SENATOR FLANAGAN ANNOUNCES SENATE PASSAGE OF EXPANSION OF EDGEWOOD-OAK BRUSH PLAINS STATE PRESERVE

Senator John Flanagan (2nd Senate District), along with his colleagues Senator Owen Johnson (4th Senate District) and Senator Caesar Trunzo (3rd Senate District), has announced that a measure to preserve open

The legislation would, when approved by the Assembly and signed into law, would transfer the land that has been set aside for the Long Island Truck & Rail Intermodal (LITRIM) Facility into the Edgewood-Oak Brush Plains State Preserve. The transferring of this land, which was formerly part of the vast Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center property in Brentwood, would preserve this open space and put an end to the LITRIM project.

The legislation is currently sponsored in the Assembly by Assemblymembers Phil Ramos (6th Assembly District), Andrew Raia (9th Assembly District) and James Conte (10th Assembly District) and is awaiting further action.

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has proposed building the LITRIM facility along the Sagtikos Corridor, which includes parts of Brentwood, Deer Park and Dix Hills.

Those plans have caused great anxiety for area residents due to the negative impact the project would have on the surrounding communities.

Senator Flanagan’s agreement with those concerns led to his sponsorship of the transfer: "While the LITRIM project is well-intentioned, allowing it to move forward would create significant traffic congestion when combined with locally approved projects. Today’s passage is a great step in the fight to protect the quality of life for this community and to preserve vital open space for our entire region. I look forward to the Assembly passing this legislation before the end of session."

One of the main reasons for the added traffic concerns was due to the fact that town officials have approved three major construction projects in the area since the LITRIM project was originally proposed.

The transfer of this property was first raised in a letter the three senators sent to New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner Astrid Glynn in August. The letter outlined their collective concerns with the LITRIM project and sought to get NYSDOT to consider moving the project.

In the August letter, the three elected officials called on New York State to set an example by refraining from adding to local traffic problems.

After passage in the Senate and the Assembly, the measure would need to be signed into law by Governor David Paterson.

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