The proposed Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Museum is planned to be built on Firemen's Field in the hamlet of Oyster Bay. The site was recently changed to a 100-year flood plain as opposed to the previous designation as a 500-year flood plain. The area is listed as an elevation 11, meaning that the first floor must be 10 feet above sea level, mean high tide, according to William Nechamen a representative of the DEC, at the recent FEMA workshop held in Hicksville. Firemen's Field is 5 feet above sea level, therefore the building may have to start at that figure.

It is flooding that has been one of the concerns about using Firemen's Field as a site for the Presidential Museum. On Friday, Aug. 15, Eileen Aliani, a local resident wrote in an email, "Firemen's Field is flooded tonight. A lot of the Hamlet has water up to the curbs also. Really a miserable storm."

The torrential downpour started at about 5 p.m. and it was low tide. Caroline DuBois of the Citizens to Save Firemen's Field said, "Despite that it was low tide, the rain flooded the storm basin across the railroad tracks and backed up through the culverts (as shown in the photograph) and flooded about 50 percent of Firemen's Field. At the same time water was bubbling out of the drains as well.

"The backyards of the houses in the triangular area on the east of Firemen's Field were flooded. The water was over 18 inches deep in some places. The point is, this was not a hurricane, it was a summer storm," said Ms. DuBois.

The new rendering of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Museum is now available in a project synopsis available at the office of the Theodore Roosevelt Association at 20 Audrey Avenue. (Call 921-6481 for hours of operation.) The attractive architectural renderings of the Queen Anne-styled building appear to be picking up its roof line details from the Oyster Bay Rail Road station. The renderings were done by Joseph Reilly + Associates of Sea Cliff.

Theodore Roosevelt is certainly deserving of being honored. TR was mentioned this past weekend in an interview on C-SPAN. Author James Chace was talking about his book 1912: Wilson, Roosevelt, Taft and Debs -The Election that Changed the Country. He said Theodore Roosevelt was an intellectual on an equal with the Founding Fathers of the United States of America.

Theodore Roosevelt is called: the conservation president; the chief executive who shaped the modern presidency; and a Renaissance president. The synopsis says, "In addition to his accomplishments in conservation, the exhibition will cover the wealth of social and political reforms he introduced and his many accomplishments even before he was president: as a successful state governor, aggressive big-city police commissioner, proactive naval assistant secretary, dedicated civil service commissioner, and progressive state legislator."

The proposed exhibitions at the TR Presidential Museum will be experiential. "This means including a variety of interactive presentation techniques, including interactive theaters." When first discussing the proposed museum, TRA President Jim Bruns said that museum attendance in general is going down on traditional museums and up on those that offer interactive exhibits.

The museum is expected to cost $100 million of donated funds. The funding formula is: "At least $35 million from supportive corporations, $30 million from patriotic Americans, $15 million in grants from foundations, $10 million from the government, at least $5 million from the Roosevelt family, and the remainder will be derived from general solicitations from the international community."

Twenty percent of the funds raised will go into a permanent endowment to help support the museum once it is completed.

The project synopsis shows a drawing of the entrance on Shore Avenue. There is an imposing stairway from street level to the preserve/park area on top. The museum can be entered from the garden entry on the second floor or the street entry on Shore Avenue. The first floor (30,000 feet) of the museum complex will encompass a parking garage with 245 spaces. The museum is required to have 234 parking slots. The second floor (40,000 square feet) of the museum will be on the same level as the roof of the garage which is being termed "the preserve" and is indicated on the rendering as a grassy area with trees and paths and with a reflecting pool which will be used to gather water for the museum's needs. The garage will be accessed from Maxwell Avenue. An ampitheater is planned for the end of Maxwell Avenue.

The TRA has hired Dunn Engineering to prepare the "project's overall Expanded Environmental Assessment Form which is being managed by Freudenthal & Elkowitz Counsulting Group.

The building will be of recycled brownstone.

On the corner of Larrabee Avenue and Shore Avenue there is a 415 seat auditorium. The first floor will have: the museum shop; offices; public bathrooms; security command center; dividable classroom; and areas for changing exhibits, and permanent exhibits. The second floor will have another public bathroom; a hands-on history room; exhibit control room; a permanent exhibit area; and a theater.

The time line for the work is for: Environmental Impact Studies, 2008-2009; Approval Phase, 2008-2010; Fundraising Phase, 2008-2013; Concept and Design Phase, 2008-2009; Construction Documents Phase, 2010-20011; Construction Phase 2011-2013; Exhibition Creation Phase, 2011-2013; Dedication 2013.

Shore Avenue is envisioned as having diagonal parking for 52 diagonal back-in parking slots for general parking, parents attending sporting events and local residents. Dan Burden of Walkable Communities suggested the back-in parking method when he visited the area in March.

The brochure notes some of the benefits of having a presidential museum in the community including interactive exhibits; full-time educational coordinators who will work with local schools to coordinate learning activities and tours. They will also offer internships and fellowships on museum studies and museum-related careers. That will include part-time jobs, and study grants. The museum will be open year-round, Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 5:30 p.m.

Project architect Joe Reilly was on vacation last week and on Monday, Aug. 25 his office said he decided to extend his vacation; therefore, this newspaper was unable to get copies of the renderings of the museum. TRA President Jim Bruns was also unavailable for comments on the plans.

Part of the plan for the museum, which uses the entire 3.5 acre parcel of land formerly known as the War Memorial Field, involves the re-location of the firemen's practice track. The town is looking at TR Park to see if a location can be found. Since the park is located in the 100-year flood plain there will be environmental issues to be addressed as well as the deed for the park.

A town spokesperson said, "The supervisor has indicated that he believes there is room for everyone. So our next course of action will be to bring in a planning consultant and with the firemen and the sports groups to see if we can devise a plan that works for everyone." In several months, a public hearing is expected after which the town board will vote on whether to give the TRA a lease for the town owned land.