Nassau Residents: Vote Yes on the Nassau Coliseum Bond Referendum TODAY!

Find out where to vote

Residents of Nassau County are now able to find out their local polling location through the Board of Elections' website. Go to their website here to find out where to vote on August 1st, beginning at 6:00am.

A message from Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano

Dear Friends,

I ask you to please join me in voting YES today for creating new jobs, generating tax relief and improving Nassau County's quality of life. A YES vote will allow us to build a sports-entertainment destination center that includes a new Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, minor league ballpark and multi-purpose facility that hosts conventions and track & field events.

After much review, the economists report that this project will create over 1,500 construction jobs and over 3,000 permanent jobs. Economists also project that homeowners will earn up to $27 annually in tax relief once the new Coliseum is open in 2015.

Since taking office, I have worked tirelessly to cut taxes, rein in government spending and reform the way Nassau County does business. Now, we must create private sector jobs to put our residents back to work. A YES vote will surely help!

You can vote today, Monday, August 1st, until 9pm at your normal polling location (unless otherwise notified by the Board of Elections).

Thank you for your continued support!

Sincerely,

Ed Mangano

A message from Islanders Vice President Michael Picker

[Today] is a critical vote just to get us to the next step of the process for a new arena. The agreement with the County surely will be vetted by many groups/people (e.g. NIFA, Legislature).

Charles has tried many things over the last 8 years to secure a proper venue not only for the Islanders but for all events. Long Island needs a state of the art facility (see attached visual and see what a new venue could possibly look like).

We need your Yes vote tomorrow. If you own a business, please ensure your Nassau County based employees vote (even if you have to send them out during the day…please). If you have a database of customers, friends, family, please make sure they go and cast a Yes vote. Suffolk based connections should reach out to their Nassau friends, family and business partners.

Nassau County is funding the new arena. The revenue streams at the Arena will be paying back the construction costs and more.

Nassau County needs new development, jobs and revenue streams. Too many companies have left the County. Let’s not force the Islanders to move and the Arena to shutter(over 2,100 people took a paycheck from the facility last year).

If you have not read Vision Long Island's statement on the project, here it is:

After years of meetings planning the future of the Nassau HUB area, it is time to support the bond act that will refinance the Nassau Coliseum. Public financing of the arena allows the Islanders to stay on Long Island, preserves the tax base and provides the opportunity for mixed-use development and revitalization in the surrounding area.

For the many residents, civic associations, small businesses, chambers of commerce and other local organizations that supported the Lighthouse project and other past proposals for redevelopment, supporting the bond is a logical choice. Redevelopment of the Coliseum would serve as a companion to the Town of Hempstead’s recently approved mixed-use code at the area surrounding the Coliseum, which includes housing, office and retail with new development guidelines.

Vision Long Island supports this bond referendum as it provides the following benefits:

1. CATALYST FOR MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT

This proposal will be a strong first step towards a new town center at the HUB, one that will then expand the tax base, provide jobs and create tangible economic development benefits well into the future. The County is expected to prepare an RFP for development for the acreage surrounding the Coliseum. Vision has been assured that this RFP will include an integrated mixture of uses, various housing options including a workforce component, accessibility to public transportation, walkable streets and a strong and safe link to Hofstra University, Nassau Community College, Museum Row and existing office development. Additionally, we encourage a fair share of state and federal dollars for infrastructure improvements surrounding the new development, which was absent from past proposals.

Varying arena projects around the Country co-exist peacefully with mixed-use town center development including Camden Yards in Baltimore, Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex in Cleveland, Petco Park in San Diego and Hunters Point Shipyard in San Francisco, among others.

2. JOB DEVELOPMENT

Long Islanders need jobs. One of the region's most pressing challenges is to keep workers, and that includes young workers, from leaving the area. Revitalizing the Nassau Coliseum will not only create a regional high-quality entertainment hub that caters to a wide demographic range from the very young to seniors, it will also create expanded employment opportunities for residents of the densely populated area surrounding Coliseum, for college students, and for other Long Islanders in need of full-time and part-time employment. The County estimates 4,500 full and part time jobs to be yielded from this proposal.

3. ELIMINATES PLANS FOR A CASINO AT THIS LOCATION

This plan does not include a casino, which was vigorously opposed in central Nassau adjacent to two colleges and a high school. Rather, a casino in Elmont is garnering the support of local community and business leaders, proposed for a 150-acre site that has a history of gaming with built-in transit and roadway infrastructure.

4. COSTS ARE OUTWEIGHED BY REVENUE SOURCES

According to the County’s Economic Impact Statement, the project would provide a positive cash flow of $2.2 million annually, in excess of the debt service of $26 million. The new Coliseum would attract approximately 1.37 million visitors each year, versus the no-build alternative of 100,500 visitors or far less if the Islanders ultimately move. Camoin Associates, Nassau’s Independent Office of Budget Review, Nassau Comptroller George Maragos and independent economists all have pointed to the economic benefits of this action.

5. RETENTION OF ISLANDERS & REGIONAL, CULTURAL HUB POTENTIAL

A responsibly financed Coliseum redevelopment will enhance the quality of life in Nassau by providing a state-of-the-art sports and entertainment complex our County deserves. Retention of the Islanders, concerts, family activities a minor league ballpark and a business drawing convention center are all amenities that will add to the area’s existing uses when planned properly.

6. PUBLIC INPUT & ULTIMATE ACTION

Lastly we are happy that the public will be able to weigh in on this project via a referendum on August 1st. In addition, there will be many opportunities to make necessary adjustments to the plan through the Nassau Legislature following the referendum. This type of direct public participation will help direct the planning of this area, hopefully for the better.

What is far worse is to do nothing as the status quo is unacceptable. If the Islanders leave the vacant property will offer a substantial loss to the County, no jobs for residents and no hope for the mixed use development that the area needs. The $400 million bond proposition will provide key infrastructure and facility financing in and around the Nassau Coliseum Hub area. This bond will spur critical economic growth for the core of Nassau County.

After careful analysis and discussion with community, business and government leaders in Nassau, we believe this plan to be responsible and appropriate. Projects constructed under this initiative will create short and long-term employment to the area in and around the HUB. Reinvesting and reshaping this already developed market makes sound economic and environmental sense.”

While there are drawbacks to almost any economic development strategy, at this time and date, public financing for the Coliseum is the best option for progress at the Nassau HUB.

Vote YES on August 1st to support jobs and redevelopment for Nassau County

Keith Archer, Harras Bloom & Archer
David Berg, American Planning Association, LI Chapter
Richard Bivone, RMB Development/LI Business Council
Eliot Bloom, Law Offices of Eliot F. Bloom
John Durso, LI Federation of Labor
Trudy Fitzsimmons, Leadership Hungtington
Robert Fonti, Vincent James Management Company
Matt Frank
Larry Gargano, Greenview Properties
John Keating, National Grid
Dr. Richard Koubek, Long Island Jobs With Justice
Steven Krieger, Engel Burman Group
Alexander Latham, ADLIII Architecture
Neal Lewis, Sustainability Institute at Molloy College
Jorge Martinez, LI Hispanic Chamber of Commerce/American Transit Insurance Company
Bruce Migatz, Albanese & Albanese
Richard Panchyk, Hazen and Sawyer
Vincent Pizzulli, Certilman Balin
Michael Posillico, Posillico
Michael Puntillo, Jr., The Jobco Organization
Maria Rigopoulos, Mill Creek Residential Trust
Dr. Nathalia Rogers, Dowling College
Keith Samaroo, PS&S
Robert Scheiner, H2M Architects + Engineers
Joy Squires, NYS Association of Conservation Commisions
Ronald Stein, Good Harvest Financial Group
Edward Thompson, Molloy College
Eric Alexander, Executive Director, Vision Long Island

For more information:

1. To find out more about voting, see the Nassau County Board of Elections site.

2. For more on the bond proposal:

- Nassau News Network
- Vote Yes Campaign
- Camion Associates report and addenum
- Nassau Office of Independent Budget Review
- Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos' report

3. Additional news coverage:

- Vision's Op-Ed in The Herald
- FiOS1 News
- Long Island Business News - Vision Long Island endorses plan and more on public meetings.
- Hempstead Uniondale Times
- Noticia NY