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

October 15th, 2020

Quotes of the Day

	"From day one, testing has been one of the most vital tools we have to accurately assess COVID-19's spread in New York. Today New York State is building on our nation-leading testing program to expand rapid testing to every corner of the state, to give health care providers and localities the tools they need offer free rapid testing to their residents and patients," - New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo
	“The biggest thing is revitalizing uptown Port Jeff. It’s going to be important to have projects like this within the village to help defray the loss of property taxes that the village is going through.” - Rob Gitto, Vice President of the Gitto Group
	“Although the Glen Cove Downtown BID purchases the decorations that line the downtown streets if it was not for the synergy between the BID and the Beautification Commission theses warm and welcoming decorations would not be possible.” - Patricia Holman, Executive Director of the Glen Cove Downtown B.I.D.

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Glen Cove Downtown BID Brings Fall Vibes to Downtown

The streets of Glen Cove will be lined with over 150 festive scarecrows this October thanks to the Downtown Business Improvement District (BID), who are purchasing the decorations as a seasonal initiative.  The scarecrows will be installed by Ralph Comintino and Damion Stravredes of Glen Cove’s Commission of Beautification.

“Although the Glen Cove Downtown BID purchases the decorations that line the downtown streets if it was not for the synergy between the BID and the Beautification Commission theses warm and welcoming decorations would not be possible,” said Patricia Holman the executive director of the Glen Cove Downtown B.I.D.   

“We are very happy with the great relationship that Beautification and the BID has and we look forward to working on new projects with the B.I.D” said Elizabeth Mestres, co- director of the Beautification Commission.

The BID has also created a program that will allow downtown businesses to purchase fall flowers and ornaments at wholesale, helping to decorate the downtown for the upcoming season.  The BID itself also purchased over 550 mums and cabbages that will be planted throughout the downtown.

Glen Cove’s BID has been in existence since 1997 with a mission of providing a clean and welcoming downtown area for residents.  This includes decoration initiatives such as these two as well as ones for other seasons.  They also maintain some public spaces within the downtown and help to keep things clean.

Great work by this local group to keep their downtown looking great and ready for the upcoming autumn season.

Gitto Group to Develop New Port Jefferson Apartments

The Gitto Group is continuing its work in the Village of Port Jefferson, now with the addition of a new apartment complex at the former PJ Lobster House location.

The new complex will be slightly smaller than previous work done at the Brookport project, and will come in around three stories tall and with 46 units of apartments.  There will also be a retail component to the new project as well.

This will join a number of other projects that the Gitto Group has done in the local downtown area.  These projects include The Hills, the Barnum Crossing, the Port Jefferson Crossing, and the Uptown Funk revitalization, among others.  Vision Long Island has previously honored the Brookport, the Hills, and the Barnum House with Smart Growth Awards.

“The biggest thing is revitalizing uptown Port Jeff,” said Rob Gitto, vice president of the Gitto Group. “It’s going to be important to have projects like this within the village to help defray the loss of property taxes that the village is going through.”

Mr. Gitto also talked about the local Mathers Hospital and other medical facilities continuing to grow and increasing demand for local residential projects.  He hopes that these developments can continue to revitalize the uptown area of Port Jefferson by providing places for new residents to live and walk to both work and local entertainment venues.

You can read more at Greater Port Jefferson.

MTA Completes Phase 1 of Lynbrook LIRR Station’s Rehabiliation

MTA C&D along with the LIRR have announced the completion of new platforms and upgrades at the Long Island Rail Road’s Lynbrook station. 

The elevated station features two new island platforms, platform canopies, and other new amenities.  The new enhancement cost $17.9 million dollars and was funded through the 2015-19 MTA Capital Plan.  Work began in May 2019 and wrapped one month ahead of schedule.

The platforms were resealed and warning strips and platform edges were power-washed and repainted.  Lighting was upgraded on the platforms and new translucent canopy roofing was installed.  Other upgrades included improvements to the drainage system and two new glass platform waiting areas.  New signage was also installed as well as LED lighting and a security system.

This is part of a broader initiative by the MTA to improve conditions at LIRR station across the region.  The Lynbrook Station has been in use since 1936 and serves approximately 5,000 weekday riders.  A separate project to rebuild the Lynbrook Viaduct is also currently underway and is expected to be completed by summer 2021.

You can read more here.

Pink Tie Delivers to Medford

The Pink Tie Delivers team was out last week to the Genesis Church and Drive thru pantry in Medford for food and financial donations.

The Genesis Church Pantry has been diligent in meeting the needs of local families, seniors and residents for healthy food through the pandemic.  They are handling requests well beyond Medford and keeping a stable supply of food always is a challenge.

The companies that participated in this drop included 1st Equity Title, Trinity Solar, Allstate, National Grid, Late Night Chauffers, Asia Lee Fine Art, Vision LI, Keller Williams and Shoprite.

The Pink Tie Delivers team will be out today in Westbury and Hempstead.

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

Rapid COVID-19 Testing Kits to be made Available Across New York State

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced that COVID-19 rapid result testing will be made available to every county in New York State.

The New York State Department of Health will deploy an initial 400,000 rapid result test kits free of charge to local health departments, hospitals, pharmacies, and other health care providers to help increase access in all corners of New York State to free COVID-19 tests that can be done within 15 minutes and without having to send a specimen to a lab.

DOH will prioritize the distribution of testing kits to counties and local health care providers in areas seeing recent uptick in cases. The rapid tests can be used to control new outbreaks, conduct surveillance testing, and will also be made available on a as needed basis to help schools in 'yellow zones' test students and staff as part of new requirements to monitor COVID-19 spread as part of the Governor's Cluster Action Initiative.  

"From day one, testing has been one of the most vital tools we have to accurately assess COVID-19's spread in New York. Today New York State is building on our nation-leading testing program to expand rapid testing to every corner of the state, to give health care providers and localities the tools they need offer free rapid testing to their residents and patients," Governor Cuomo said.

On Tuesday, as part of the state's Cluster Action Initiative, the Governor announced that schools open to in-person instruction in "Yellow Zones" would be required to test a portion of their in-person students, staff, and teachers at least once a week.  The NYS Dept. of Health has issued guidance requiring 20% of students, teachers, and staff who are in-person in schools located within "Yellow Zones" to be tested once a week starting Friday, October 16.

DOH will issue a letter to all local health departments, as well as hospitals, pharmacies, and other provider organizations, providing details for how to access and receive these rapid testing kits.

Huntington Township Chamber to Host Scavenger Hunt for Young Professionals

On Tuesday, October 20th, the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a Young Professionals scavenger hunt in Downtown Huntington.

The event will begin with a clue at 164 Main Street in Huntington.  Teams of up to 6 people can be assembled to participate in this networking event.  This will be a great way to encourage team building, networking, and support local businesses.

Teams assembled for the event will have an opportunity to Adopt a Family this Thanksgiving as well.  Once registered, the teams will get an email for that program and will have additional chances for bonus points along the way.

If you don’t have a team but wish to participate, there will be a separate singles team that is being created for the event.

You can contact kelly@huntingtonchamber.com for information and to register for the event.

Free Webinars on Supporting Education during the Pandemic on Oct 26th & Nov 2nd

The health crisis we're facing is ongoing, so teachers face a unique challenge: encouraging children to learn and connect with others while they may be experiencing stress, anxiety and loss. At the same time, staff members need to sustain their own motivation and focus while both supporting students and coping with their own concerns. Two new webinars will help you find the balance with your own emotions, your work and your family--and will provide critical self-care tools.

The presenter is David Hymowitz, a social worker with 30 years of experience who has worked with many school districts as they develop programs on social-emotional learning.

Now That We're Back: How Do We Continue to Support Students, Families and Ourselves?
Date: Monday, October 26, 2020
Time: 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m
Registration: There is no fee but pre-registration is required.
REGISTER NOW

Now That We're Back: Strategies for Program Leaders
Date: Monday, November 2, 2020
Time: 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Registration: There is no fee but pre-registration is required
REGISTER NOW

Trunk or Treat on October 30th

Professor’s Café in Kings Park will be holding a Trunk or Treat event on Friday, October 20th from 5 to 7 pm.

The event will be $20 per car.  There will be Candy Apples, Roasted Corn, Cotton Candy, and more!  There will also be a drive in featurette with a kid-friendly Halloween movie.

The event will be located at the Key Food Parking Lot in Kings Park.  Don’t forget to bring your candy for trick or treaters with you!

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.

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

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. 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.

This Week's Sponsor

Greenman-Pedersen, Inc.

Established in 1966, Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. (GPI) is a consulting engineering, planning, survey, mapping, and construction management and inspection firm that specializes in the innovative development, design and construction of infrastructure and building systems. Originally founded by A. Beecher Greenman and Herbert M. Pedersen, GPI has grown from a two-person endeavor to a consulting firm included among ENR’s top 100 national design firms.

GPI provides services to a wide variety of government agencies, municipalities, institutions, industries, architects and developers. They attribute their long-lasting relationships with their clients to the talented, responsive, service-oriented professionals employed throughout the GPI organization.

They take pride in the many projects they have successfully completed and enjoy the challenge of new and difficult engineering issues requiring innovative, yet practical, cost- effective solutions. The firm’s commitment to provide quality engineering services and to work as a team with their clients is the reason those clients continue to turn to GPI for engineering solutions.