The Friends
are proud to announce that we have secured the following capacity
building grants that will greatly help us in strengthening our
organization for the benefit of Connetquot River State Park Preserve:
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FOC Newsletter, Chairman’s Letter, Fall 2007
The Fall Gala was a success by all accounts. The
Friends are very lucky to be supported by such an
amazing group of volunteers and contributors. The
Gala would not be possible without the generosity of
merchants like Orvis, Parkview, and Morgan
Macwhinnie; restaurants including the Irish Coffee
Pub,
Riverview, Snapper Inn, and The Idle Hour Deli; as
well as artists such as Don Winter and Jamie Reason.
Year
after year these contributors come through. We had
well over one hundred people in attendance and we
raised
over $13,000. Virtually all labor and almost every
item, including the tents, was donated by members.
Work continues on the Mill. The State of New York is
almost done with the footings. It is expected
that the building will be lowered onto the new piers
faced with old stone before this year ends. The next
steps
will be replacing the damaged timbers and supports
and fitting the building with new shingles, windows
and
roof. The Gerry challenge grant has been matched and
we can boast that the total funds deposited into the
Mill
special account exceed $100,000. These funds have
been earmarked for phase two of the restoration
which
envisions a working Mill.
The Friends have retained the environmental firm P.W.
Grosser Consulting to review and analyze the
NYS Route 454 overpass. They have forwarded their
findings to the Commissioner of NYS Department of
Transportation and we are eagerly awaiting the
response. If any of our members have an interest in
that preliminary report please contact the Friends and we
will forward a copy. The Friends and the Idle Hour
Fly Fishermen share this long standing goal of
eliminating the risks associated with either a major
spill or repeated
incidental runoff.
IPN remains a management challenge for the Preserve
and the NYS DEC. Recent testing confirms the
continued presence of the disease in the adult fish,
but not in the hatchery. It is hoped that limits on
wading and
other measures will help minimize the spread back
into the hatchery.
The equestrian community has always been a solid and
diligent supporter of the Friends. Efforts will
continue to maintain the trails and facilities for
this active and symbiotic use. Whether you visit the
Preserve on
foot, carriage, or horseback, it is great to see
horses out on the trails following in the same steps
as President
Teddy Roosevelt or President Grover Cleveland.
The Ice House needs attention and the Friends have
retained a noted architectural firm that specializes
in historical structures to start work on a plan to
refurbish the building and possibly convert it into
a library,
research area, and document storage facility.
With a very strong, active and enthusiastic Board in
place I feel that this is an excellent time to step
down as Chairperson. It has been nine years since I
was invited to succeed Assemblywoman Ginny Fields in
that capacity and I feel quite strongly that a
change will bring new ideas and strength to the
Friends. It would be an honor to remain on the Board
where I could focus on some of the projects listed
above. I know that my successor will enjoy the same
fantastic support from all of the Friends that I
have enjoyed. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Richard Remmer
