presented by Vision Long Island and the Long Island Main Street Alliance

May 6th, 2022

Quote(s) of the Week

	"Good planning is critical to the future of our communities. Housing is a critical need for any community land-use plan. Every local government must have a plan to address local and regional needs for housing." - NYS Assemblymember Fred Thiele
	“I’m proud to have fought alongside Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti to secure $5 million in this year’s State budget so that we can invest in this critical infrastructure that will protect our natural resources and allow our downtown and our small businesses to thrive.” - NYS Senator Anna Kaplan
	"I made this issue a top priority during budget negotiations – not only to support local business, but also to protect our bays and the Long Island Sound from environmental harm.” - NYS Assemblymember Gina Sillitti

National Grid Funds Long Island Small Business Coalition to Support Local Businesses in Adapting to the New Normal

Picture from event announcing the new initiative

National Grid and the Long Island Main Street Alliance recently held a pressevent announcing the launching of a new initiative aimed at helping small businesses adapt to the new normal. This will be done through multiple avenues of assistance to give small business acess to beneficial funding in an effort to help them thrive in a post-COVID reality.

You can read the full press release for the initiative below:

National Grid is funding a Small Business Coalition led by the Long Island Main Street Alliance which will help to navigate the new normal business environment. The Coalition will provide focused door-to-door outreach to small businesses and offer assistance in applying for local, state and federal funding that is available. By working with local Chambers of Commerce across Long Island in low and moderate-income business districts, the program will reach thousands of businesses who haven’t had access to the information and opportunities that are available to them.

Under its Project C Commitment to Communities program, National Grid has renewed its support to neighborhood development and community engagement. The Small Business Coalition, supported by National Grid, will provide the essential resources that potential economic development partners need so they can continue to serve and support local businesses in the company’s New York service area.

Supporting Local Communities

The Small Business Coalition will also assist local small businesses by helping them retain and create jobs. The Coalition will assist in navigating the grant system and administrative requirements and small businesses will have access to funds that can help them move forward. Amid the many challenges of COVID, there are opportunities to assist businesses in returning to normal. The Coalition will share valuable resources that National Grid can offer through its energy efficiency and economic development programs.

“Small businesses are the fabric of our community and we’ve made a commitment to support them,” said Kathy Wisnewski, Director of Customer and Community Engagement, National Grid. “We’re going to ensure that businesses have access to the programs that are available to them for their success. This on the ground approach will help bridge the gap of inequity for businesses that fall through the cracks.”

The Long Island Main Street Alliance, working with targeted Chambers of Commerce, will build a trusted communication network and conduct outreach to provide resources directly to business districts across Long Island. The Long Island Main Street Alliance will be working with the Wyandanch Chamber of Commerce, Central Islip Coalition of Good Neighbors, Riverhead Chamber of Commerce, Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce, LI Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, LI African American Chamber of Commerce, NY South Asian Chamber of Commerce and the Hempstead Chamber of Commerce.

“Small businesses were the hardest hit due to Coronavirus regulations and still suffer through inflation, rising food and transportation costs,” said Eric Alexander, Founder, LI Main Street Alliance, Director of Vision LI. “Many programs designed to assist them didn’t reach working class neighborhoods. Kudos to National Grid for supporting outreach designed to increase participation in funding programs for our local businesses.”

You can check the complete press release here.

Related news coverage:

• News 12 Long Island video
• Newsday:  Business groups to spread word about pandemic-recovery aid
• Press Conference - Long Island Main Street Alliance

Assemblymember Thiele Introduces Affordable Housing Legislation that Protects Local Zoning

Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr., Assembly District 1, has announced the introduction of two new bills in the New York State Assembly to address the statewide affordable housing crisis that has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This legislation would direct local governments to adopt affordable housing plans to address the growing housing crisis and provide new incentives to create accessory dwelling units, including forgivable loans and tax incentives, to save affordable housing options for working- and middle-class families and protect the health of communities.

Earlier this year, a proposal was made in the NYS Executive budget that would have mandated all local governments to approve the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) for all residential properties regardless of any consideration for local government’s discretion. This proposal was met with wide-range opposition from over 150 Long Island elected officials.

According to Eric Alexander, Director of Vision Long Island and the Long Island Main Street Alliance, “While there is support in many communities for Accessory Dwelling Units, NYS should not mandate the creation of them, but instead offer an incentive program to municipalities that create the zoning classification.”

Assemblymember Thiele joined local governments in acknowledging the benefits of ADUs, but opposed a one-size-fits-all approach that would have threatened the infrastructure capabilities and character of communities across Long Island and New York State.

The Governor later withdrew the proposal from the budget, acknowledging that local decision-making on whether to authorize ADUs should be preserved and that the state should instead focus on incentivizing their creation to increase housing supplies.

Assemblymember Thiele’s new legislation aims to address the affordable housing crisis in line with the needs and capabilities of local governments.

The first bill, A.9872, would establish the Accessory Dwelling Unit Incentive Act. The Act would create the following new incentives to encourage homeowners to construct accessory dwelling units:

· The establishment of the “Accessory Dwelling Unit Forgivable Loan Program.” The upfront capital cost of constructing ADUs is one of the biggest impediments to their creation. The loan program, administered by the Division of Housing and Community Renewal, would provide property owners with a forgivable loan of up to $75,000 for 20 years to construct an ADU. If the property owner rents the ADU to tenants meeting affordable income and rent guidelines for the 20-year loan period, the loan would be forgiven and become a grant.
· The establishment of an income tax credit for a property owner with a legal ADU who rents it under affordable occupancy, rent, and income guidelines. The amount of the credit would be 50% of the difference between the market-rate rent and the affordable rate rent, not to exceed $10,000 per tax year.
· The establishment of a real property tax exemption for a property owner who constructs a legal ADU and rents it in accordance with affordable occupancy, rent, and income guidelines. Local governments would be authorized to grant a property tax exemption equal to 100% of any increase in assessed value of the property attributed to the construction of the ADU.

The second bill, A.9945, would direct every local government to enact a comprehensive five-year plan to address local and regional housing needs. The plan would be required to examine but would not be limited to the following options to create affordable housing:

· Financial assistance to home buyers;
· Production of affordable housing for sale and rent;
· Production of affordable housing in conjunction with public/private partnerships;
· Rehabilitation of existing buildings for converting to affordable housing;
· Acquisition of interests in real property in existing housing stock to produce affordable housing;
· Accessory dwelling units;
· Mixed-use developments that include affordable housing; and
· Housing Counseling Services

Assemblymember Thiele states, “Good planning is critical to the future of our communities. Housing is a critical need for any community land-use plan. Every local government must have a plan to address local and regional needs for housing. These bills will give local governments the plan they need to address affordable housing and the tools they need to implement the plan.

You can find more information on these bill here.

Assemblywoman Sillitti & Senator Kaplan Deliver $5 Million for Manhasset Sewer Project

Photo courtesy of Office of Senator Anna M. Kaplan

On Thursday, April 28, 2022, Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti and Senator Anna Kaplan announced they have secured $5 million for the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District to help transform the private septic tanks of dozens of businesses along Plandome Road in Manhasset into a public sewer system. The lawmakers secured the grant in the recently passed 2022-23 state budget.
 
Assemblywoman Sillitti stated, “I made this issue a top priority during budget negotiations – not only to support local business, but also to protect our bays and the Long Island Sound from environmental harm.”
 
“I’m proud to have fought alongside Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti to secure $5 million in this year’s State budget so that we can invest in this critical infrastructure that will protect our natural resources and allow our downtown and our small businesses to thrive,” noted Senator Kaplan.
 
In recent years, Long Island has grappled with the impact of pollution caused by outdated septic systems that allow excess nitrogen and dangerous bacteria into groundwater, bays, and the Long Island Sound, making LI water dangerous for swimmers, and destroying natural buffers that once protected coastal areas from storm surge. Replacing these outdated systems with sewers that remove harmful pollution can reverse the damage done to the local environment and begin to restore beneficial coastal ecosystems.
 
In addition to the negative environmental impact, the existing septic systems cost local small business owners thousands of dollars a month to maintain, hurting their bottom lines, and preventing new small businesses from opening in the community.
 
This funding came on the heels of a push by local residents and business leaders to advance the project in an effort that resulted in an online petition that garnered nearly 1,500 signatures.
 
“The Manhasset Chamber of Commerce has been working diligently to bring sewers in Manhasset to help clean Manhasset Bay and to relieve the business community from the high cost of cesspools,” said Chamber Committee Member Robert Donno. “Assemblywoman Sillitti’s initiative to get $5 million will make this effort a reality.”

Clean Energy Leadership Task Force Hosts Annual Earth Day Meeting

Vision staff was in attendance, along with over fifty meeting attendees, at the annual Earth Day meeting of the Long Island Clean Energy Leadership Task Force on Friday, April 29, 2022, held at Molloy College Suffolk Center, Farmingdale.

The Task Force, created in 2004, brings together Long Island municipalities with state and federal government, power authorities, utilities, and environmental leaders for the advancement of clean and renewable energy solutions and initiatives at the local level.
 
To open the meeting, Neal Lewis, Executive Director, Sustainability Institute at Molloy Collage, welcomed and acknowledged many members of the Task Force in attendance. “Our role is to do our part and lift up local initiatives,” Mr. Lewis explained. He then provided a concise progress report on key Task Force policy initiatives, including solar requirement for commercial construction; Long Island unified solar code, HERS-based energy construction codes, Commercial PACE, and NYStretch Energy Code. The newest Sustainability Institute Policy Analysis White Paper, focusing on solar PV requirement for new commercial buildings, was presented. The White Paper details the strong reasons why such a requirement is beneficial to both the environment and developers.
 
The keynote presentation featured Carrie Gallagher, Director, New York State Department of Public Service (DPS), Long Island Office, who discussed the role and responsibilities of the DPS.
 
DPS responsibilities includes:
• Regulating investor-owned electric, gas, steam, telecommunications and water utilities
• Overseeing electric service on Long Island and the cable industry
• Ensuring safe, secure and reliable access to utility services at just and reasonable rates
• Working with the unique utility structuring on Long Island
 
Director Gallagher also discussed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, the 2022 State of the State, LIPA tariff updates, PSEG LI Utility and Energy Efficiency Demand Response Plan, electric vehicles, storage, PSEG LI Performance Metrics 2022, and M&I Performance Metrics 2022.

Discussing environmental issues and solutions, Director Gallagher noted, “One of the challenges we always have on Long Island, when sometimes talking to Albany, is the presumption that we are a very wealthy enclave of the state and we can figure out how to pay for all this stuff ourselves. The types of incentives that may be offered or funded in other parts of the state are not necessarily offered here. This is something we are always battling with. When orders come out, we ask how is that going to work on Long Island. We are the voice that says, don’t forget Long Island.”
 
The meeting also featured presentations by Brian Tymann, Orsted, Assistant Development Manager, focusing on "New York’s First Offshore Wind Projects – South Fork Wind and Sunrise Wind," and Zack Dufresne, NYSEIA, Executive Director, discussing "Distributed Solar Industry Trends and Policy Priorities."

Vision Long Island Community Liason Linda Henninger provided an update to the group on our recent Complete Streets Summit as well as our upcoming Smart Growth Awards and winners. She also highlighted our newsletter and nightly Main Street News show on Facebook.
 
You canlearn more about the Sustainability Institute at Molloy College and Long Island Clean Energy Leadership Task Force here.

Please review the Sustainability Institute Policy Analysis White Paper here.

State of New York Mortgage Agency (SONYMA) Ready to Help First Time Homeowners

If the down payment stands in the way of buying your first home, or if the home you’re buying needs repairs or updating, the State of New York Mortgage Agency can help. For fifty years SONYMA has been making homeownership a reality for first-time homebuyers across Long Island and New York State. SONYMA offers safe, secure lending programs designed for first-time, low-to-moderate-income homebuyers. SONYMA mortgages are available to qualified buyers for the purchase of single-family homes, homes with two-to-four units, co-ops, and condominiums.

SONYMA has two primary mortgage programs designed to maximize the amount you can afford, with eligibility depending upon household income: the Achieving the Dream and the Low Interest Rate Program. Both the Achieving the Dream and Low Interest Rate programs can be customized with special add-on features to provide a program that best meets the needs of each homebuyer.

Features include: 30-year, affordable, fixed-rate mortgages with long-term rate locks; Low 3% down payment options; Flexible credit requirements; No reserve requirement; A range of renovation loans to help you purchase and renovate a fixer-upper; Loans can be combined with other government and nonprofit grants, as well as employer homebuyer assistance benefit.

Special add-on features include: Down Payment Assistance Loan (DPAL); RemodelNY; Homes for Veterans; Neighborhood Revitalization Program; Give Us Credit.

SONYMA mortgages are available through a network of participating lenders across New York State who guide buyers through the entire home-buying process from start to finish.

To find a SONYMA mortgage lender, or more information about SONYMA mortgages, income limits, and purchase price limits please visit SONYMA.ny.gov or call 1-800-382-4663. If your municipality, business, or organization is interested in hosting a free SONYMA information session please contact Michelle Schimel, Director of Community Outreach, Michelle.schimel@hcr.ny.gov.

Riverhead Updating Master Plan

Picture from Google Earth

Riverhead is in the process of updating the Town’s Comprehensive Master Plan, its first update since 2003. The Town is in the process of holding multiple public hearings, conducting surveys, and reaching out to the community through meetings and social media to obtain as much input as possible. The Town and its consultants have been gathering information to identify existing conditions and trends, hamlet boundaries, and community vision. On April 14th, Economic Development: Downtown and Route 58 was the topic of the latest meeting.

According to the Town’s 2003 comprehensive plan update, Route 58 was identified to absorb most of the town’s demand for regional and destination retail uses, remaining a mainstay for generating jobs and tax revenue. However, in the past few years, national retail chains with locations on Route 58 like Kmart, Toys R Us, Sports Authority, Modell’s, and Borders Books have gone out of business, leaving vacant space behind, Riverhead News Review outlines.

The reuse of these vacant retail spaces on Route 58 has been the topic of much discussion. Suggestions at the April 14th comprehensive plan meeting included prioritizing reuse over new construction and to allow flexible zoning to allow for a greater range of uses on Route 58. The top two suggestions were entertainment and fee-based indoor or outdoor recreational facilities. Hotels and micro apartments were the least favored reuse, Riverhead News Review reports.

The next comprehensive plan meetings are April 25th on housing and community service, April 26th on transportation and infrastructure, and April 27th, on agriculture, farmland and historic preservation. All meetings start at 5:45 PM at Riley Avenue School.

The comprehensive plan update is expected to be completed by the spring of 2023.

You can read the Riverhead News Review article here.

You can view the Town of Riverhead Comprehensive Plan website here.

You can view the Adopted Town of Riverhead Comprehensive Plan 2003 here.

LICH Awarded $900K for Community Resource Center in Amityville

The Long Island Coalition for the Homeless (LICH) has announced that it has been awarded $900,000 in capital funding for the Veterans Community Resource Center in Amityville. This funding was made possible by Majority Leader Charles Schumer, through an allocation as part of the Congressionally Directed Spending budget.

The Community Resource Center provides critical housing and services for veterans, seniors, children and adults with disabilities and homeless and at-risk Long Islanders. It serves as a one-stop for Long Islanders in need to access a multitude of services, all in one place. Staff of the nine non-profits in the building work together to serve mutual clients in a centralized location, working collaboratively and reducing the amount of time clients have to travel to multiple appointments. The Community Resource Center also offers space to residents of Amityville, where they can hold community meetings and trainings. The Center has a distribution center of essential items that is open to the community, and hosts four mobile pantry days for the community, so they can access fresh, healthy food.

The Veterans Community Garden, located at the Center, is also available to members of the community. The Center has been a hub for health-related resources in the community, including hosting COVID-19 Vaccination events for the community. The Center, with a bus stop directly in front of its property and adjacent to two housing developments (including Liberty Village Veterans residence), is easily accessible to low-income individuals and those who use public transportation.

The 40,000 sq. ft. building, which was built in 1985, is in serious need of repairs and upgrades. The much-needed funds will allow for refacing and sealing of the exterior brick façade and parapets; replacement of an old and inefficient HVAC system to one that can support MERV 13 filters to protect against COVID; installation of new, energy-efficient windows; installation of automatic doors, toilets, faucets, water fountains and other fixtures for both handicap accessibility and to limit touching and contamination of surfaces.

For more information about the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, Community Resource Center or the Congressionally Designated Spending award, please feel free to contact Greta Guarton at gguarton@addressthehomeless.org.

Huntington to Host Public Hearing on Apartment Expansion and Parking in Downtown

The Huntington Town Board will hold a public hearing on May 10th in its efforts to limit the expansion of apartment building development and its effect on parking, Huntington Now reports.
 
The board will seek comments on amending the Code of the Town of Huntington, Chapter 198 (Zoning), Article I (General Provisions), Article VII (Off-Street Parking), and Article XV (Nonconforming Uses); to clarify the rules regarding parking requirements relative to a proposed conversion of existing multi-story structures within 300 feet of municipal parking lots to residential use on the upper floor(s); to control the unregulated expansion of apartments in Huntington Village.
 
Town of Huntington Supervisor Ed Smyth proposed these measures to control the expansion of apartments in Huntington Village, Huntington Now reports. “We want to close this potentially devastating loophole in our Town Code and give applicants the clear guidance that our downtown areas are open for business, culture and economic investment, not the rampant over-development of apartment buildings with no parking,” Supervisor Smyth said. “Apartment developers can no longer rely on municipal parking lots to satisfy their off-street parking requirements.”
 
The meeting will be held at Huntington Town Hall, Town Board Room, 100 Main Street, Huntington on May 10th at 2 PM.
 
You can read the Huntington Now article here.
 
You can view the full May 10th agenda here.

Long Island Main Street News, Under Production, makes Extended Interviews with Local Leaders Available

Vision Long Island has been in the process of interviewing some of our community partners: local civics, small business/chamber friends, municipal officials and local food pantry and religious leaders. 

As part of these efforts, we have reached over half of the communities we work in and are starting now to connect to some of our friends not rooted in any one community from development, design and infrastructure professionals and environmental leaders as well.   These interviews will be pieced together into a future show titled "Long Island Main Street News," but, in the meantime, you can view an extended version of these interviews here.

Special thanks to our guests for sharing their experiences, to our friends at Pink Tie for providing access to their studio, and to Rob Comforto from Videomasters for the filming and production.

Great conversation with Steve Distante from the Vanderbilt Financial Group in a recent edition of LI Main Street News.  Mr. Distante shared his work helping small businesses and leadership in sustainable development.  Interesting and enlightening conversation that took us beyond Long Island issues.

Check it out here.

Great to have Ed Perez and Lynn Bocchio in for a LI Main Street News interview tackling MWBE’s.

Mr Perez shared his long history bringing business to local minority and women owned businesses.  Ms. Bocchio shared her corporate work at Avis and in the Aviation industry bringing opportunities to diversify the workforce.  Both work together as consultants creating these opportunities and spoke of the expanding market for this work tied to many public infrastructure projects.  Lots of information here and we could have continued the conversation for another half hour.

Check it out here.

We had Ivan Sayles, local Freeport restaurant owner, caterer and author in for a recent edition of LI Main Street News.

Mr. Sayles also shared with us his work with the Nautical Mike Merchants Association.  
He spoke about his personal journey battling addiction and turning it around to being a community minded business leader.   Fast paced 25 minutes that could have gone on much longer.

Check it out here.

Great to have Town of Brookhaven Councilman and Deputy Supervisor Dan Panico in for a LI Main Street News interview.

Councilman Panico shared with us the issues residents and local businesses bring to him in the 6th legislative district that covers the Mastic and Shirley penninsula and surrounding communities.  He talked about the long road to get sewers approved and built for Mastic and Shirley communities as well as planning efforts in Mastic Beach.   The Councilman is a straight talk guy and we appreciate his work for many years and catching up with him for this video.

Check it out here.

Great to have Leah Jefferson former Director of the Huntington Community Development Agency now with the Town of Brookhaven in for a LI Main Street News interview.   Ms. Jefferson shared with us the role of a Community Development Agency which successfully manages federal funds to help advance affordable housing and community revitalization goals. 

She talked about the many public programs that Huntington's CDA has supported through the years along with the recent opening of Veterans housing in Huntington Station.    She also covered human services supported by the agency that assisted folks through the Coronavirus and other emergencies. 

Check it out here.

Great to have our longtime friend and community partner Beth Wahl from the Chamber of Commerce of the Mastics and Shirley in for a LI Main Street News interview.

Ms. Wahl shared with us her 20 year effort at revitalization from the Montauk Highway corridor and work securing sewers for the community.   Difficult projects take time and kudos to her work pulling the community together with many local and elected leaders.

Check it out here.

Great to have our friend Tom Bruno from the Hicksville Boys and Girls Club in for a LI Main Street News interview.

Mr. Bruno shared with us the work of his organization that has served the youth in the Hicksville community for over 50 years primarily with after school programming.  His dedication creating a productive and interactive space for young people is critical and glad that they are still operating through the Coronavirus shutdowns.

Check it out here.

Great to have Steve Shauger from the Riverhead BID and the Hyatt in Riverhead in for a LI Main Street News interview.

Mr. Shauger shared with us the work of the Business Improvement District promoting the downtown as a destination with multiple events each week.  He also gave us a profile of his hotel that is a welcoming place to stay in the heart of the downtown adjacent to Atlantis Marine World.  As someone who has visited there for business and a staycation with family I can attest to it being a great spot.

Check it out here.

Great to have our friend Andrew Saluk from Jovia Credit Union in for a LI Main Street News interview.  Mr. Saluk shared with us his take on the current real estate and financial markets and the types of projects he sees folks investing in.

Check it out here.

Great to have Barbara Franco, Executive Director of the Smithtown Chamber of Commerce in for a LI Main Street News interview.

Ms. Franco shared with us the work of the Chamber and the many events and reasons to head to Smithtown’s downtown.  She has been a tireless and dedicated leader for their Main Street who like most Chambers never stopped working through the pandemic.

Check it out here.

Upcoming Small Business Webinars

Let’s welcome the New Normal with more information and networking.  Check out these events coming up in April.

Wed. 5/11/2022 9:30am- 10:30am (SBA and LaGuardia Community College SBDC)
Roundtable- E-Commerce Platform: Linkedin
Register at: Meeting Registration - Zoom

Wed. 5/11/2022 11:00am- 12:00pm (SBA and Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce)
Selling to the Government and Global Market
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84932222346?pwd=b3g2a0xoVlNtbkg0NWR0VjlBSFJGQT09

Wed. 5/11/2022 1:00pm-2:00pm (SBA and Queens Chamber of Commerce)
Selling to the Government and Global Market
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dC-YSuNmTkOofnuZcllMUg

Thurs. 5/12/2022 9:30am-10:30am (SBA and York College SBDC)
Grants for R&D: Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer Programs
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86588024466?pwd=Z1lRRExaVk9kQklzNEkzcmp0aklxQT09

Mon. 5/16/2022 2:00pm-3:30pm (SBA, Queens College,
Asian Heritage Month-Empower Your Business with Government Programs
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUudOitqzkqH9XcvO4kTjmejEXK7OOVTzyP

Tue. 5/17/2022 2:00pm-3:00pm (SBA and Accompany Capital, SBA Microloan Lender)
Selling to the Government and Global Market: Register Here

Wed. 5/18/2022 10:30am-11:30am (SBA and Flushing Library)
Business Plan Writing
https://queenslibrary-org.zoom.us/j/81034042724?pwd=SW1KV3BsbHhqNTlmWU5BWEM1bGhzUT09
by phone:929-436-2866, Meeting ID: 810 3404 2724, Passcode: 0518

Wed. 5/18/2022 11:30am-12:30pm (SBA and Italy-America Chamber of Commerce)
Marketing Strategies with Neuro-Marketing Strategies
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9B9jqZtjSWmaLBXIu4I4cQ

Wed. 5/18/2022 3:00pm-4:00pm (SBA and Flushing Library)
(in Mandarin) Business Plan Writing
https://queenslibrary-org.zoom.us/j/83368948892?pwd=c2NMN1NNQy9WeDJhNVpNTEE1aGVZUT09
by phone: 929 436 2866, Meeting ID: 833 6894 8892, Passcode: 0518

Thurs. 5/19/2022 9:30am-10:30am (SBA and LaGuardia Community College SBDC)
Business Plan Writing
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUsc-6opjIoHNCaH97LWbxcw3s8Odur0_WC

Thurs. 5/19/2022 10:30am-11:30am (SBA and LaGuardia Community College SBDC)
(In Mandarin) Business Plan Writing
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrde6ppjkvG9EIe0Sp0-dvpIMghvt5MUNz

Thurs. 5/19/2022 1:00pm-2:00pm (SBA and Renaissance Economic Development Co.)
Marketing Strategies for Your Business
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85406882562?pwd=cVJKTXY1cHpOY0Iwc2VlclVhSnNJdz09

Thurs. 5/19/2022 2:00pm-3:00pm (SBA and Renaissance Economic Development Co.)
(In Mandarin) Marketing Strategies for Your Business
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqduipqTgrGNVoZGZoJXV3tcclQqlFg-Jc

Thurs. 5/26/2022 12:00pm-1:00pm (SBA and Manhattan Chamber of Commerce)
Marketing Strategies-with Neuro-Marketing Concepts
https://www.manhattancc.org/common/Events/event_info.cfm?QID=30313&ClientID=11099&ThisPage=EventInfo

Thurs. 5/26/2022 2:00pm-3:00pm (SBA and Queens Chamber of Commerce)
DIY-Building a Blog for You and Your Business Step-by-Step
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RTv6krNcTMKoMqgFOhOiBQ

Farmingdale to Host Ikebana Workshop on May 22nd

Farmingdale Village Hosting Second Ikebana Workshop - Hiroko Uraga-Senese to Lead Flower-Arranging Session

Spring is coming and with it is another opportunity to celebrate nature by learning about the Japanese art of flower arranging known as Ikebana. The Farmingdale Village Cultural Arts Committee is pleased to host its second Ikebana workshop on May 22. This year’s workshop will be led by Hiroko Uraga-Senese, an expert in the Misho-Ryu style of Ikebana, which she studied in Japan and has taught throughout Long Island.

Ikebana is more than simply arranging flowers in a container. It is an art form, dating back to 1807, intended to encourage harmony between nature and humanity through an appreciation of flowers, seasons, and each container that is used.

The Village is offering two sessions of the workshop: one beginning at 11 AM and the other at 2 PM, both at Farmingdale Village Hall located at 361 Main Street in Farmingdale. Seating is limited to 15 participants per session, and pre-registration is required by Friday, May 13. The course fee is $25 per student, which includes the lecture, demonstration, workshop, vase, flower materials, and green foam frog to hold the flowers. Participants should bring their own scissors, and will be able to take home their arrangements after the class.

To register, mail a $25 check payable to the “Incorporated Village of Farmingdale” to Ann Rodenburg, Farmingdale Village Hall, 361 Main Street, Farmingdale, NY 11735. Registration must be completed by Friday, May 13 in order to ensure adequate materials are available. Participants should include their contact information (name, cell phone number, and email address), as well as session preference (AM or PM). For more information, contact Ms. Rodenburg at 516-249-0093, ext. 204.

East End Arts to Host 26th Annual Community Mosaic Street Painting Festival

East End Arts is hosting the 26th Annual Community Mosaic Street Painting Festival on Sunday, May 29, 2022, from 12 PM to 5 PM in downtown Riverhead and on the green at East End Arts at 133 E. Main Street.
 
Gather on the grounds of East End Arts and along the Peconic River for this day-long celebration of the arts, centering around the Street Painting Festival, fashioned after the Italian street painters "Il Madonnari", a street chalk art form dating back to the 16th century, as well as activities and entertainment for everyone. Street painting squares sponsored by businesses, families, and individuals are used as a canvas for inspirations in chalk.
 
The day’s activities include: Street Painting; Crafts Fair; Fine Arts Festival; Live Music; Drumming; Dance; Craft & Artisan Vendors; Theatre; Children's Activities & Family Fun; and Local Restaurants.
 
You can find more information here.

Our Sponsor

D&F Development Group

The D & F Development Group, LLC (The D&F Group) provides the highest quality combination of experience and knowledge to make certain that project goals are attained. We offer an entire spectrum of real estate expertise from a single source – including project development, construction and property management.

The D&F Group is proud to be among New York's premier developers of affordable family and senior housing, working closely with a wide array of for-profit and not-for-profit partners. Yet, their diversity and extensive background enable them to provide comprehensive services relating not only to affordable housing but to all segments of the real estate marketplace. Furthermore, their versatility means they can handle all aspects of a project from inception to finalization. Depending on the specific project, they can provide any one or more of the individual areas of real estate services they offer.

The D&F Group brings agility, efficiency and dedication to each project ... committed to ensuring that all budgetary, scheduling, regulatory, aesthetic and other requirements are fulfilled.