Committed to improving the quality of life in our community

KINGS PARK COMMUNITY ASSOCIATONLook inside for... News From the Neighborhood...

Our first project will include new signage and landscaping on the north and south end of the Charter Oaks neighborhood.

The Kings Park Community Association was recently established to improve the quality of life of our residents by preserving the character of our neighborhoods, promoting civic engagement, protecting our remaining open spaces, improving our parks and enhancing the full potential of our commercial corridors. Since the town is not responsible for the upkeep and beautification of neighborhood

entrances and green spaces, our mission will also include the funding and management of these projects. If you have a neighborhood beautification project that you need help with, contact us today at:

Kings Park Community AssociationPO Box 413Kings Park, NY 11754Phone: 631-848-8587 Email: info@kingsparkcommunity.org

For their endless generosity and commitment to improving the Nissequogue River State Park and bettering the lives of all Long Islanders, the Nissequogue River State Park Foundation will honor Charles & Helen Reichert on Thursday, October 10th. The event will be held at the Pavilion at Sunken Meadow State Park beginning at 6:30 PM. Event tickets are $110 per person. All proceeds will be used to expand the park’s playground.

Would like to attend? RSVP online at ourstatepark.com

Fill out the registration form below and mail with $10 annual membership fee to:

Kings Park Community Association PO Box 413, Kings Park, NY 11754

Or register online at kingsparkcommunity.orgMeeting dates will be announced shortly on our website.

Call 631-848-8587 with any questions or comments.

Kings Park Community AssociationPO Box 413Kings Park, NY 11754

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IGA owner from Ft. Salonga to be honored for his philanthropy

Become a member of the Kings Park Community Association today

Charles Reichert (center) donates $1 Million to Nissequogue River State Park

BEFORE

AFTER

Why would anyone oppose the capping of a toxic landfill and the protection of our drinking water? The answer is simply – politics. In 2016, the Suffolk County Landbank approved the winning bid from a team of local residents to cap the toxic 25-acre Steck-Philbin landfill in Kings Park. The winning bidders were philanthropist Charles Reichert, Power Crush owner Toby Carlson and former Kings Park Civic President Mike Rosato. This project would have helped prevent the landfill’s contaminants from reaching our groundwater and would have put the Old Northport Road property back on the tax rolls. The work should have been completed a year ago, but former Smithtown Town Planner David Flynn and Suffolk County Executive Bellone opted to undermine the project for personal and political reasons. Mr. Flynn opposed the proposal because he objected to the vegetation being removed from the site. He shockingly chose to protect the site’s surface appearance over the 80 feet of construction and demolition debris contaminating the area’s soil and groundwater. He recruited local civic leaders who then pressured former Smithtown Supervisor Vecchio and County Executive Bellone to oppose the project in exchange for their political support. The Supervisor, who was ill and desperate to win re-election, then asked Mr. Flynn

to pen an opposition letter, which falsely claimed the winning team intended to mine the waste from the site and that the toxic landfill was “not creating any adverse impacts.” The Suffolk County Landbank, whose mission includes facilitating the remediation of contaminated sites, awarded the winning bid based on several factors, not just the end use. However, even after the winning bidders agreed to

covenants that limited end uses to those acceptable to the community and permitted by the town, the Landbank still refused to sign their contract do to lobbying efforts from misguided civic leaders.

Two years after the winning bid was accepted, it became apparent that politics was dictating policy and that the County Executive was instructing his staff to kill the project for political purposes. The Landbank continues to waste taxpayers’ money ($330,000 to date), and has still failed to address the toxic contamination on the site, including: 4VOCs, 10 SVOCs, 8 metals, 4 pesticides and PCBs in the soil and several PFA’s in the groundwater. Shamefully, the potential causes of cancer and heartache were ignored by the people who were elected to protect us, putting all of our residents’ welfare at risk.

Cleanup of Toxic Landfill Undermined by Politics

After meeting with Nissequogue River State Park (NRSP) Foundation representatives, State Assemblyman Steve Englebright agreed to sponsor legislation to create the park’s Master Plan. The plan will help facilitate removal of the site’s dilapidated buildings and determine how to improve the park’s many assets. State Senator John Flanagan teamed up with Englebright to assure the bill’s passage in both state houses on June 18th of this year.

The NRSP Foundation has strongly endorsed the creation of the park’s master plan from its inception in 2008. On the foundation’s website it states, “In order to begin transforming the grounds from a former state hospital into an active state park and recreational facility, the state must first create a master plan to determine the most appropriate potential reuses of the park’s buildings and grounds. The park could possibly host a variety of recreational, cultural and educational activities that would provide economic and quality of life improvements to the Long Island region.” Former foundation chairman Mike Rosato praised State Assemblyman Englebright for his efforts in securing the park’s master plan. “Mr. Englebright has been a friend of the foundation and park from day one. He’s a very innovative and passionate public servant, and I can’t thank him enough for fulfilling one the foundation’s most important goals.” State Senator Flanagan added, “I am thrilled this legislation has passed both houses of the Legislature so that this important property is protected for future generations. It was a pleasure working with my colleague Steve Englebright and I thank him for joining this effort. I look forward to Governor Cuomo’s ultimate approval of this bill so we can ensure a bright future for this wonderful local resource and preserve some of the limited open space we have left on Long Island.”

Nissequoque River State Park Master Plan Approved

A 27-acre privately owned landfill on Old Northport Road in Kings Park, which was once used by the Town of Smithown for their municipal waste and later became a golf driving range until 2017, is now home to a 4 megawatt solar farm that can power up to 1,000 homes. The developer nearly walked away from the project when one of the subcontractors, Power Crush of Kings Park, discovered the landfill was never properly capped. When Power Crush Owner Toby Carlson first arrived on the site, municipal waste, including a 1978 copy of the Daily News, was protruding from the landfill’s surface.

After the landfill was closed in 1979, it was supposed to be capped with 6 feet of

clay and dirt, but had less than 6’’ of soil across 75% of the site. Understanding the project’s importance, Mr. Carlson donated $1 million in material to make sure the landfill’s cap conformed to New York State DEC regulations. Without his generous donation, the project would not have moved forward. On June 21, 2019 project owner NextEra Energy Resources LLC, the Long Island Power Authority and PSEG Long Island formally celebrated the launch of the Kings Park Solar Project. At the ceremony, Suffolk County Legislator Robert Trotta thanked Mr. Carlson for salvaging the project and said, “I wish we could cap other polluted landfills in the area and reuse them for a productive purpose such as this one.”

Kings Park Solar Farm Powers Up

Abandoned Steck-Philbin toxic landfill on Old Northport Road

Legislation to help expand sewers to Main Street in Kings Park passed the State Senate and Assembly on May 30th, 2019 but still awaits Governor Cuomo’s signature. The legislation allows Smithtown to alienate a tenth of an acre of land at its Parks Department headquarters in Kings Park for a sewage pumping station, which would send the waste to a county treatment plant on St. Johnland Road in San Remo. After many community members lobbied for years to replace septic tanks and cesspools with sewers to help facilitate downtown revitalization, the desired result is now in sight. In 2017, Supervisor Vecchio personally asked Governor Andrew Cuomo for $20 million for Kings Park

sewers and $20 million for sewers in downtown Smithtown. Many credit his relationship with Governor Cuomo’s late

father, Mario, with the Governor’s decision to grant Vecchio’s request. The only obstacle that stood in the way, until now, was the alienation of parkland for the sewage pumping station.

County Legislator Rob Trotta commented, “Sewers will help protect our environment and aid in downtown revitalization, but it’s not the panacea some may have you believe. A tremendous amount of planning, rebuilding and other infrastructure improvements will be

needed to transform Kings Park into a destination point. This is just the beginning of that process.”

Kings Park sewers approved – What’s next?

Downtown Kings Park at Main St. and Indian Head Road

Nissequogue River State Park entrance on St. Johnland Road

4 MW Solar Farm takes shape

Pictured is a 1978 copy of the Daily News found at the surface of the landfill.

News From the Neighborhood