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January 5,2007

Commissioner Carol Ash

Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Agency Building I
Empire State Plaza
Albany, New York 12238

Dear Commissioner Ash:

It was a pleasure to meet you the other day with Mr. Foye in my Albany ofhce. I was
glad to be able to accommodate your request for an immediate meeting prior to the State of
the State to discuss the new addition to Nissequogue River State Park.

I write to memorialize several immediate concems from your meeting. It appeared to

me from your comments and your response to my questions that yogdo not support the new
addition of almost 370 acres to the Nissequogue River State Park. When I specifically asked
you whether yOu support that parcel maintaining its designation as state parkland you would
not say yes. In my humble opinion, anything less than a direct yes should be construed as a
no. While you attempted to answer my question, your focus was on reviewing 'other' impacts
beyond the mature growth area. Your concentration seemed to be less on the mission of State
parks and more on cost issues that are more appropriately dealt with in the Executive Budget
enacted in conjunction with the Legislature. To say the least, I was very troubled and
disappointed that you want to overturn a parkland designation in the very first days of the
Spitzer administration.

I believe I was very clear as to my stance on this issue but I will reiterate exactly what
my position is on behalf of the people that I represent. We worked very hard for months and
months in concert with local and state officials to act in the best interests of the Kings Park
community, The fruits of those efforts include almost 370 acres of new parkland, preservation
of approximately $ I million in tax payments to the Kings Park School District and defeating
of a developer whose plan would have decimated the Kings Park community.
the efforts

tJ
 Simply put, the land is now a park and it should rcmain exactly that way. Any
discussions of development within the park is worthwhile and reasonable as long as it is
always contemplated as a park, not as a vehicle or tool for commercial or industrial or
economic development. I will aggressively fight any effort to undermine the status of this
land as anything other than parkland.

As to your concem regarding funding, please know that my office has again
reconfirmed that there is a $25 million appropriation in the2006-2007 budget specifically
earmarked for the cleanup of the Psych Center property. This is historic, it is precedent
setting and recognizes that the State should pay for the cleanup. I will proactively and
aggressively try to seek additional funding and hope that you will partner with me in that
advocacy. I intend on requesting that Governor Spitzer re-appropriate that $25 million in his
proposed Executive Budget and that he include additional funding wherever possible. I would
respectfully request that you support that effort in writing to the Governor.

Please know that this issue is critically important to my constituents and I believe to
the State as a whole. Until I hear from your office in writing that you support this entire
will operate on the assumption that you do not and will share that
parcel as a park I
information with all interested parties, including my colleagues in the Senate.

Thank you for considering my thoughts and I look forward to your expeditious
response.

J. Flanagan
Govemor Eliot Spitzer { ,
Senator Joseph L. Bruno -
Senator Owen H. Johnson
Senator Mary Lou Rath
Commissioner Patrick J. Fove
Jeff Lovell
Mike Avella
Richard C. Mereday
Darren Suarez