STATE OF NEW YORK
EXECUTIVE CHAMBER
ELIOT SPITZER, GOVERNORFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 29, 2007
CONTACT: Christine Anderson
canderson@chamber.state.ny.us
212.681.4640
518.474.8418
GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES $25.3 MILLION IN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION FUND GRANTS FOR PROJECTS ACROSS NEW YORK
Governor Eliot Spitzer today announced $25.3 million in Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) grants awarded to local communities and organizations across New York State to assist with waterfront revitalization projects, historic preservation efforts, expanding open space, and increasing access to public lands.
The EPF, created in 1993, is primarily funded through the real estate transfer tax and provides a dedicated source of funding for a variety of environmental projects and programs administered by the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Department of Agriculture and Markets.
"This vital funding helps make cultural and recreational opportunities available to all New Yorkers and countless visitors, and contributes to the economic revitalization of our state," said Governor Spitzer. "Funding for local communities and organizations to undertake these important environmental projects will preserve and protect our valuable natural resources and promote New York’s rich historic and cultural tradition."
Senator Carl Marcellino, Chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee said: "The Environmental Protection Fund is the engine which drives a myriad of programs which improve the air, water, and quality of life for all New Yorkers. Whether it is protecting open space, or revitalizing waterfronts, the EPF gets it done. These projects are examples of our commitment to protecting our ecosystems while maintaining the quality of life we have all come to expect in New York State."
Senator Mary Lou Rath, Chair of the Senate Tourism, Recreation and Sports Development Committee said: "I am pleased to see that the NYS Departments of Parks and Agriculture and Markets will be providing $25.3 Million to the Environmental Protection Fund in order to provide and expand open space and public lands. It is wonderful that so many of Western New York’s treasures, such as Graycliff and the Roycroft Campus, will be able to benefit from this funding, creating more opportunities for tourists and state residents to enjoy them."
Assemblyman Bob Sweeney, Chair of the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee said: "Perhaps the most important accomplishment of the 2007 Legislative Session was the enactment of legislation to increase the EPF to $300 million. The additional funding for the EPF will fuel substantial increases in EPF programs such as municipal parks, waterfront revitalization, municipal recycling, open space land acquisition, farmland protection, as well as wastewater treatment projects, invasive species management and Ocean and Great Lakes initiatives."
Assemblyman Steven Englebright, chair of the Assembly Tourism Committee said: "The natural and cultural landscapes of New York are endowed with powerful beauty and character. These funds will help to maintain, enhance, protect and preserve the natural, cultural and historic resources that define communities across our great state."
Carol Ash, Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said: "The EPF provides valuable resources for local communities across the state to enhance parkland, protect historic resources and expand open space available to the public. The grants enhance the character of local communities and provide long term benefits to the environment."
Pete Grannis, Commissioner of Environmental Conservation, said: "For years, the Environmental Protection Fund has provided critical aid for important tasks such as protecting open space, closing landfills and funding recycling programs. Its success is one of the state's best story lines of the last 14 years."
Patrick Hooker, Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets, said: "New York is a beautiful place to live. We have a scenic and productive landscape, an abundance of natural resources and a history rich in culture and folklore. The EPF has been instrumental in preserving this rich heritage, and these grants will help continue the legacy throughout New York State."
The EPF’s parks program provides for 50 percent matching funds in several program areas including parks development, open space acquisition, historic preservation and the State’s Heritage Area system. Funds may be awarded to indoor and outdoor projects and must reflect priorities established in the New York State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan.
New York City's Share of the PieNEW YORK CITY REGION
Region Total $3,909,575
The City of New York Department of Parks and Recreation will renovate the Crotona Park Nature Center at Crotona Park in the Morrisania section of the Bronx. The Nature Center provides educational programs to schools, after school programs and functions as a museum and information center for the park. Upgrades to the facility include lighting, ventilation and construction of additional space that will allow the nature center to increase its capacity to attract and accommodate more visitors.
The City of New York Department of Parks and Recreation and the Bronx River Alliance have developed plans for the Bronx River Greenway, a linear system of parks along the Bronx River that will provide access to open space and recreation. This project will include construction of an environmentally-friendly River House at Starlight Park, which is part of the greenway, with facilities for boat storage, launching, environmental educational classrooms, multi-purpose space for community events and a comfort station.
The East Midwood Jewish Center, one of the last remaining American multi-use synagogue/community centers architecturally unchanged from the 1920s, will restore features of the sanctuary including stained glass windows, stained glass dome and skylight.
The Prospect Park Alliance restores, develops and operates Prospect Park in partnership with the City of New York. The Prospect Park Alliance will undertake the Southeast Lake Edge Restoration project at Prospect Park to restore eroded shoreline, rebuild the Lake's edges, remove invasive plants, secure the shoreline with plantings and clear the Lake's drainage.
The Sons of the Revolution of the State of New York will undertake a rehabilitation project at the Fraunces Tavern Museum complex, which contains one of the oldest buildings in Manhattan and is the site where George Washington gave a farewell speech to his officers in 1783.
The SS Columbia Project is dedicated to restoring, operating and interpreting the SS Columbia, the oldest surviving excursion steamer in the United States (built in 1902). The project includes ensuring the vessel's preservation by restoring bulkheads, staircases and exterior features.
This project involves the restoration of the dome and support structure at St. Bartholomew's Church, constructed in 1918.
The Greater Jamaica Development Corporation will undertake a project to revitalize the Prospect Cemetery, which contains approximately 3,000 gravestones and markers and is the oldest family burial site in Queens. The Greater Jamaica Development Corporation has partnered with the City of New York Department of Parks and Recreation, the New York Landmarks Conservancy and the Prospect Cemetery Association on the final stages of the multi-phased revitalization initiative.
The City of New York Department of Parks and Recreation will restore the Lanett Playground in Far Rockaway, the only playground in the West Lawrence section of the community. The project includes the addition of an ADA accessible comfort station, water play feature, playground equipment for toddlers, improved lighting, fencing and a basketball court.
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