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January 28, 2023
Vision and members of the LI Main Street Alliance were out in downtown Kings Park celebrating the start of sewer construction for their Main Street Business District.
Kudos to Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and the Suffolk Legislature for their funding and management; Town of Smithtown Supervisor Ed Werheim and the Town Board for their planning; NYS Senator Mario Mattera, Assemblyman Mike Fitzpatrick and the State Legislature for their funding.
Vision was honored to work with Kings Park Chamber of Commerce and President Tony Tanzi and the Kings Park Civic Association on a revitalization plan with local residents and business owners where sewers was the number one item.
There is a sign of hope here for many communities that need to make significant improvements to their downtown. We were told every step of the way that sewers would “never happen” in Kings Park.
Folks kept working together despite all of the roadblocks, personalities, politics and disbelief. Similar to sewer investments in Wyandanch and Mastic there is a lesson there to keep at it.

Check out the stories in LI Business News and Newsday
New York State recently announced that Huntington Station will receive $10 million in funding as the Long Island winner of the sixth round of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI). For Downtown Revitalization Initiative Round 6, each of the State's 10 economic development regions are being awarded $10 million, to make for a total state commitment of $100 million in funding and investments to help communities boost their economies by transforming downtowns into vibrant neighborhoods.
 
Huntington Station's DRI area focuses on the walkable downtown Huntington Station neighborhood immediately surrounding the LIRR Station and continuing south along the New York Avenue corridor. Huntington Station seeks to re-energize its urban core and attract new opportunities to build on its vibrant, diverse and walkable downtown. Its vision is to transform the downtown by developing key sites for mixed-use projects, burying and/or relocating utilities and overhead wires along the New York Avenue corridor, expanding broadband, creating a centralized park or public gathering space, implementing a business façade program and making streetscape and transportation improvements.
 
Huntington Station joins the communities of Westbury, Hicksville, Central Islip, Baldwin, Amityville and Riverhead, which were Long Island's winners in the first five DRI rounds. 
 
Next steps for Huntington Station includes developing a Strategic Investment Plan to revitalize downtown with up to $300,000 in planning funds from the $10 million DRI grant. A Local Planning Committee made up of municipal representatives, community leaders and other stakeholders will lead the effort. The Strategic Investment Plan will examine local assets and opportunities to identify economic development, transportation, housing, and community projects that align with each community's vision for downtown revitalization and that are poised for implementation. The Strategic Investment Plan will guide the investment of DRI grant funds in revitalization projects that will advance the community's vision for its downtown and that can leverage and expand upon the state's $10 million investment. Plans for the DRI's sixth round will be complete in 2023.
Click here for State's press release
Photo courtesy of New York State
The City of Long Beach and the Village of Lindenhurst will each receive $4.5 million in funding as the Long Island region winners of the first round of NY Forward. Building on the momentum of the State's successful Downtown Revitalization Initiative. NY Forward is a component of the State's economic development efforts, working together with DRI to accelerate and expand the revitalization of New York's downtowns. 

City of Long Beach

The City of Long Beach seeks to enhance its downtown's status as a major regional destination by expanding the City's Complete Streets Initiatives to introduce new traffic calming measures and improved circulation, making its main thoroughfare friendlier to pedestrians and bikers. The city also aims to promote transit oriented/smart and equitable development, grow existing and new local businesses to provide high-quality jobs and expand the arts, along with building resilient infrastructure.
 
Photos courtesy City of Long Beach & Village of Lindenhurst

Village of Lindenhurst

The Village has a goal of creating a healthy, thriving downtown that is attractive for businesses, visitors and residents alike. To spur economic growth in the downtown, the Village has already engaged in numerous planning efforts, including creating a Downtown Redevelopment District Floating Zone to encourage residential and mixed-use development and redevelopment on sites within walking distance of the LIRR and the central business district. Lindenhurst aims to build on these efforts by creating new multi-modal travel choices in and around downtown, transforming underutilized properties into commercial space and mixed-use developments and investing in housing and community amenities.
 
President of the Long Beach City Council John Bendo said, "With this historic investment, we can now focus on a much-needed renewal of our central business district, to meet the needs of our residents and visitors alike."
 
Village of Lindenhurst Mayor Michael Lavorata said, "The Village of Lindenhurst is thrilled to receive this grant award. This is truly a historical event for us in our Centennial year and as we look forward to our next 100 years."

Vision was in support of our many members of the LI Main Street Alliance who applied and the ones who received NY Forward grants.   Congrats to the Village of Lindenhurst and the City of Long Beach for their award.

Great to see NYS Secretary of State Robert Rodriguez make the announcement.  He believes in bottom up community engagement  which is the successful strategy for revitalization efforts on Long Island.  
Click here for State press release
Photos courtesy of NYS Department of State
New York State has recently announced the groundbreaking for the $3 million Shorefront Park Living Shoreline project in the Village of Patchogue. As part of this flood resiliency project, the Village will replace a deteriorating 1,300-foot bulkhead along the Great South Bay with an innovative living shoreline that uses natural features to improve water quality, restore habitats and increase resiliency against flooding and erosion from storms and sea-level rise. 
 
The Patchogue Shorefront Park will remove the deteriorated bulkhead and replace it with a living shoreline that will include a rock sill, new marsh habitat, stormwater improvements and the restoration of Little Creek and its tidal connection to Great South Bay. Not only will this project help reduce risk from flooding and erosion, it will also create a new walking trail to expand public access to Shorefront Park, replace pedestrian bridges, improve amenities and implement stormwater management practices. This project supports climate resiliency goals outlined in the 2022 South Shore Estuary Reserve Comprehensive Management Plan.
 
The DOS Local Waterfront Revitalization Program provided approximately $2.4 million in funding to the Village of Patchogue for this project, with supportive contributions of $315,000 from the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, $45,000 from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and $275,000 from Suffolk County. Looking forward, the State’s “Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs” Environmental Bond Act includes funding for local waterfront revitalization, coastal rehabilitation, shoreline restoration and green infrastructure projects, among others.  
 
Patchogue Mayor Paul V. Pontieri states, “Through the generosity of a private donor and the foresight of New York State this living shoreline will change the entire dynamic of Shorefront Park. In light of climate change, the goal of this project is to protect the community and increase resiliency while improving water quality. These parks were built 50, 60 years ago and this will take us into the next 50 years.”
 
 
Photos courtesy of NYS Department of State
Westbury Arts’ Sixth Annual Black History Month Celebration 
 
Westbury Arts is holding a Black History Month celebration on Saturday, February 11th, from 3 PM to 5 PM, at Westbury High School, 1 Post Road, Old Westbury. African American Culture: Connecting the Community through the Arts is a rich tapestry of live performances in storytelling, dance, song, poetry, and cultural reflection. Tickets are free.
 
The day’s events will be hosted by Mistress of Ceremonies, Dr. Alicia Evans, Professor at The City College of New York, an award-winning fiber artist, a storyteller, and always a captivating speaker. Performance program will feature the Praise Dancers of Shiloh Baptist Church of Rockville Centre, Danse Xpressions, and the award-winning, nationally recognized Rhythm of the Knights, Uniondale High School Show Choir. Also appearing are the Nassau/Suffolk Pan Hellenic Council, Black Fraternities and Sororities, and Dr. Tahira Dupree-Chase, Superintendent of the Westbury School District.
 
This family-friendly event brings together the community and allows for sharing of information and history in an engaging and festive atmosphere. Refreshments will be served. All are welcome. 
 
 
Since 1973, the mission of the Cinema Arts Centre (CAC) in Huntington has been to bring the best in cinematic artistry to the Long Island community, and use the power of film to expand awareness and consciousness to those who attend. This year, Cinema Arts will celebrate 50 years as Long Island’s home for independent films and special program events.
 
According to its history, when the Cinema Arts Centre was founded in 1973, it was called the New Community Cinema. Co-Founders Vic Skolnick and Charlotte Sky, with their son Dylan, were passionate organizers who brought people together to form a movement around film culture that would help shape and define the very character of the Huntington area. Long-time residents love to reminisce about how they were there, back when Vic and Char would hang a sheet on the wall of a friend’s dance studio and project films with a borrowed projector.  Attendees would bring their own chairs, and have tea and chat about the film while the reels were being changed.  They call it the “sheet-on-the-wall” days. Membership began as a request for a contribution from each film-goer to help pay for the following week’s film. 
 
Today, Cinema Arts Centre is a state-of-the-art cinema, with digital and 35mm projection capability, three main auditoriums, and a big screen in its multi-purpose space, the Sky Room Café. It boasts nearly 10,000 members and attracts about 150,000 visitors a year.
 
Like the power of film itself, the power of the Cinema Arts Centre is boundary-breaking. The non-profit prides itself on presenting programs that lift the voices of under-represented groups, of vital community organizations, and other not-for-profit organizations. Its goal is to impact a variety of causes & issues, and to share resources, create mutual benefits and work toward a better Long Island.
 
“Our audience has been so supportive, that’s the biggest reason why we’re still here,” Dylan Skolnick, co-director of Cinema Arts Centre, tells Huntington Now.
 
In celebration of 50 years, several local organizations and businesses, including The Folk Music Society of Huntington, The Next Chapter bookstore, and local comic shop Escape Pod Comics, will partner with Cinema Arts Centre for special events, the outlet reports.
 
The 2023 film schedule will include screenings of Casablanca, The Godfather Part II, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, The Goonies, Matilda, Carole King Live In Central Park, a 90th anniversary screening of King Kong, and many more.
 
The Cinema Arts Centre is located at 423 Park Avenue in Huntington.
 
 
 
On January 25th, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, along with Long Island members of the House of Representatives, announced they secured over $26 million in funds for Long Island as part of the final omnibus funding package for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023.
 
The senators secured a total of $26,244,395 for projects across Suffolk and Nassau County, including facility upgrades and educational programs at Stony Brook University and Long Island University, upgrades to key local infrastructure such as the Town of Southampton’s sewage system, and funding for social programs such as substance use prevention and homeless safety net services.
 
U.S. Senator Gillibrand stated, “These funds will not only bolster our educational institutions such as SUNY Old Westbury, but will also go toward upgrading critical infrastructure such as the North Bellport and Southampton sewer systems.”
 
“From increasing access to public water to creating a STEM career center, upgrading a local park, and providing support services to vulnerable populations, these community projects are making a difference across Long Island,” said U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer. 
 
Organizations receiving funds include:
  • Town of Brookhaven Suffolk County Water Authority Calverton Connection Project ($5,000,000)
  • Town of Southampton Riverside Sewer System Project ($5,000,000)
  • City of Glen Cove / Installation of Packed Tower Aeration System at Duck Pond Road Well Station ($3,452,972)
  • Town of Brookhaven / Bellport-North Bellport Sewer Hook-ups ($3,260,000)
  • Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory ($2,000,000)
  • Interfaith Nutrition Network ($2,000,000)
  • SUNY Old Westbury ($1,870,000)
  • Stony Brook University ($1,000,000)
  • Town of North Hempstead / Bunky Reid Park Upgrade at the Yes We Can Community Center ($900,000) The Woman’s Opportunity  Rehabilitation Center Justice Services ($638,000)
  • Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth, Inc. ($500,000
  • The Aaron & Marion Gural JCC Inc. (GJCC) / Resilient Impactful Sustaining Empowerment Project ($300,000)
  • Freeport Union Free School District ($173,923)
  • Long Island University ($149,500)
Click here to visit Senator Gillibrand’s website
The State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) is providing $30 million for the Pre-seed and Seed Matching Fund Program to support high-growth start-up companies at the earliest stages of their growth and development.
 
The program will offer early-stage businesses equity investments from $50,000 up to $250,000 with matching from the private sector (there must be at least $1 of private sector investment for every $1 NY Ventures invests). In addition to financial support, Empire State Development offers the tools and key introductions needed to help companies reach the next level.
 
Pre-Seed or Seed-stage companies across all technology markets, with a focus on:  
  • Advanced Manufacturing 
  • Agricultural Tech 
  • Climate Tech 
  • Consumer Products  
  • Data/SaaS/AI 
  • Healthcare 
  • Life Sciences and BioTech 
  • Medical Device
For information about the program, click here
Capital grant funding from the Regional Council Capital Fund is available through the State‘s Regional Economic Development Council Initiative, which helps drive regional and local economic development across New York State in cooperation with 10 Regional Economic Development Councils.
 
Capital grant funding is available for capital-based economic development projects intended to create or retain jobs; prevent, reduce or eliminate unemployment and underemployment; and/or increase business or economic activity in a community or Region.
 
Eligible applicants include for-profit businesses; not-for-profit corporations; business improvement districts; local development corporations; public benefit corporations (including industrial development agencies); economic development organizations; research and academic institutions; incubators; technology parks; municipalities; counties; regional planning councils; tourist attractions; and community facilities. 

Funds may be used for: 
  • Acquisition or leasing of land, buildings, machinery and/or equipment 
  • Acquisition of existing business and/or assets 
  • Demolition and environmental remediation 
  • New construction, renovation or leasehold improvements 
  • Acquisition of furniture and fixtures 
  • Soft costs up to twenty-five (25%) of total project costs 
  • Planning and feasibility studies related to a capital project
Click here for information
In a special interview with Padriac Steinschneider who is the Founder and President of Gotham Design and Community Development LLC. We discussed topics in placemaking, the approach to development a downtown with a sense of place, and the challenges in downtown planning. Check it out!!!
https://www.gothamdesign.net/
This special interview with William Mannix who is now the Economic Development Director for Buck Realty of Long Island. We heard about the Williams past work as the Director of Economic Development in Islip, the ins and outs of the work he is doing now with Buck Realty, and looking towards the future. Check it out!!!
Contact: https://www.loopnet.com/.../buck.../melville-ny/f80dsqsl/
Please join us for a special interview with Sharon Campo and Rezwanul Islam of Nassau Suffolk Law Services. Nassau Suffolk law Services is a highly experienced firm and is specialized in assisting seniors, veterans, and the disabled on cases dealing with the survival needs of people with low incomes. We Learned about the various forms of assistance the firm offers, the types of cases they take on, and some of the challenges people can face trying to navigate financial assistance. Check it out!!!
Website: https://www.nslawservices.org/
Please join us for a special interview with Alanna Russo who is the Director of Strategic Development for National Grid Ventures. National Gird Ventures which is a subset to National Grid, works to develop and operate large-scale clean energy projects across New York State. We discussed topics in creating clean energy, hydrogen power, and challenges in infrastructure.
Check it out!!!
Website: https://www.nationalgrid.com/national-grid-ventures
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Long Island Main Street News

Contributors:
Eric Alexander, Director; Tawaun Weber, Assistant Director; Elissa Kyle, Placemaking Director;
Linda Henninger, Outreach Coordinator; Jen Makaw, Communications Consultant 

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