March 7, 2005

Environment/Recreation Open Forum

One Peninsula, One Vision

• Define peninsula-wide, community-driven goals for a sustainable approach to planning

• Define both current and long-term objectives of the Port Washington Peninsula

• Help the Town and villages prioritize the allocation of resources

• Create a planning approach that respects the diverse needs of Port Washington residents and the institutional roles of the various governmental entities

• Create an implementable plan for the Port Washington Peninsula

Project Goals Together, We Will ...

Shared Vision Plan

• Summarizes community vision of the future

• Highlights community goals

• Outlines next steps

Port Washington Peninsula

Shared Vision Plan

Port Washington Peninsula Shared Vision Process

Community Launch

Open Forums Community Design Event

Community Vision Plan

January March April June

Environment/Recreation

Support Services

Community Presentation

Design Days

Development

• Participate in any or all of three roundtable open forums:

Open ForumsShare YOUR Vision!

Open Space Waterfront Water Quality

Environment/ Recreation

March 7

Open Space

Open Space

Blumenfeld Family Park

Manorhaven Beach

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County-owned

Town-owned Villageowned

Ownership

Ownership and Acreage of Parks/Preserves

Open SpacePassive and Active Recreation

• Active recreation includes more intensive outdoor activities such as baseball, soccer, football or golf, that require maintained playing surfaces.

• Passive recreation is generally less intensive outdoor activities more compatible with preserving natural resource functions such as wildlife habitat and floodplain protection. A nature preserve is a suitable site for activities such as hiking, walking, bird watching, and environmental education. Kayaking is also considered passive recreation.

Open SpaceRecreation• Town is in negotiations

to assume ownership of Hempstead Harbor Park

• The Town is promoting an integrated trail system throughout the town, including the Port Washington Peninsula

Open SpaceShoreline Trails

• The BayWalk will stretch from the Town Dock to Manorhaven Beach

• Beginning at Bar Beach, the Hempstead Harbor Trail will stretch to Flower Hill.

Waterfront• Hydrographic studies showing the

depth and navigability of the Bay and the Harbor are over 15 years old

• It is estimated that 2.5 million cubic yards of dredging material needs to be removed – however utility drilling for channels and mooring fields would require considerably less

• The Hempstead Harbor shoreline is primarily residential or natural

WaterfrontRecreation• Manhasset Bay accounts for 16

percent of the boat traffic for the Long Island Sound region

• There is one public boat launch on the Harbor and one on the Bay.

• There are 4 private yacht clubs, 8 commercial marinas, and 1 public mooring field operated by the Town.

• Two Blue Trail launch sites have been proposed in the Bay adjacent to Town Dock and Manorhaven Park

Water QualitySurface Water Quality• Storm water runoff carries debris and pollutants

into the Bay and Harbor• To reduce the impact of runoff the County, the Town,

and the Villages have created Storm Water Management Plans

• The Hempstead Harbor and Manhasset Bay Protection Committees were established to address concerns about the health and productivity of the Bay and Harbor

• The Protection Committees have each completed and are implementing Water Quality Improvement Plans.

Water QualityManhasset Bay

• Water sampling in 2004 showed swimable standards were met all season with the exception of a very heavy rain event in mid-August

• There is still a perception among residents that the water quality is not suitable for swimming

Water QualityHempstead Harbor

• The number of beach closings have decreased over the past 20 years.

• Bar Beach was closed only 9 times in 2004; half as many closures as in 2000

• Many beach closures are a mandated reaction to over ¼ inch of rainfall, not actual measured contaminants

Water QualityWater Supply• Port Washington relies on

sole source aquifers for their water supply

• In 2003, 1.725 billion gallons of water were pumped from underground aquifers

• Irrigation systems use 70% of the annual water supply in the Port Washington Water District

Water QualityDrinking Water Quality• Overpumping groundwater on

a peninsula creates the potential for saltwater intrusion

• Public wells have a high susceptibility to nitrate contamination due to irrigation and septic systems

• There were no water quality violations in 2003 on the Peninsula

• Brainstorm issues/concerns relative to each Topic Area (10 minutes spent per topic area)

• Prioritize the top five issues/concerns from the Brainstorm list for each Topic Area

• Recommend five resolutions to address these top 15 issues/concerns at the Design Event (20 minutes)

• Propose possible walking tour routes for the Design Event (10 minutes)

• Report back the top five resolutions to the larger group. (3 to 5 minutes per table)

Tonight’s Discussion

• Group Leader: Facilitates the discussion by keeping the group focused and encouraging everyone to participate

• Recorder: Creates an accurate record of the discussion by taking notes on the large flip chart

• Time Keeper: Ensures the group is keeping with the established timeframes

• Resource Guide: Responsible to research relevant facts to support the discussion or respond to questions that may arise

• Group Participant: Actively participates in the discussion by expressing ideas/opinions. Listens respectfully and with an open mind to other participants’ views

Discussion Group Roles

• What are the top 5 concerns and opportunities related to each topic area?

• Have these concerns and opportunities changed in the past decade?

• In 2020, what would you want residents in Port Washington to see and experience with respect to each topic area?

• What are the forces that help create these conditions?

• Are there any obstacles to changing these conditions? If so, what are they?

Discussion Question

Port Washington Peninsula Shared Vision Process

Community Launch

Open Forums Community Design Event

Community Vision Plan

January March April June

Environment/Recreation

Support Services

Development

Community Presentation

Design Days

• Visit www.northhempstead.com, the official web site of the visioning process– Read about the project– Ask questions

• Email pwvisioning@northhempstead.com• Contact April Brown Lake at

(516) 627-4062.

For More Information…