Long Island Sound Health

The 2010 Edition of Long Island Sound Health is out - it is a wealth of information for anyone interested in Long Island Sound.  Its especially valuable for students! Long Island Sound Health

Oyster Bay/Cold Spring Harbor Protection Committee Coordinator Position

Coordinator

Oyster Bay / Cold Spring Harbor Protection Committee

Oyster Bay, New York

Introduction

The Oyster Bay/ Cold Spring Harbor watershed located on the north shore of Long Island, New York is a 40 square mile watershed that has been subject to increasing environmental threatsin recent years. These include illegal dumping, polluted stormwater, development pressureand impairments to shellfishing, public bathing, fish consumption, habitat/hydrology, aquatic life and recreation.

In order to help protect andenhance the water quality of these two harbors and their tributaries in the most cost-efficient and effective manner, awatershed-wide inter-municipal committee was recently formed.  Sixteen (16) of the  eighteen (18) municipalities located within the watershed have so far agreed to join the committee, which is  known as the Oyster Bay / Cold Spring Harbor Protection Committee (OB/CSH PC).

The Town of Oyster Bay (one of those municipalities) has secured a grant under the Long Island Sound Futures Fund which provides funding to hire a part time Coordinator to facilitate the further development of the Committee.

Responsibilities

Duties include but are not limited to the following:

o   Advance the current steering committee to a working committee

o   Develop a mission statement, a needs statement, and a work plan

o   Investigate various options for OB/CSH PC’s legal structure, decision-making, future funding mechanisms and procedures for those municipalities who want to join the partnership, develop grant proposals as appropriate.

o   .  Investigate Inter-Municipal Agreement (“IMA”) structures and develop an IMA for the municipalities to sign and join the partnership

o   Conduct educational outreach and coordinate among the municipalities

o   Develop a website

o   Coordinate with the Friends of the Bay in the development of a Watershed Action Plan. The Plan will lead to future actions that improve water quality, protect habitat and living resources, educate and involve the public, improve the long term understanding of how to manage the Long Island Sound and its embayments, monitor progress and redirect management efforts.

o   In addition to the Watershed Action Plan, compile all existing plans related to the harbor complex.

o   Investigate the establishment of model codes for the participating municipalities.

o   Develop grant proposals as appropriate.

To the extent that time is available within the established hours, additional duties may be determined by OB/CSH PC.

The position may require attendance at evening meetings.

Office space for the Coordinator will be available at the Friends of the Bay offices located in the hamlet of Oyster Bay.

In addition to the amount described above, the Coordinator will have a budget for contractual services, supplies and materials and travel to carry out the duties described above.

Qualifications

The criteria to be used by the Town in evaluating these proposals shall be the following:

     -      The magnitude, scope and complexity of the services to be rendered

           

     -      The experience of the Proposer in assignments of similar size, scope and complexity

     -      Special knowledge relevant to the project

     -       The Proposer's knowledge and experience with municipal governments; with Oyster Bay and Cold Spring Harbors; with federal, state and local laws and regulations aimed at protecting watersheds and water quality and with various stakeholder and interest groups that are likely to be involved with the mission of OB/CSH PC.

-          The Proposer’s writing and public speaking abilities.

-            The Proposer’s past performance with the Town and/or any of the other Committee municipalities or other municipalities facing similar needs.

-            Time constraints and deliverability service;

-            The ability of the Proposer to work by himself or herself; and

-            Experience using Microsoft Office (including Word and Excel), internet. GIS a plus. 

Compensation

The value of the Coordinator’s contract shall not exceed $41,615 over a period of 15 months.  The Coordinator will be paid on an hourly basis. It is anticipated that the Coordinator will work an average of 20 to 25 hours per week.  The Coordinator shall work as an independent contractor for the Town of Oyster Bay and shall be paid upon submission and approval of a Town claim form, time sheets and any other backup determined necessary by the Town.  Benefits are not included with this position.  The position will be subject to quarterly reviews.

Closing Date

The closing date and time are Friday, January 28^th at 4:00 pm.  Proposals must be RECEIVED by that time. Proposals must be submitted in hard copy and mailed or hand-delivered.  No electronic proposals will be considered.

Additional Details

Additional details can be found in the Request For Proposals (RFP) package that will be provided upon request.

To Apply

Contact Eric Swenson at (516) 677-5790 or eswenson@oysterbay-ny.gov to request a Request For Proposals (RFP) package.

Bottled Water Report from the Environmental Working Group

The Environmental Working Group has just published its survey of 173 bottled water products.  No surprise - tap water is best!  Read the full results and compare your brand here - Environmental Working Group Bottled Water Survey

2010 Stormwater Report

The Town of Oyster Bay has published their draft stormwater report, it is available on the Town of Oyster Bay website.

OB/CSH Protection Committee featured in Talk of the Town!

Update on Centre Island Property

On December 27, the Centre Island Zoning Board of Appeals denied the applicants request for several variances that would have allowed for the building of a house on an environmentally sensitive Centre Island Beach.

According to state law, three members of the five-member board have to vote in favor of the variances in order to approve them.  Because one recused himself and another has moved from Centre Island, only three members voted.  Two voted in favor of the variances.  One brave member voted against them to prevent this potentially harmful development. 

The ZBA member that acted to protect the beach said there were several factors in her decision.  She noted that the entire parcel of land is below the 12-foot elevation required by the Village of Centre Island’s building code.  She also pointed out that the proposed septic system would be built on a beach situated between Oyster Bay and a tidal wetland that is regularly flooded. 

This same ZBA member, who has lived on Centre Island for 33 years and served on the board for many years, also pointed to what appear to be inconsistencies between the plot plans that the applicant presented to New York’s Department of Conservation in his application for a wetland permit and those he sent to the Village. 

The Village Attorney noted that the applicants lot did not meet the legal requirements for Centre Island lots when it was created in the 1950s.  The Village Attorney also said he could not find any evidence that a variance was granted at that time.

It is not clear what will happen next.  The applicant has engaged a law firm that prides itself on its ability to use the court system to overcome local opposition to developing controversial projects. During the hearings that came before this week’s decision, the applicant's lawyer made it clear that they were prepared to litigate if the Village did not provide the requested variances.
 This is good news for the moment.  We will keep you apprised of changes if they occur.
 Thank you for your support. 

Christmas Greetings

All of us at Friends of the Bay wish you the best of health and happiness in 2011.  We are looking forward to an exciting and productive year, with new opportunities to protect and preserve our beautiful harbor and upland areas.  Our Watershed Action Plan will be completed in 2011. It will provide a roadmap for on the ground initiatives that will address many of the issues identified in the State of the Watershed Report.  This is a vision for the future that is being developed by the community.

Some of the programs and initiatives we are looking forward to working on include a restoration of Beekman Creek, developing an Information Resource Center, planning a Blueway Trail, fish passage projects and creation of bio-retention basins.  In addition, we will continue to monitor the water in our harbor, ponds and streams, perform beach cleanups and conduct our lecture series.

These projects will all be accomplished in partnership with local municipalities, other organizations and with support from volunteers and residents.  Friends of the Bay believes that when citizens and communities are informed and engaged in local decision making a powerful vision for the future can be developed and environmental issues can be resolved. 

Working on the Watershed Action Plan has been both a humbling and energizing experience.  I am very grateful to all of you who have come to the planning meetings, submitted comments and offered expertise and energy to this project.  You have shown yourselves to be deeply committed to your community and to protecting this beautiful part of the world.