is a cost involved with getting Dan Burden to return to Oyster Bay.

The first speaker in the second half of the evening was Dave Relyea, who expanded his comments earlier about much of the shell fishing industry being killed by over development in Manhasset Bay and Hempstead Harbor. He said, "If Oyster Bay becomes overdeveloped like Manhasset Bay and Hempstead Harbor, that will happen in Oyster Bay." He added, "FOB is very supportive of my business." [Their motto is "keep the oysters in Oyster Bay," a short way of saying they need a clean harbor and so does the community.]

Diane Steiner, a Syosset accountant with clients in Oyster Bay, said size is important; as is the environmental impact, but said, "Without it we can't go forward." She called the train yard an eyesore, and said the museum would improve Firemen's Field.

John Specce of the John Specce Agency said the original board vote on Dec. 27 was only for the concept of the museum and was open-ended. He said, "Dan Burden of Walkable Communities would be a neutral party with no pre-conceived notions and would be great to have come to Oyster Bay."

Claire Bellerjeau of Buckingham's said the MSA mission statement is to build a historic, healthy economy. She said Mark Fox of Canterbury Ales said business in town should do more than survive; it should thrive. She talked about her business, Pleasant Valley Gallery & Gifts, that was on South Street for about 13 years. It closed when business fell off. She spoke of statistics of the Long Island Index that favors apartment houses, condos and town houses in the downtown area, near the railroad as a way to revitalize it. She said young adults are interested in culture, arts, and history that is accessible to the downtown area and said, the museum will help create that mix.

Jack Bernstein, Esq., a MSA board member, said he has seen the hamlet in its heyday, before the malls, and even after that, they thrived when they provided service to their customers. "I am in favor of the concept of the museum near the railroad to help the community revitalize," he said. He called having Dan Burden come back to Oyster Bay, a great idea. "This is an opportunity and if we lose it for this community, something is wrong," he concluded.

Eve Bernstein, with Cove Point Laffey Associates real estate, agreed with his point of view.

Walter Imperatore of Renaissance Properties said, "Look at the TRA's track record. They have a legacy that is good to maintain. I have a lot of confidence that they will do the right thing."

Carla Panetta of Bladykis & Panetta, said she loved Les Schachter's idea of splitting up the museum into smaller parts that could fit into spaces in the existing downtown area. She said that it would help the parking problems and fill the vacancies in town.

Kieran Shea of The Bakery Café said he has a two-fold interest in the issues. With a business in town he would like an increase in foot traffic, but he lives here and doesn't like congestion. He said scale and proportion are important for the museum and added that he liked the TRA's enthusiasm for the proposal. But as for a 100,000 sq. ft. building, he said, as a visual person, he took a photograph of the vacant Firemen's Field to get a sense of the size now and what to compare it with when the museum is built. He said, "I would like to see a museum or something built at that spot." He said of the museum, "I want to have it where I live."

Dave Relyea of Frank M. Flower & Sons, Inc. shellfishers, called the museum proposal "a little scary." His company currently produces 90 percent of the oysters produced in New York State.

Paige Dawson, of Century 21 Laffey Associates, said, "The town is disintegrating with all the empty store fronts." She said the chamber has tried with its car shows to bring people in, but added that it is a part-time solution. She said, "The museum has a lot to offer us." She said at one time there were three hardware stores and supermarkets. She said she supports the museum.

Mary Donna of Tuesday & Company, floral designer, said her father and uncle have had businesses in Oyster Bay. It is the size of the museum that she finds daunting. She said, "Mr. Bruns said, 'Give me your ideas.' I have three places for my business. It is up to me to make my business work." She commented wryly that getting a $1 a year lease as is proposed for the museum, would be good for her business, too.

Mr. Gallego summed up what was happening. He said, "Mr. Bruns is going to ask for more than he needs, it's a sales trick. It's part of the negotiations. We should be giving him ideas," as he suggested. Mr. Gallego said it was important to add pressure to the proposal so that, "We get the best product that is best for the hamlet."

Mr. Imperatore added that Mr. Bruns' experience shows he can build a museum and what is important is to make it fit in with the area.

John Bonifaccio, a MSA board member, said his young family moved back to Oyster Bay because it is a village. They walk with their girls around the hamlet and are customers of The Bakery Cafe. "This is where I've invested my life." He said the most important thing was to work together as a community - the merchants and the residents. "It is not a big box store, it is a museum. I think of it as an honor."

Dennis Browner of Gourmelts said he has been looking at the size of the proposed museum and said it is hard to visualize, but he did a schematic drawing to be able to visualize it. He said his wife urged him not to share it with the chamber, but he showed it to Mr. Bruns in an attempt to get the size down. He said when people see the size it will be an issue unless the community puts pressure on the project to make it smaller. He asked, "Can it be done in less than 80,000 sq. ft. and still be a world-class museum?" He said Shop & Stop is 35,000 sq. ft. "Triple that and put it on two floors and you get an idea of the size."

Rob Brusca said he has been looking at the community to judge the size of the museum. He said the Oyster Bay post office is 12,000 sq. ft.; the Oyster Bay BMW location is 16,000 sq. ft. on four acres; the Boys and Girls Club is 20,000 sq. ft.; Stop & Shop is on five acres and 38,000 sq. ft; the TR Elementary School is 50,000 sq. ft. on 7 acres. The building closest to the proposed 100,000 sq. ft. building is the new Rallye BMW showroom on Broad Hollow Road off Jericho Turnpike. It is listed on the Nassau County website as being 108,000 sq. ft. It has a four-story parking garage attached that is 168,000 sq. ft. If you visually cut the parking garage in half, along with the size of the showroom, you will get an idea of what size Mr. Bruns is talking about, he said. The museum would be on 3.5 acres and Rallye is on 6 acres.

He added the new Cold Spring Harbor Library is shy of 30,000 sq. ft. It is on Route 25A, perched on the hill with wonderful views of Cold Spring Harbor.

Mr. Imperatore said it is how size is treated that is important. He said they have to do sketches to see that size fits into the given place.

Michele Browner with Harbor House said, "We need to support anything that supports the community. We searched for three years to find a home here. I met Eve Bernstein and picked out a home. I joined the MSA. I'm enthralled we moved here. I realize the commercial area is slipping but I am thrilled with the schools. They are a hidden gem that no one knows about."

In regard to business in the hamlet, she said she had a birthday party for her child at Raynham Hall Museum and one of the mothers walked around the community and came back in 20 minutes saying there were no stores to look into, just nail salons - in the four blocks downtown. Ms. Browner said, on Sunday much of the town businesses are closed. She added, she loves Cold Spring Harbor and Sea Cliff, places which you can visit anytime. "I want to enjoy my home town," she said.

Carmine Pirolo of White Birch Designs, said he grew up in Hicksville and came to Oyster Bay often in his growing-up years. He said the museum will have no impact at all. He said, "You have to give it a shot" - an incentive to force it to act. He said whether the museum does it or not, it will bring people to town and it may bring in better stores.

Frank Totora said when he first heard about the museum he thought, "Avalon, here we go again." But he added, the museum would be wonderful at half the size with half the problems. "The biggest problem is the lack of information," he said. He said the problem is that the perception is that the museum is being rammed down people's throats and without information. He said Mr. Bruns is a "well-versed slick salesman. He scared people. It is a visceral reaction - he's a salesman and he has information that we don't have, information we need."

He said groups like the Save Firemen's Field group can drag this on indefinitely. He said it's a spectacular idea but not being presented properly.

Mr. Gallego said, "We have to put his feet to the fire."

Trying to allay everyone's fears, Mr. Bernstein, said, "This town will never approve it until it has the facts. The TRA has to provide all the facts to the town." To Dave Relyea he said, "There is not much undeveloped land in the hamlet." He added, " I don't think the environmental issues will affect the shellfish business. We'll know at the town hearing. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Entrepreneur Catherine Drabin of Chrisom & Bellina, the new retail store on Audrey Avenue, was concerned by what she characterized as negative energy. She said she brought her business and family back to Oyster Bay saying, "I knew it was the right place with the beach, the water, being able to bike down the Mill River Road. She said, "The museum is Jim Bruns' job but we have the opportunity." She said that architects have the ability to make an interesting building and not make it look like a Big Box. She added, "We'll live here, business or not. Keep the oysters in Oyster Bay. We'll sail the harbor," but she didn't want to be negative. She said the museum might mean the railroad gets more use. "It could be very good for education." She remembered when the hamlet had a roller rink saying, "We need something to bring people here. It will come down to what people want. Let's focus on the positives."

Les Schechter said, "I'm a friend of the TR museum." He said he totally enjoyed Jim Bruns' presentation but "he couldn't get to the point, he's a salesman." But Mr. Schechter said he did get some important information from Mr. Bruns that they could add their ideas to the mix. Mr. Schechter said it reminded him of a famous sculptor who said he takes away everything that's not part of the statue. "He's doing that - saying, 'Please take away what's not part of Oyster Bay.'" He added he hoped the museum is as rigorously planned as DisneyWorld which is a very well-run entertainment location. Mr. Schechter said, "I'm 100 percent for it but not to the cost of destroying the hamlet. We are sitting on the edge of a razor blade and the businesses are the sole anchor of the town - if those businesses fail (they are tied to us) and wither we go so goes the town. I think we have to give serious effort to the museum, but not at the cost of the death of the hamlet. But there are a lot of creative ways to solve that and we have creative people here," he said.

Muir deGuzman said most of the business people live here and "We have the biggest stake in the community." She loves living here and truly enjoys this walkable community where she can walk to the OB-EN library to watch their movie presentations.

Ms. Steiner said, "If the museum is right the studies will prove it." She said they need the facts.

Mr. Brusca said the residents are interested in a thriving downtown and they are not as characterized - NIMBYs.

Ms. deGuzman said, "This is the chamber working for you." The chamber is planning to create a TRA Museum committee and she asked for people to join to find out the facts.

Summing up the meeting, President Gallego said "I came here, and moved my family here and took a chance to do a $250,000 renovation at my location [The Gallego Group - Stifel Niclaus on Audrey Avenue] with Renaissance Properties as my partner."

Mr. Gallego said, "We believe in this town."

He thanked everyone for coming that night.