The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo Governor of New York State NYS State Capitol Building Albany, NY 12224 Re: assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A08821a Honorable Governor Cuomo, My name is Dr. Peter Chambers, I am a resident of Freeport NY and an active member of the community for 60+ years. It has once again come to my attention, that Bill ( A08821a), was passed the Assembly and has subsequently been passed in the Senate. This Bill was proposed by Speaker Earlene Hooper and I have been diligently following it for the past number of years. We, as an extensive group of Freeporters have opposed this since its inception. Myself and many others object to this bill (A08821a) and the last minute attempt towards passage, without consultation with the Village, along with past attempts, over the objection of the nine Long Island state senators, constitutes a secretive and unprecedented act on the part of the sponsor (Earlene Hooper). Initially the Village strongly supported legislation that would transfer the Armory to the Village of Freeport. Legislation was introduced by Assembly Member Earlene Hooper providing for the transfer of the facility to the Village, which would be administered by Cedarmore Development Corporation, a subsidiary of The Zion Cathedral Church and the Zion Development Corporation, all of which are not for profit 501c3 organizations, however the content of this bill has changed often enough as to have (at best). blurred the lines as to who would be the actual administrator of this property. This transfer was provided for in A11379-2010; A8342 of 2011 and A9166 of 2012 and A00508 in 2013. What is especially troubling about the more recent attempts is that the Village of Freeport has been especially vocal in expressing its interest in acquiring the Armory for the the Department of Public Works and the Police department. There exists extensive correspondence as far back as 2009 by various administrations requesting the transfer of the Armory to the Village. Superstorm Sandy caused substantial damage to the Village’s Department of Public Works and the Armory would provide significant economic benefits to the Village and avoid the need to build a costly replacement building. In addition, the Village would be able to create a much needed police satellite facility in the North Freeport area. During the past four years the state legislature has authorized the transfer of three armory facilities to municipalities for public use. Such transfers were authorized for Riverhead Town (Ch.495 of 2011), Huntington (Ch.243 of 2012) and Brookhaven (Ch.350 of 2012). Community groups should be able to utilize public facilities, but not own them at the expense of the taxpayers who have a legitimate governmental need. A veto massage sent to the Assembly last year from the Governors office stating that Ms. Hoopers Bill A00508 should be rewritten in a fashion that would benefit all parties concerned. The subsequent Bill A08821a has NO significant changes and primarily only conveys the needs of Ms. Hooper, not the Village of Freeport. Having said that, I respectfully request that when this bill is presented for final signature that Governor Cuomo veto this bill rather that allowing it to become law. The courtesy of a response would be appreciated. Thank you. Please watch the first 1min and 30 seconds of the Hooper tape !! youtu.be/gwj5t6ShCIQ Sincerely, Peter Chambers DC CCSP [email protected] 830 Guy Lombardo Ave. Freeport, NY 11520 516-384-6010
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 16:14:06 +0000
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