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

September 22nd, 2020

Quotes of the Week

	“If we don’t get the $12 billion from the federal government, we would need to cut Long Island Rail Road service by the order of 50%.” - Philip Eng, LIRR President
	"Our Main Street businesses, residents and local workforce rely on robust and reliable LIRR service for economic recovery. Service cuts, fare increases, and potential station closures are on deck due to the Coronavirus shutdown and we need Federal funding to help reverse these draconian measures. We are hopeful that bipartisan action from our Senate and Congressional delegation can bring these critical Federal resources to our transportation infrastructure."- Eric Alexander, Vision Long Island Director
	“The Village believes that a TOD project on the MTA’s lot on the south side of the station will leverage the new zoning we have put in place for the station area and be a keystone project in our continuing next-level downtown revitalization. The easy commute from Westbury, along with all of the other current and anticipated upgrades in the area will attract new residents, further enhancing the sustainability of our downtown and entire community into the future.” - Hon. Peter Cavallaro, Westbury Village Mayor
	“As local governments struggle financially from the costs of our response, we are still firmly committed to providing the vital services everyone deserves. It is especially important during these difficult times that we stand resolute and united to defeat the pandemic.” - Hon. Scott Russell, Southold Town Supervisor

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In Memoriam

Lorraine Aycock, 53

Lorraine Aycock, a tireless defender of Long Island’s residents who spent years trying to bring prosperity to our communities, has passed away at the age of 53.

Ms. Aycock dedicated her time and energy to supporting volunteer efforts of various organizations and helping to promote financial literacy education for students in grades K-12.  She did this through her work with Bank of America as well as a board member of United Way of Long Island.  She was also a Trustee of Briarcliffe College and served on the boards of Family Service League and the Farmingdale College Foundation.

Named as a one of the Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business in 2011 by Long Island Business News, Ms. Aycock was a pillar of both the business and charity community on Long Island.  She will be remembered as someone who cared for others in need and brought a special brand of love to disaffected communities that needed it the most.

Vision Long Island will always remember her support of our mission and all the important work.  She will be missed.

She is survived by her two daughters.

LIRR Officials Call for Federal Aid to Help Avert Service Cuts

Vision was out last week with the Permanent Citizens Advisory Council (PCAC) to the MTA, LIRR Commuters Council, LIRR President Phil Eng, and others in support of Federal funding for the MTA/LIRR.

Some of the predictions of what could be coming without aid include trains that come only once per hour and roads clogged with cars as commuters turn to auto-centric solutions.  It could also hurt local officials who are trying to improve walkability in their local communities because such a move will need robust public transit options to succeed.  Those plans are often centered on train stations.

Beyond that will be the economic impact of a service that employs so many being forced to make draconian cuts at a time when so many are suffering.  Without a federal bailout, which officials say will need to be in the $12 billion range, LIRR estimates it will need to cut service by half and fire thousands of employees.  Ripple effects could lead to a loss of property value, development, and education if no help comes.

“If we don’t get the $12 billion from the federal government, we would need to cut Long Island Rail Road service by the order of 50%,” said LIRR President Philip Eng.

Long Island’s Main Street businesses, residents, and local workforce rely on robust and reliable LIRR service for economic recovery.  Service cuts, fare increases, and potential station closures are on deck due to the Coronavirus shutdown, and federal funding is needed to help reverse these drastic measures.  We are hopeful that bipartisan action from our Senate and Congressional delegation can bring these critical Federal resources to our transportation infrastructure.

The MTA is currently losing an estimated $200 million a week thanks to the ongoing shutdowns resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.  Federal support is critical to keep this vital form of transportation.  At the same time, cuts in service would hurt Long Island downtowns as foot traffic would decrease as a result.

"Our Main Street businesses, residents and local workforce rely on robust and reliable LIRR service for economic recovery. Service cuts, fare increases, and potential station closures are on deck due to the Coronavirus shutdown and we need Federal funding to help reverse these draconian measures. We are hopeful that bipartisan action from our Senate and Congressional delegation can bring these critical Federal resources to our transportation infrastructure," said Vision Long Island Director Eric Alexander.

The oncoming fiscal crisis faced by the LIRR is estimated to be even worse than it was during the Great Depression of the 1920’s and 30’s.

Check out the coverage on CBS News where we were interviewed along with Amityville Mayor Dennis Siry on the importance of rail service to our downtown areas.  There was also coverage in Newsday.

Local and Federal Elected Officials Call for More Funding for Local Governments

Long Island officials are calling for the federal government to do more for local governments that have been hit hard by the coronavirus shutdown.

In a press conference that was led by US Congressman Lee Zeldin, a group of Suffolk County supervisors, legislators, and state lawmakers all gathered at the Smithtown Town Hall to issue a plea for more funding.  The officials talked of how the government has failed to continue in the bipartisan spirit of earlier relief bills, instead leaving local governments to languish in the wake of partisan bickering.

“Congress needs to put politics aside and do what is right for the American people with a new coronavirus response package that delivers aid directly to the people and communities needing it most,” said Congressman Zeldin in a recent op-ed.  “Supposed relief bills have been crafted without bipartisanship, debate, vetting, discussion or compromise and are filled to the brim with unpassable, irresponsible partisan proposals for the sole purpose of grandstanding.”

While compromise has been thin on the ground in Washington, Mr. Zeldin and Representative Antonio Delgado of Rhinebeck have sponsored a bipartisan bill to provide local governments with direct federal relief to pay for essential services and offset lost revenue.  That legislation has also been sponsored by US Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand in the Senate.

“As local governments struggle financially from the costs of our response, we are still firmly committed to providing the vital services everyone deserves,” said Southold Supervisor Scott Rusell.  “It is especially important during these difficult times that we stand resolute and united to defeat the pandemic.”

As part of the previously passed CARES Act, the Community Development Block Grant (CBDG) program was awarded supplemental funding that local municipalities can use to meet local needs and responses to the pandemic.  With that funding they can provide food for low-income residents, the elderly, and children, as well as small business assistance, emergency housing payments, and other uses.

You can read more at the Riverhead News-Review.

Vision Participates in LIA Committee Meeting on Economic Recovery

Last week, Vision participated on a panel at the Long Island Association's (LIA) Small-Mid Sized Business committee to tackle economic recovery and bring resources to our downtowns.

On September 1, 2020 the LIA Small- & Mid-Sized Business Committee discussed, via Zoom, the impact of COVID-19 on Long Island’s small business community as our region recovers from the pandemic.  We heard from a panel of experts, who discussed financial resources and assistance programs as well as the issues facing Main Street and additional ways we can help support our downtowns.

The meeting featured great dialogue on the subject.  Special thanks goes to Katherine Heaviside, Matt Cohen, and folks at the LIA for the invitation.

You can view a recap of the meeting here.

National Grid Resumes Normal Business Operations

In response to the hardships that businesses have been feeling during the economic shutdown due the coronavirus pandemic, National Grid has announced that it will restart most types of service work.

This will include some services that require National Grid to enter businesses, Grid has announced that those employees will be tested daily for illness.  Protective gear will also be required and employees will be asked to practice social distancing.

Due to the return to normal operations, National Grid has announced that it will begin to resume collection activities for businesses in the next few weeks.  Interest, nonpayment fees, and late payment charges will all continue to be suspended until further notice.  However, disconnection due to nonpayment is scheduled to resume in October.

National Grid has pledged to work with local business communities to help with recovery from the economic devastation of the pandemic.  To that effect they will be offering a number of payment options for those struggling, including $0 down and 0% interest payment plans for eligible customers.

National Grid to Offer Virtual W/MBE Energy Efficiency Training Series

National Grid is launching a Pilot program to train Minority and Women Business Enterprise (M/WBE) contracting and associated firms on our Energy Efficiency programs. 

The program will be a seven week seminar starting Wednesday, September 30th with new seminars taking place each Wednesday after that through November 11th.  Each seminar will take place from 8 am to 10 am. 
The training will provide not only information about our programs, but it will also cover different technologies, various local rules and regulations, and provide general business development training to these companies.

The program will be done virtually, with 7 webinars and other tools and resources provided to active participants.  This program is open to companies that are already registered as M/WBE firms or those that could be eligible to become M/WBE firms. 

For more information or to register, please head to the following website: https://my.demio.com/ref/3UHq4Ya9VK0colYK.

Town of Oyster Bay Hosts Meeting on Sears Site Redevelopment

Vision was recently out to listen to Hicksville residents and local business owners at a Town of Oyster Bay hearing that addressed a proposed redevelopment project at the former Sears site outside of the downtown and train station area.

Credit should go to the Town of Oyster Bay for pulling together a public hearing that allowed multiple locations for community input as well as written comments.  This proposal was originally due to have a hearing on March 10th, but was postponed due to the Coronavirus shutdown.

This project, now 425 residential units with retail space, has been in the planning stages for multiple years.  Earlier versions were out of synch with community priorities and the Town's plans for the area though.  Since then, outreach has been made by the developer and guidance has been provided by the Town over the years to bring the project closer to a compromise. 

However, in our ten years of outreach in Hicksville, Vision Long Island has not heard that community members want intensification of use in commercial areas outside the Commercial Business District surrounding the train station.   At the same time, respected community leaders have conveyed to us that they don't want to see the former Sears property continue to remain vacant.

However, one of the issues that continued to come up was presenters talking about this project as a Transit Oriented Development, which is clearly is not.  The project is not in Hicksville's downtown and, given current conditions, is not a safe and walkable environment for travel to the train station without a vehicle. 

The developer's team made a two hour presentation that incorporated many substantive changes from the original supersized site design and architectural features.  They covered traffic and had an economic presentation that focused more on benefits for the region and less on the Hicksville community itself.

Ten local residents spoke in opposition and four residents and one local business owner spoke in favor.  Five union leaders also spoke in favor, but these leaders are not residents and their interests were not aligned with the community.

Some of the positives that came out of the revised plans that were mentioned from the public before or during the hearing include:

- Reduction of units from over 600 to 425
- Reduction of building height from 4 to 3 stories
- Architectural design improvements from earlier versions that were poorly received.
- Outreach to the Midlands Civic Association and local neighbors on the site plan to limit residential impact.
- Jobs and economic stimulus
- A thorough and professional traffic analysis
- Responsive outreach from the developer on plan revisions and issues on existing site.

Some of the negative comments that came out of the hearing and earlier feedback include:

- Minimal presentation on environmental impacts
- Lack of trust in economic analysis including school district impacts
- Project still too big
- Desire for condominiums and not just rentals
- Concern of infrastructure impact in the areas of energy and traffic
- Desire for this project to not receive a PILOT from the Nassau IDA
- Precedence setting nature of intensification of use outside the downtown area that could create a justification for other non-train station area proposals.

- Viability of the retail and competition with existing similar uses such as movie theatres and gyms.

The project really seemed to find mixed reviews even with the changes.  The confusing nature of the presentations was unwelcome as it seemed to try and tie this project to train station area improvements and downtown revitalization.  Those projects are supported by community residents while this one is still being met with skepticism.  No one debates the need for mixed use development or a demand for apartments regionally, but the justification for them in Hicksville should show the benefits to Hicksville residents and not an amorphous "region".

To be clear, the community has worked together for over ten years to redevelop the true Transit Oriented Development area around their train station and help remove blight.  This has included activating vacant buildings, making the area safe and walkable, and essentially bringing back their actual downtown center.  These efforts have involved hundreds of residents in the planning process and moving forward with community- and chamber-led plans along with the support of NYS and the Town of Oyster Bay. 

The first project that has been met with rave reviews is Worksmart, located in the old American Dental building on Broadway, and more projects of appropriate scale are to follow.  A Nassau County Complete Streets study guided by public input and pending road improvements for traffic calming along with needed MTA/LIRR upgrades are also part of these efforts.

However, the project at the former Sears location is not part of the downtown or a Transit Oriented Development.  As a separate project it deserves serious consideration on how to redevelop the site, which should be guided by community input to avoid an extended vacancy.  Comments from this hearing can be a template for revisions and offsite public benefits towards a successful compromise that folks can work with. 

At the request of community leaders, Vision spoke and submitted testimony at prior hearings and has submitted written comments for this one.  We are pleased to see the many changes to date shaped by the Town, community, and the developer.  Hopefully revisions can still be made.

Hicksville residents and business owners who couldn't make the meeting can weigh in with their own thoughts by reaching out to the Town of Oyster Bay and may submit comments, in writing, to:

Office of the Town Attorney
54 Audrey Avenue
Oyster Bay, New York 11771

Or by email to publiccomment@oysterbay-ny.gov.

MTA Issues RFP for TOD at Westbury Station

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has issued a request for proposal from developers to help build a transit-oriented development (TOD) on the LIRR owned community parking located south of the Westbury LIRR station.

This project will be tied into the LIRR’s third track project, which has resulted in a new 683-space parking structure located north of the station.  This has created a redundancy in the 1.6-acre parking lot on the south side of the station.  The MTA is now looking to offer a 99-year ground lease on the property and is working with the Village of Westbury to make this project happen.

“The LIRR Expansion Project is a historic investment in Long Island that will improve service for our customers and also make the communities we serve even more attractive places to live and work,” said Janno Lieber, President of MTA Construction & Development. “We are looking for a developer who is interested in working with the MTA and the Village of Westbury to build on the tremendous benefit reliable transit provides.”

This is possible thanks to the Village of Westbury rewriting their zoning code to allow for TOD projects in the area surrounding the station.  The amended zoning was passed in 2019 and has placed the village at the forefront of downtown redevelopment on Long Island.  They were the recipient of both a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Grant from New York State and a 2020 Long Island Smart Growht Award.

“The Village believes that a TOD project on the MTA’s lot on the south side of the station will leverage the new zoning we have put in place for the station area and be a keystone project in our continuing next-level downtown revitalization,” said Mayor Peter Cavallaro. “The easy commute from Westbury, along with all of the other current and anticipated upgrades in the area will attract new residents, further enhancing the sustainability of our downtown and entire community into the future.”

You can read the MTA’s press release for the RFP here.

Pink Tie Delivers to Floral Park and Copiague

The 53nd and 53rd stop for the Pink Tie Delivers Team took us to Floral Park and Copiague last week for deliveries of food and a financial donations. 

The Our Lady of Victory Parish Outreach Center was the stop in Floral Park.  The dedicated volunteers spoke of the delivery service they are providing that doesn’t just help nearby residents, but those from surrounding communities as well.  The Floral Park Rotary volunteers were out as well and have a history of helping the Parish Outreach Center.

The Pink Tie Delivers team also made it back out to Copaigue the previous week for a food delivery and financial donation, as well as to Elmont for delivery of needed school supplies.

Great to see Pastor Hayward from Bethel AME Church who was putting together a food delivery for the seniors in his church.  

A delivery of school supplies was also provided for the New Jerusalem Cathedral in Elmont. 

The companies that participated in this drops included: Give and Go Gas, Floral Park, 1st Equity Title, Trinity Solar, National Grid, Late Night Chauffers, Vision LI, Keller Williams and Shoprite.

The next week will include stops at the food pantries in Huntington Station and Uniondale.

It’s important to recognize the struggle many families face through the shutdowns and increased unemployment, underemployment, and economic slowdown.  Increased charity is needed to keep local pantries operating.

For more info on how you can take part in the doorstep donation program or join the Delivers Team, check out pinktie.org or please email us at contact@pinktie.org.

MTA Begins Work on Platform for Elmont Station

MTA Construction and Development has begun work on the substructure for the new Elmont LIRR station, which will be the first new full-time station built in more than four decades.

A lay down area has been established and excavation for the platform footings has begun on the north side of the righto-of-way for the station.  Construction of forms for platform supports and the pouring of concrete for them has already been completed.

MTA crews will continue to excavate over the next few weeks, with concrete placement for platform footings on both sides of the track taking place.  Direction boring for utilities will begin soon as well.  In the meantime, the MTA is working with National Grid to install utilities at the station.

The next step after that will be the removal of berms and surplus soil on the south side of the new station.  There will also be the backfilling of pier foundations and the excavation for the back of house facility foundation as well as delivering and installing pre-cast pier caps.  A trench will also be excavated where the installation of conduits and manholes to support the relocation of overhead utilities will take place.

This station will serve the Belmont Park Redevelopment project currently underway.  Riders will be able to attend events at the Belmont track and the New York Islanders’ new arena by riding to this new arena.  The new station will be ADA-compliant and include amenities such as free WiFi, digital screens, elevators, canopies, charging stations, and more.  The south platform will open in Autumn 2021 and the full station should be completed by the end of 2022.

Vision Long Island Heads to Port Washington for “Outdoors at Port” Event

Vision Long Island and members of the LI Main Street Alliance were out in downtown Port Washington for their “Outdoors at Port” event that will continue for the next three Thursday nights.  The Great Port Washington BID and Town of North Hempstead shut down portions of the street for outdoor dining, shopping and entertainment as part of the festival.

Vision was happy to see Town of North Hempstead Councilwoman Mariann Dalimonte, Town Clerk Wayne Wink, and NYS Senator Anna Kaplan along with members of the Chamber and BID at the event.  Congratulations to Port Washington BID’s Holly Byrne for pulling these events together in such challenging times.

Remaining dates include Thursdays Sept 24th and October 1st.   Folks should check it out and SHOP LOCAL!

Levittown Chamber of Commerce hosts Back to Business Virtual Meeting

Vision Long Island Director Eric Alexander was happy to speak with our friends at the Levittown Chamber of Commerce at their Back to Business virtual meeting in recent weeks.

Like most small businesses, members of the chamber are sorting out how to stay open and pull together to limit store closures.  Efforts at local promotion and securing grants and loans are on their agenda like most chambers around LI.

Special thanks for the dialogue which raises an awareness of what their community is facing and how local residents can stay loyal to their small businesses

Fight for New York City

The following is a transcription of RXR CEO Scott Rechler’s plea to return to economic prosperity in New York City.  You can watch the full video here.

This spring, New York faced one of its toughest crises.

We lost 25,000 of our friends, family and neighbors.  It’s also one of our proudest moments as a community because we came together, in the toughest of times, and we bent the curve and we got this under control. Today, when people look around our country, New York stands out for doing the best of taking on this virus.

But now we’re faced with an economic crisis.  We need to be coming together as New Yorkers, people who have been blessed to live here and get the benefit of living in this great city.  Take that energy, and help reunite this city so it can grow from this point forward.

If you look, for example, at 9/11 our city was attacked and the natural inclination could have been to hide and stay away from taking airplanes, going into tall buildings, going to public places.  But instead we changed the way we operated and we made it a patriotic duty to respond to this act of terrorism, not by hiding but moving on with our lives.  Moving on in a more responsible way, a more cautious way, but moving forward.

We know the formula to bring people back safe.  When we were staying at home to flatten the curve, it was essential workers that were maintaining our healthcare system and keeping our city afloat in the worst of times.

Now we are the essential workers, the baton is being handed to us.

It’s our responsibility to reopen this city’s economy so that these same essential workers have a livelihood to go back to.  So that the small businesses can survive, so that our transit systems can function, so that the economic and fiscal stability of our city can sustain itself, so its public workers, its school teachers, firefighters, EMTs, have places to continue to have work.

This is the moment that we need to come back to the city and do our job.  To fight to ensure that our city has a bright future.  That it’s fiscally sound, that it offers opportunities to everyone and that we have a future that is built stronger, better, and more equal than it was before.

Now is the time to come fight for our city.

Gold Coast Arts Needs Your Support!

Gold Coast Arts has been an important part of the Great Neck Plaza community for over 25 years.

Their mission remains strong even in these difficult times as they continue to bring the Visual & Performing Arts ONLINE to students and audiences of all ages, backgrounds and abilities throughout Long Island, Queens and beyond.

However, they are In need of donations!  Your much needed donation helps us keep our programs and the arts alive.  Please support them today so they can come back stronger together.

Get involved with the Gold Coast Arts & International Film Festival and help keep the arts alive in local communities!

If you have any questions, please call Caroline Sorokoff at 516-829-2570 or email caroline@goldcoastarts.org.

LICH to Host Housing Discrimination Training

The Long Island Coalition for the Homeless is honored to host Long Island Housing Services in their presentation of this important workshop on Fair Housing and Housing Discrimination.

This FREE online training will take place September 24, 9:30AM to 11:30AM.

Presented by Long Island Housing Services and hosted by the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, this training will provide a history of fair housing and the federal, state and local fair housing laws.  The training will include the different types of housing discrimination that are prevalent in Long Island, including racial discrimination, discrimination against individuals with disability, and source of income discrimination. Participants will learn to identify and report housing discrimination, including how to file a complaint.

Presenters: EJ Torres and Harriet Spiegelman

This event is FREE, but tickets are required to reserve a spot. You can access tickets by using the link below, beginning August 20, 2020 at 5PM: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/housing-discrimination-training-tickets-117665652133

The 8th Annual Car Free Day Long Island will take place on September 25

With the many challenges facing Long Island communities, it would have been easy to take a year off. However, the shutdown took cars off the road and brought fresh clean air to Long Island, inspiring Car Free Day to elevate the conversation about trading gridlock for cleaner communities.  

Once again, we ask you to help Long Island and join over 3,100 cities, towns and villages in 50 countries around the world in celebrating Car Free Day by encouraging employees and citizens to drive less and instead telecommute, walk, bike, ride a train, bus or other creative ideas. Last year, 5,821 Long Islanders pledged to be car free or car-lite saving 64 tons of CO2 emissions.

Vision Long Island has been a co-sponsor of this event Car Free Day for years and is hoppy to continue working on this important project.

As we get closer more and more events for the day will be revealed.  In the meantime, please visit carfreedayli.com to take the pladge and download a toolkit to help you spread the word!

32nd Annual Keys for the Homeless Conference to take Place Virtually on November 18th

The Long Island Coalition for the Homeless is holding its 32nd Annual Keys for the Homeless Conference online this year to help bring relief to Long Island’s struggling homeless population.

This year’s event will take place on November 18th from 9 am to 3:30 virtually and will feature 14 workshop topics that address what can be done to help the most vulnerable residents in our region.  The theme for the conference is “Adapting to Changing Times: Where Do We Go From Here?”  Marc Dones, the Executive Director of National Innovation Services will be this year’s Keynote Speaker.

The Coalition is responsible for leading the region’s initiative to serve our most vulnerable and reducing barriers to housing.  With their Continuum of Care partners, they have referred more than 200 homeless households for permanent housing.  Throughout the years they have helped to guide over two hundred million dollars of US Department of Housing and Urban Development CoC funding to Long Island agencies, resulting in the development of over 2,700 units of housing for homeless persons. 

You can register to attend, become a sponsor, or exhibitor for this event here.  A full schedule of the workshops for the event is available here.

W.I.N. Virtual Bridal Expo Taking Place on October 1st

During the pandemic of 2020, several local businesses in the wedding and events industry came together to discuss how they can help each other get through these challenging times and how they can help their clients. Celebrating a wedding is the most magical day in a couple’s life and the W.O.W. Focus Group, which stemmed from the Winning on Wednesday (W.O.W.) networking group, wanted to ensure they provided the best resources to their clients to keep the joy and magic of their special day!

As a result of these discussions, the WOW Focus Group founded the Wedding Industry Network (W.I.N.), which will remain committed and has vowed to not see the pandemic as a horrible experience but instead take a negative and turn it into a positive to accomplish a joyous wedding or event.

This organization will be holding a virtual bridal showcase to help engaged couples meet professionals in the industry as they prepare for what can still be one of the most joyous days of their lives.  The event will take place on Thursday, October 1st fro 7 pm to 8:30 pm.  People who are interested in joining the event can register here.  Those interested in exhibiting can email W.I.N. at hello@winbridalexpo.com.

Cox Media and T-Mobile Offering Grants to LI Small Businesses

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, small businesses have suffered incredible financial hardship. As Long Island starts to open for business, many local businesses are struggling to get back on their feet.

Cox Media Group Long Island’s 102.3 WBAB and 106.1 BLI are dedicated to supporting locally owned businesses and shining a bright light on them during their time of need.

Thanks to support from T-Mobile, WBAB and BLI are kicking off the “Long Island Small Business Grant Program” and will be awarding $10,000 radio advertising campaigns to FIVE Long Island businesses.

To be considered, business owners will be asked to register at WBAB.com or WBLI.com and provide an essay of 300 words or less telling us why their business is deserving of this opportunity. Winners will be selected based on specific criteria, including their response to the Covid-19 pandemic, community service, business culture and employee loyalty.

Application period runs from August 10, 2020 through September 30, 2020.

Selected businesses will be announced and contacted on Thursdays starting September 3rd.

Requirements for eligibility include:

• Must be locally owned and operated in Nassau or Suffolk County, in the State of New York;
• Annual revenue less than $2 million in fiscal year 2019;
• Incorporated and active as a business for a minimum of two (2) years.
Additional rules and restrictions are posted at WBAB.com and WBLI.com.
Cox Media Group Long Island is excited to offer this program in partnership with T-Mobile to help our
local small businesses, an essential part of the Long Island community, survive and thrive.

Nassau County OCD Now Accepting HOME Program Funding Applications
The Nassau County Office of Community Development is pleased to announce the re-opening of its HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program Funding Application.
NC OCD will be accepting applications through October 30th.
Please see the updated HOME Program website for information on Program requirements, Current Rent and Income Limits, Affirmative Marketing Requirements, and highlighted recently completed projects.
The on-line HOME Program Funding Application can also be accessed via OCD's website under the HOME Investment Partnership's Program tab: https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/1524/Community-Development

NYSERDA, Affordable Solar and Storage Predevelopment and Technical Assistance (Predevelopment Program)

The Predevelopment Program provides grants to address barriers to solar installations serving low-to-moderate income (LMI) households living in rental housing, multifamily buildings or other households not served by traditional on-site residential solar. Individual awards will not exceed $200,000. Funding to proposals through this solicitation will offset costs for predevelopment and technical assistance work needed to implement solar installations for multifamily affordable housing and/or shared solar (Community Distributed Generation) installations that benefit LMI households.

- Eligibility: Applications must be submitted by or include the documented participation of any of the following: owners, providers or managers of regulated multifamily affordable housing, community land trusts, land banks or portfolios of single-family affordable housing; local government agencies; Community Development Corporations (CDC), Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) or other community organizations providing services to LMI households and/or demonstrating an LMI constituency; and prior recipients of Predevelopment Program grants seeking to replicate and expand upon the success from a prior completed Predevelopment

Program project.

- Funding: Up to $10.65 million is available with individual awards not to exceed $200,000.
- Deadline: Continuous through December 31, 2024, or until depleted
- Contact:
Email: affordablesolar@nyserda.ny.gov
Website: www.nyserda.ny.gov/funding

Institute of Museum and Library Services, National Leadership Grants for Libraries Program (NLG-L)

This program supports projects that enhance the quality of library and archive services by advancing theory and practice. Successful proposals will generate results such as new tools, research findings, models, services, practices or collaborative approaches that can be widely used, adapted, scaled or replicated. All applications must designate one of the following project categories: Lifelong Learning, Community Catalysts or National Digital Infrastructures and Initiatives.

- Eligibility: Either a unit of state or local government or a private, nonprofit organization that has nonprofit status and be located in one of the 50 States of the United States of America, the District of Columbia or U.S. territories. Additional criteria is listed in the website.

- Funding: 40 awards for up to three years will be made with amounts varying by category: Planning Grants up to $100,000; National Forum Grants up to $150,000; Project Grants up to $1,000,000 and Research in Service to Practice Grants up to $750,000.

- Deadline: October 2, 2020

- Contacts: Jill Connors-Joyner
Email: jconnors-joyner@imls.gov;
Sarah Fuller
Email: sfuller@imls.gov;
James Neal
Email: jneal@imls.gov;
Ashley Sands, PhD
Email: asands@imls.gov
General email: imls-librarygrants@imls.gov
Website: https://www.imls.gov/grants/available/national-leadership-grants-libraries

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Culture of Health Prize

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize (the Prize) elevates the compelling stories of places where residents are working together to transform education, jobs, transportation, housing and more so better health flourishes for all. A Culture of Health recognizes that where we live—such as our access to affordable homes, quality schools, good jobs and reliable transportation—affects how long and how well we live.

Through the RWJF Culture of Health Prize application process, a community comes together to tell its inspiring stories of collaboration, action and results. Communities should understand they are applying for a prize and not a grant. The Prize recognizes work that has already been accomplished, so there is no required workplan or budget.

- Eligibility: A community must be a geographically defined jurisdiction in the U.S. that falls into one of the following categories:

- County, parish, borough, city, town, village or other municipality with a publicly elected governing body;

- Federally recognized tribe or a state-designated Indian reservation;

- Native Hawaiian organization serving and representing the interests of Native Hawaiians in Hawaii; or

- Region defined as geographically contiguous municipalities, counties and/or reservations.

- Awards: Up to 10 winning communities receive $25,000 and a prize package of communications materials about their community, communications guidance and help in promoting their successes.

- Deadline: Oct. 15, 2020, 3pm ET

- Contact:
Phone: (608) 890-2045
Email: info@cohprize.wisc.edu
Website: www.rwjf.org/content/rwjf/en/library/funding-opportunities/2020/2021-culture-ofhealth-prize.html

NYS Launches Rent Relief Program

The COVID Rent Relief Program will provide eligible households with a one-time rental subsidy that will be sent directly to the household’s landlord. Applicants will not need to repay this assistance.

The Covid Rent Relief Program is not first come, first served. Applications will be accepted throughout the two-week application period. HCR will prioritize eligible households with “greatest economic and social need” accounting for income, rent burden, percent of income lost and risk of homelessness.

The rental assistance payment will cover the difference between the household’s rent burden on March 1, 2020 and the increase in rent burden for the months the households is applying for assistance. Households can apply for up to four months in rental assistance.

Eligible households must meet the following criteria:

• Before March 1, 2020 and at the time of application, household income must have been below 80% of the area median income, adjusted for household size. You can find your county’s area median income, based on your household size: www.hcr.ny.gov/eligible-income-limits-80-ami-county
• Before March 1, 2020 and at the time of application, the household must have been paying more than 30% of gross monthly income towards rent.  Gross income includes wages as well as any cash grants, child support, social security, unemployment benefits, etc.)
• Applicants must have lost income during the period of April 1, 2020 to July 31, 2020.

HCR has created a dedicated call center to provide residents with help Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. Call the COVID Rent Relief Program Call Center at 1-833-499-0318 or email at covidrentrelief@hcr.ny.gov

You can apply for assistance and check FAQ’s here.

New York State Accepting Applications for NY Forward Loan Fund

New York State has opened pre-applications for the New York Forward Loan Fund. Loans from this fund are available to small businesses, nonprofits, and small landlords in New York State that did not receive a loan from either the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) for COVID-19 in 2020. New York Forward loans must be fully repaid over a 5-year term with fixed annual interest rates of 3 percent for small businesses and landlords.

Small businesses may apply for the lesser of $100,000 or up to 100% of the average monthly revenues in any 3-month period from 2019 or the first quarter of 2020. This loan can be paid back over five years with first year being interest only.  However, if small businesses have received either a PPP loan or an EIDL loan from SBA, they would not be eligible to apply. NYS has set a goal of 18% of total funds under this Program for Long Island

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as industries and regions reopen however, priority for New York Forward Loans will be given to industries and regions that have been reopened. Resources are available to assist in preparing applications for small businesses, landlords and nonprofits in industries and regions that have not yet reopened.

To view more details, including eligibility requirements and how to apply, click here:

If you need technical assistance through this process, please contact an Entrepreneurial Assistance Center near you and inform the counselor that you need help for the NY Forward Loan application.  You can find your closest contact center here.

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