| Board of Directors |
Charlotte Biblow, Esq: President
Farrell Fritz, P.C.
Lennard Axinn: Vice President
Island Estates
Robert Bernard: Treasurer
Capital One Bank
Jeff Arestivo: Secretary
Citibank
Albanese Organization Inc.
Elizabeth Gross Cohn, PhD
Adelphi University
Dr. Miriam K. Deitsch
Farmingdale State College,
State University of New York
Richard Keiser
Level Solar
Jeff Kraut
North Shore - LIJ Health System
Lidija Nikolic
Bank of America
John O'Connell
PSEG Long Island
Mitchell H. Pally
Long Island Builders Institute
Charles Rich
CA Rich Consultants, Inc.
Ron Shiffman
Pratt Institute
Ernest Rossano
Environmental Resources Management
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Sustainable Long Island Names Ann Fangmann, AICP Executive Director
Economy. Environment. Equity.
Sustainable Long Island announced the appointment of Ann Fangmann, AICP as its new Executive Director. The appointment is effective immediately.
"Ann brings a wealth of knowledge, guidance, and creativity to Sustainable Long Island along with a deep-rooted sense of commitment to our region's sustainability sector," said Charlotte Biblow, Sustainable Long Island Board President. "On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am delighted to officially welcome Ann as Executive Director and have great faith that she will continue to help move forward Sustainable Long Island's mission of advancing economic development, environmental health, and social equity."
Ann grew up on Long Island, and following graduate school continued her career as a Planner in the Nassau County Planning Department and later the Department of Public Works. While there, Ann worked on transit, transportation, and downtown revitalization projects of regional significance. Ann's next position was as a Senior Planner at D&B Engineers and Architects, P.C., specializing in transportation, environmental and land use planning, in addition to grant development and management. While at D&B, Ann worked extensively with the City of Glen Cove, administrating State and Federal grants for transportation projects and the City's waterfront redevelopment program. Ann first joined Sustainable Long Island in February 2015, when she was hired to be the Director of Programs. In that role, she was responsible for directing several concurrent programs in areas such as economic development and community revitalization, facilitating redevelopment of brownfields and vacant properties, environmental health and justice, community health and wellness, transportation linkages, and food access and equity issues island-wide.
Ann is a certified planner by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), has a Masters Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Delaware, and is proficient in GIS. In addition to serving as Secretary of the American Planning Association Long Island Section, Ann is involved with a number of professional organizations in the regional area.
"It's an honor to lead Sustainable Long Island into the future as the work of this organization is needed now more than ever," said Ann Fangmann. "Sustainable Long Island remains at the forefront of bringing diverse groups together to positively transform communities across the region and I am excited by our important work ahead."
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Keeping The Community Informed
City of Long Beach Comprehensive Plan Update
(via Long Beach Herald) - In an effort to rebuild a more sustainable Long Beach, the city's Department of Economic Development continues to advance its Comprehensive Plan in accordance with feedback gathered at community input meetings last spring.
Director of Economic Development Patricia Bourne and planners from Sustainable Long Island and Cameron Engineering - two firms that have worked to develop the plan - presented an update at the Oct. 20 City Council meeting and discussed the initiative's next steps.
The current Comprehensive Plan is building on the Master Plan put forward by the city in 2007. Though that initiative never got off the ground, Bourne said that a few major events since then have necessitated an updated version that will make for a more economically and environmentally sound Long Beach.
"We did this expansion of the plan based on the economic crash of 2008 and the devastation of Superstorm Sandy, of course, in 2012," Bourne said. "What we're looking to do is look at resiliency and what we need to go forward. Community input is very important in this whole process."
Planners are also working to finalize and adopt a Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan, which examines the relationship between the land and water of coastal regions. The entire city of Long Beach is within New York State's coastal boundaries - as far as 1,000 feet inland. The creation of a Comprehensive Plan as well as a LWRP will allow the city to apply for additional grants and funding in the future by making it clear that the city has a well-thought-out vision of its future.
According to Janice Jijina, a planner with Cameron Engineering, the city is looking at economic development opportunities mainly along the bayfront, in the central business district and at the oceanfront. Some potential plans include more mixed-use buildings, increasing the amount of renewable energy alternatives in the city and possibly relocating some of the utilities along the bayfront to free up space and even reduce flooding.
Public input has been key to the plan's development so far, Jijina said, and it will also focus on some of the quality of life issues residents have deemed most important.
"We've heard from almost everyone we've been talking with that parking is an issue in Long Beach," Jijina said. Possible solutions could include reconfiguring existing spaces or building new parking structures.
The city conducted a series of surveys last spring as well as hosted numerous community engagement meetings that offered residents a chance to get one-on-one feedback about what issues were most important to the community. Over 1,200 people responded to those surveys.
"We also had four neighborhood open houses back in June," said Ann Fangmann of Sustainable Long Island.
"Those were neighborhood specific open houses so that we could really hone in on each neighborhood and the planning concepts we were looking at specific to that community. There will be other opportunities for the public to comment on the plan as we move forward with the draft as well."
Before the city council can adopt the plan, Jijina said, it will have to be approved by the state. She added that in order to implement all the potential suggestions, some zoning and building codes might need to be altered as well.
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Three Villages Talk Sidewalks
Sustainable LI participates in General Theory of Walkability Forum
(via Times Beacon Record Newspapers) - To have sidewalks or to not have sidewalks - that was the topic of debate for residents and town and county officials during a forum, The General Theory of Walkability, on Oct. 22 at the Setauket Neighborhood House.
Brookhaven Councilwoman Valerie Cartright (D-Port Jefferson Station), Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket), members of the Three Village Community Trust and residents gathered to listen to residents' thoughts about establishing sidewalks along various roads and areas like the Three Village and suggestions about how to make the roads safer for pedestrians.
Former county Legislator Vivian Viloria-Fisher was among the members in the audience. Fisher, an avid walker, was shocked with how many people weren't in favor of sidewalks after speaking to residents at the event. Fisher said many people didn't want to take on the responsibility of having a sidewalk in front of their home, or they didn't want to disturb the rural appeal of the area by introducing sidewalks.
A New York Metropolitan Transportation Council study from 1994 to 2004, referred to during the debate, indicated a 25 percent decrease in pedestrian fatalities in New York state with the exception of Suffolk County. The county experienced a 104 percent increase in these fatalities in that 10-year-or-so period.
Sidewalks were introduced as an idea to combat the issue of pedestrian safety especially for children and those who enjoy walking or biking. According to Jenanne Hominick, who serves as a crossing guard under Suffolk County Police Department's 6th Precinct, sidewalks are fine as long as they are established in an appropriate area.
"[Route] 25A [needs sidewalks] without a doubt. You got college students coming. They have no transportation. These guys are from Japan and all over the world," Hominick said in an interview after the event.
She added that sidewalks in residential areas might not be necessary.
While sidewalks were the main issue, panelist Ann Fangmann, new Executive Director at Sustainable Long Island, said sidewalks or complete streets, which includes sidewalks among other features, weren't the only way to promote pedestrian safety.
"There's so many different communities on Long Island and they each have their own character," Fangmann said during the event. "They each have their own setup. It's about planning in a way that is inclusive of that community's character and not to take away from it."
Others also suggested establishing sidewalks starting with schools to help keep children safe when it's time to go home. Using speed bumps to help people slow down and adhere to the speed limit as well as stop signs was another suggestion. Elena Sadov of Setauket was one of the few members who pointed out that more advanced cars are part of the issue when it comes to pedestrian safety.
"When you look at historic pictures of our town, we were able to coexist with horse traffic," Sadov said. "Because horses were slower we did not need sidewalks. Now the seed of travel has improved tremendously."
Friends of the Greenway member Herb Mones added to the conversation saying that the current "car culture" is oriented toward "performance, acceleration and stunts." He added that the people in the audience were also part of the issue.
"I can almost guarantee 70 percent of the people in this audience ... will not come to a stop, you will not observe the speed limit, you will not be the good driver that you pretend to be," Mones said. "But you will be when you turn onto your street."
Although some residents disagreed with others Hahn said these debates help members in the community tackle problems like the issue of pedestrian safety.
"I think that when a community plans what the solutions are, you get solutions that are more acceptable to everyone - and it sounds like there are a lot of different options to make the roads safer," Hahn said.
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3rd Annual Sustainability All-Star Awards
Leadership in sustainability
By now you may know that this December 2, 2015, Sustainable Long Island will be hosting the 3rd Annual Sustainability Awards at the Chateau at Coindre Hall in Huntington, NY. Our honorees include Kleiman Wealth Management of UBS Financial Services and Bedell Cellars with CEO Trent Preszler.
Why Kleiman Wealth Management?
Similar to how Sustainable Long Island proudly promotes the use of resources in a way that does not negatively impact the future, Kleiman Wealth Management Group shows its clients how protecting their assets today can preserve their legacy tomorrow. Backed by the global capabilities of UBS, Kleiman Wealth Management is committed to sustainable investing and corporate responsibility, while offering personal investment management, customized lending solutions, and timely estate planning. Kleiman Wealth Management Group has shifted the idea of "doing no harm" to "doing good," while helping clients and stakeholders invest in a proactive, sustainable manner.
Why Bedell Cellars?
Bedell Cellars stands at the forefront of creativity and excellence in the modern American wine industry and is widely regarded as the benchmark winery in the Eastern U.S. Their 80 acre estate is certified sustainable, adhering to 200 sustainable farming best practices that help protect our land and water resources. CEO Trent Preszler has also led the charge as a founding member of the Long Island Sustainable Winegrowing organization, which provides licenses and education for Long Island vineyards that ensure a safer and healthier environment and workplace.
Don't miss out - register today!
You can secure your spot and register today - tickets are $100 per person. For more information, contact Scott Woodson at 516-873-0230 or swoodson@sustainableli.org.
Thank you to our current sponsors!
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Together we can build a more
sustainable Long Island
These challenging economic times have magnified the problems we Long Islanders face each and every day. With our leaders warning us of tougher times to come, thinking regionally and acting locally is urgent. It is in all of our best interests to stay engaged and do what we can together to build a more sustainable Long Island.
Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to Sustainable Long Island that will help support our ongoing and future work within your Long Island communities; while helping advance economic development, environmental health, and social equity!
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The Board and Staff of Sustainable Long Island |
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