Bill Von Novak, president of the Oyster Bay Civic Association and a member of TRMCAT (Theodore Roosevelt Museum Citizens Advisory Team) said the reports about the Town of Oyster Bay signing a lease with the Theodore Roosevelt Association for the proposed Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Museum have not been accurate. Mr. Von Novak said the contingency lease is an attempt to force the TRA to do the required studies on the environmental effects of having a 70,000 square foot museum and an adjacent parking garage on the 3.5 acre Firemen's Field.

Mr. Von Novak explained that TRMCAT met with Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto and told him something had to be done. TRMCAT's mission was to talk to local groups, find out what their questions were about the proposed museum and to bring those questions back to the TRA for answers. Mr. Von Novak said, "We had gotten to a point, where TRMCAT was answering the questions the civic associations and the people were asking and they had no [real] answers for them." He said that was because TRMCAT was getting no answers from Jim Bruns, TRA president. "We said to Mr. Venditto, the town has to step up and you have to get the answers. We aren't getting them. And Venditto said, 'We've got to get off the dime. If we give him a contingency lease, that means they have the ability to go ahead but must complete the studies. They must do the EIS required by law. It's time for you to get the answers to the questions and the things required by law'," stated Mr. Von Novak.

Mr. Von Novak said they agreed the town was the only agency that could push the decisions to get the information they were asking for from the TRA. "The TRMCAT doesn't feel that means support for the museum, but is the effort of the town saying - 'It's time for you to finish the studies for the proposal'," he said. Mr. Venditto was asked how soon the contingency lease can be ready and he announced he would try to get a contingency lease within 30 days.

Mr. Von Novak defined the lease: "The agreement is to agree to do the studies. In fact it means there can be no progress toward the next step without the TRA doing the EIS. The studies have to be done first."

A town spokesperson called it an "agreement to lease", with no other information available until the document is written and ready to be presented in a press release from the town.

Mr. Von Novak said TRMCAT is not finished with their work. They will continue meeting with groups to discuss the proposed museum located in Fireman's Field. He said they have to wait for the TRA to do the studies. "We still have to wait for a decision about moving the firemen's track. Mr. Bruns said if that can't be resolved that is a deal breaker. There are still a lot of unanswered questions. No one involved in the process can go any further until the next step is taken. That was why people were happy about the announcement of the lease [when the announcement was made by Mr. Venditto at the end of the Theodore Roosevelt 150th Anniversary Parade on Oct. 25]. We will finally be getting into the position of getting the answers we were asking for 18 months ago. TRMCAT will continue to get input from the community and still will go out to meetings. Getting the answers is the next step," he said.

Mr. Von Novak said that left TRMCAT feeling they have done their job. He said, "TRMCAT's position is that they have made an effort to gather the public's opinions and TRMCAT admits nothing more can be done until the TRA has answered the questions asked of them and there are questions that TRMCAT can't answer. There is just no place to go to get answers to the questions. At the last Oyster Bay Civic Association meeting we agreed not to talk about the museum again - without answers coming forth."

He said Mr. Venditto could see that it made no sense for TRMCAT to go to Civic Association meetings, the Oyster Babies, and the school district when in fact there was no more information available to them.

In a recent press release TRMCAT said they met with Oyster Babies to answer some of their traffic concerns about having safe access to TR Park for their students.