• Capitol Budget Vote Passes w/o Consolidation •
At the Nassau County Legislative meeting on Monday, April 7th the county legislature voted unanimously to approve the Capitol Budget Plan for 2008. The Republican Minority voted in favor of the plan because County Executive Thomas Suozzi removed $21 million dollars in the budget that was alloted for the sewer consolidation of Cedarhurst and Lawrence into the county sewage treatment plant at Bay Park. BY taking the money from the budget, it means that the county no longer has the funds needed to proceed with the consolidation plan. So in a sense, we won!
Greenbayparkers.org would like to thank everyone in the community who raised their voice loud and clear and told the county "Don't Dump On Bay Park". It is because of all the concerned residents who came out in droves to the rally and the community meeting to speak their minds. It is because of all the emails, letters and phone calls to elected officials that told them of the negative impact on our quality of life consolidation would have. It is because of all the residents who took the time from their busy lives to go to Mineola and attend legislative meetings to let the county know exactly why we are opposed to consolidation and informing them of the many negative issues the Bay Park plant already has upon the environment and the community. But mostly, it is because you care. Thank you.
But the victory is temporary because of Tom Suozzi's insistence of keeping $1.4 million dollars in the Capitol Budget to allow him to complete a design of the pumping stations for Cedarhurst and Lawrence even though the county does not have the money needed to implement the plan at this time. It seems like the county is pissing away the $1.4 million on an imaginary plan that may never come to fruition, when the money could be used towards getting a TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) study done on the bay to identify the causes for the environmental damage being done by the plant and by storm water run-off. Or it could be used to speed along necessary plant upgrades at Bay Park to help the plant performance and reduce nitrogen and chlorine levels in the effluent and eliminate plant odor. The county could even use the $1.4 million as the seed money to get the ocean outfall pipe project underway. The county needs to stop wasting the taxpayer's money!!!
So what is next? Stay tuned for more exciting news!!!
