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E MjliraryAffairs
April 10,2007 fl anagan@senate.state.ny.us

Ms. Carol Ash

Acting Commissioner
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Empire State Plaza
Agency Building I
Albany, New York 12238

Dear Acting Commissioner Ash:

I write as a follow up to your colTespondence of M arch'7 , 2007 tomy office conceming

Kings Park.

The purpose of this letter is to further inquire as to the status of the administration,s
position regarding the continuance of the former Kings Park Psychiatrit Center property as
Nissequogue River State Park and to express my continued frustration over the lack of a timely
andlor detailed response. Whether it has been by telephone, by corespondenge or in person, the
impression I have been given is that there is possibly some review being done on the properfy
and that potential plans, other than apark, are being conternplated. However, none of those
details or an explanation of any of these efforts has been provided.

It has now been well over three months since our original meeting, and over a month
since my office has been provided with any information beyond your basic correspondence of
March 7th. My constituents and I are unaware of any meetings, any studies, any RFPs, any
public hearings, or even any internal documents relative to your work on this issue. Other than
several general comments from you at your confirmation hearing, no useful inforrnation has been
forthcoming. In fact, but for my appearance at your hearing, and rny persistence in asking
questions, I am not certain that any correspondence would have come to my attention on this
critical issue. Simply put, this is unacceptable.

my office immediately with a written status on what exact steps, if any,

Please provide
your office has taken to review this issue with a clear direction toward, as you state, "the parks,
environmental, economic development and fiscal ramifications" of the transfer of the Kings park
property into Nissequogue River State Park.

tJ
 (Page2)
Acting Commissioner Ash
April 10,2007

I reiterate my commitment to my constituents, to you and to the Governor to do

everything within my power to seek additional funding in the budget to address remediation
costs, and to preserving this wonderful property as a State Park. I would respectfully offer that a
"due diligence" review while laudable and important, can be construed as delay or inaction when
there is a complete lack of communication.

Your prompt attention to this matter is greatly appreciated

cc: Governor Eliot Spitzer

Senator Joseph L. Bruno
Senator Owen H. Johnson
Patrick J. Foye, Commissioner, ESDC
Jeffrey Lovell, Senate Maj. Finance Committee
Richard C. Mereday, Senate Maj. Finance Committee
Michael Avella, Senate Maj. Counsel/Program
Darren Suarez, Senate Maj. Counsel/Program