Archive
OPRHP – Testimony Before the Joint Fiscal Committees of the State Legislature on the FY 2011-12 Executive Budget
Thumbs up! No Park Closures.....
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation – Acting Commissioner Andy Beers – February 8, 2011 – Senate Finance Chair DeFrancisco and Assembly Ways & Means Chair Farrell, thank you for the opportunity to be with you today to discuss Governor Cuomo’s Executive Budget proposal for State Parks for Fiscal Year 2011-12. Thank you also Senator Little and Assemblyman Englebright, Chairs of the Tourism & Parks Committees, as well as other members of the Senate and Assembly here today.
I am representing State Parks today as Acting Commissioner, having served in this role since last October. Governor Cuomo recently announced he will nominate Rose Harvey as the next State Parks Commissioner. Ms. Harvey, who expects to begin working later this month, brings a wealth of experience in parks and environmental issues to our agency, and she looks forward to working with you and your colleagues during this legislative session.
In his State of the State Address and Executive Budget presentation, Governor Cuomo forcefully articulated the severity of the fiscal challenges facing New York State and the need to right-size and redesign how government provides services to the people of our state. Governor Cuomo’s message has been crystal clear – maintaining the status quo is simply not an option. State spending over the past ten years has grown at more than double the rate of inflation. We can no longer spend beyond our means.
We at Parks are prepared to do our part in the budget while ensuring the continued operation of our facilities.
As all of you know, New York’s parks and historic sites are among New York’s great assets. State Parks has been entrusted with the care of 213 state parks and historic sites, which include many of the state’s most iconic landscapes – treasured places like Niagara Falls, Jones Beach, Bear Mountain, Green Lakes, Saratoga Spa, Allegany, Bethpage, Riverbank, Orient Point, Letchworth, and Hudson Highlands State Parks. The system also includes 35 historic sites that preserve and interpret critical elements of New York’s culture and history – including Washington’s Headquarters, Olana, Fort Niagara, Ganondagan, and the Darwin Martin House.
For more than a century, New York has invested in developing world-class park facilities, and today we have the most developed state park system in the nation. Our park system encompasses 5,000 buildings, 8,355 campsites, 817 cabins, 53 swimming pools, 76 swimming beaches, 29 golf courses, 27 marinas, 40 boat launch sites, 18 nature centers, more than 1,350 miles of trails, 106 dams, 640 bridges, hundreds of miles of roads, and hundreds of historic structures listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
We are incredibly fortunate and all benefit from the time, energy, and money that have been invested in these resources over the years. New York’s parks and historic sites are gifts given from one generation to the next. And this team at State Parks will continue to care for and improve upon these gifts in the next fiscal year, while managing the ten percent reduction in State Operations Funding required of all state agencies as part of closing the state’s $10 billion deficit.
I am confident that the ten percent reduction can be achieved without requiring new closures of state parks or historic sites by reevaluating our operations to identify additional efficiencies, eliminating redundancies, and examining how savings from actions taken in the current fiscal year will help us in the next fiscal year.
For the last two years, State Parks has undergone consistent review and faced many challenges, proving that we can do more with less and that in crisis there is also opportunity. Our management of past budget reductions has made us a more flexible, innovative, and efficient institution. When faced with insufficient resources to maintain a facility, we didn’t just shutter the building or lock the park. Instead we looked for synergies and partners in local governments, state and federal agencies, and private organizations, and we were able to keep our parks and facilities open to the public.
In the past year, we have reached agreements with local governments to operate Woodlawn Beach State Park in Erie County, Beechwood State Park in Wayne County, and Oak Orchard Boat Launch in Orleans County. Ownership of Empire Fulton Ferry State Park and the undeveloped South Beach property were transferred to New York City. And we reached an agreement under which the National Park Service is operating Oriskany Battlefield and Steuben Memorial State Historic Sites. We will continue to forge partnerships and find other creative solutions to better serve New Yorkers in the next fiscal year.
In response to the Governor’s call for a fresh look at how government operates, State Parks is initiating a comprehensive review of the agency’s operations to identify opportunities to achieve cost efficiencies by redesigning the way we do business. Potential areas of savings that we will continue to explore include:
- increased partnerships with local governments and non-profit organizations and exploration of opportunities for greater private sector involvement in state park operations;
- collaborative efforts and shared services with ESDC, DEC, DOT and other sister agencies;
- efforts to increase fundraising from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors; and
- technology investments that can boost agency productivity.
The 2011-12 Executive Budget contains $25 million in state funding for capital rehabilitation and improvement projects in our State Parks and Historic Sites:
- The budget makes $17.2 million available for State Park Infrastructure Fund (SPIF) capital projects, which is the same amount provided in 2010-11.
- The budget recommends $16.2 million from the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) for capital “Stewardship” projects, of which $8.1 million is allocated to OPRHP (the other half of the Stewardship funds would be allocated to DEC). Given the State Park System’s substantial capital rehabilitation needs, the EPF Stewardship line is a critical source of funding for OPRHP’s capital program.
- The budget also provides appropriation authority for OPRHP to expend capital funds received from federal sources, mitigation projects, and private contributions.
You may recall that during fiscal years 2008-09 and 2009-10, State Parks received a total of $85 million of bonded “State Parks Capital Initiative” funds for park and historic site revitalization projects. I am pleased to report that all of these funds have been fully deployed, allowing the agency to complete hundreds of vitally important facility and infrastructure rehabilitation projects.
The Executive Budget contains $134 million for Environmental Protection Fund programs, which is the same amount provided in the current year. There are no proposed program off-loads to the EPF. The funding level and programmatic approach to the EPF was very welcome news for the environmental community, and many of the groups have been vocal in their support for the Governor’s budget.
OPRHP administers funding from four major EPF programs. In each case, the budget funding is continued at this year’s levels, honoring the Governor’s commitment to retain the EPF for traditional purposes:
- $16.2 million is provided for capital Stewardship projects, to be split between OPRHP and DEC.
- $13 million is allocated for matching grants to local governments and non-profits for park and historic preservation projects.
- $9 million is provided for grants to zoos, botanical gardens, aquaria, arboretums, and nature centers under the ZBGA program.
- $17.5 million is allocated to OPRHP’s and DEC’s open space land protection programs.
In conclusion, Governor Cuomo has clearly articulated the need for all parts of government to achieve costs savings and efficiencies in response to the fiscal crisis facing the state. State Parks is committed to fully participating in this effort, including implementing strategies to address the ten percent reduction to our General Fund appropriation, while maintaining the agency’s core mission and programs.
NYSR – Thank You!
MEMORIAL DAY AT RIVERBANK – MAY 31, 2010
June 3, 2010
Lewis Burgess
When Governor Paterson and Commissioner Ash proposed to close dozens of NYS State Parks and historic sites and reduce operating hours, classes, pools, and services at dozens of others on February 19th, no one imagined that there would be an unrelenting state-wide outcry rejecting the proposal.
On March 3rd, Senator Jose M. Serrano and Assemblyman Steve Englebright rallied Senators and Assemblymembers to the cause. From beginning to end, the two legislators were unrelenting in their efforts to restore funding to NYS parks and historic sites Kudos to them.
And once informed, citizens across the state, upstate and downstate, began to organize hold rallies and campaign to keep our parks and historic sites open and operating as usual.
Riverbankers also rallied and campaigned to save Riverbank non-stop from March 4th to May 28th. Riverbankers joined together at rallies at Riverbank, in front of the NYS Office Building, and at a vigil on May 17th at the 137th Street entrance. Riverbankers called, wrote and met with legislators, interviewed with NY1, the Daily News, El Diario, Amsterdam News, DNAInfo, manned info and petition tables, bought Save Riverbank t-shirts and swim caps, made Riverbank videos for YouTube, designed graphics, blogged, reported, researched and Facebooked. 5,297 of us signed a petition that was sent to Governor Paterson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Majority Conference Leader Senator John L. Sampson. The Riverbank Community of park users spread the word to save Riverbank.
Our local legislators also responded to the call to hold Riverbank harmless in the budget crisis. Assemblymen Daniel O’Donnell, Keith L.T. Wright and Herman D. Farrell joined the fray early with their March 3rd joint letter to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Senator Eric Schneiderman appealed to Governor Paterson and Senator Sampson on March 24th. Since then Herman D. Farrell carried the cause to the floor of the Assembly and fought for Riverbank. They all voted in the affirmative in the Senate and Assembly budget resolutions to restore NYS parks as well as the bills that freed the parks and historic sites from devastating budget cuts.
Quietly in the background, the Albany Office of OPRHP, the New York City Commission of the State Council of Recreation and Historic Preservation and Riverbank State Park administration and employees supported the Riverbank Community effort to restore the budget cuts from the beginning. Community Planning Board 9 sent a unanimously approved letter to Governor Paterson on May 21st.
The Riverbank Community thanks you all.
In the end, after much political brouhaha and wheeling and dealing in Albany, all NYS parks and historic parks where held harmless in the budget crisis on May 28th. The citizen’s outcry was heard, our parks were given back to us as it should be.
NYS ASSEMBLY VOTES TO FULLY RESTORE FUNDING FOR PARKS
Dear Supporters of Riverbank State Park:
Just moments ago, at 2:59 AM to be exact, the New York State Assembly voted to restore funding for New York State Parks throughout the 2010-2011 Fiscal Year. Simply put, if the Senate passes their companion bill and the Governor signs the legislation, Riverbank State Park will avoid any further service reductions and/or closure during the upcoming Summer and Fall seasons. I, along with Assemblyman Herman “Denny” Farrell, Jr. and Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell, joined the majority of New York State Assemblymembers who voted to ensure that our Park remains a vital resource to the Harlem community and the Greater New York Metropolitan area. By a vote of 86-47 (http://bit.ly/bPy0X0), the New York State Assembly affirmed our continued commitment to Riverbank State Park and the constituencies which rely upon this bastion of peace, tranquility, open space and recreation.
Thank you for your vociferous and unrelenting support of Riverbank State Park! I look forward to using my vote and my voice in the New York State Legislature to ensure that Riverbank remains fully operational and vibrant for the entirety of my legislative career.
As always, if you should have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me and I look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Assemblyman Keith Wright
212-866-5809- Phone
212-864-1368- Fax
wrightk@nysa.us
New York Daily News – Gov. Paterson gets flak for unveiling Chelsea park as many others close
BY Erin Einhorn
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU
Tuesday, May 18th 2010, 4:00 AM
In a case of really bad timing – or political tin ear – Gov. Paterson cut the ribbon on a new Manhattan park Monday just as budget cuts forced dozens of state parks to close.
“It’s not smart politics, and it’s not good politics either,” said Assemblyman Herman (Denny) Farrell after Paterson welcomed a new section of the Hudson River Park in Chelsea.
Farrell’s Harlem constituents are furious their beloved Riverbank State Park was cut back by several hours a day.
“The governor should know this community is constantly concerned that they’re not getting their fair share,” Farrell said.
Statewide, 81 parks and historical sites are closing or cutting their hours because of the ongoing Albany budget crisis, according to a list on a state Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Web site.
Riverbank has been ordered not to open its outdoor pool this summer and to slash summer concerts. Another state park in the city – Bayswater Point in Queens – is completely closed.
“This kills me!” Paterson told reporters after the ribbon cutting. “To stand here, in a park, knowing that I have probably closed down 41 parks and 14 other cultural sites and reduced funding for several others … it pains me to do that. It’s just that that’s how dire our financial situation is.”
The state budget is now more than six weeks late as Paterson pushes for furloughs and considers layoffs to fill a $9.2 billion hole.
The new section of the Hudson River Park at 23rd St. won’t pull resources away from state parks, officials say. Though it sits on state-owned land and was built with $50 million from the city and state – including $21 million earmarked by Paterson two years ago – its maintenance budget comes from rents and fees paid by private entities like the Chelsea Piers entertainment complex.
Paterson said he was thrilled to toast the “spectactular” park that he called an “oasis of green in the midst of the hustle and bustle of daily life.” It features sweeping river views, green lawns, brilliant flower gardens, a death-defying skatepark and a new carousel.
eeinhorn@nydailynews.com
El Diario – “Malestar por recortes en parquet” – “Upset by cuts in park”
Malestar por recortes en parquet
17 Mar 2010, El Diario, JOSE ACOSTA/EDLP – jose.acosta@eldiariony.com
NUEVA YORK — Usuarios del Riverbank State Park del oeste de Harlem manifestaron ayer su oposición a la reducción del horario de servicio del parque propuesta por la Oficina Estatal de Parques, Recreación y Preservación Histórica (OPRHP), con el objeto de ayudar al estado a cerrar el déficit presupuestario de $8 mil 200 millones para el año fiscal 2010-11.
[JOSE A. [RIVERA/EDLP] El Riverbank State Park recibe a miles de visitantes cada año.
En febrero pasado la comisionado de OPRHP, Carol Ash, anunció el plan que incluye el cierre de 41 parques estatales y 14 sitios históricos, y la reducción de servicios en 23 parques y un sitio histórico.
Dan Keefe, portavoz de OPRHP, informó ayer vía telefónica que como parte del plan de ahorro de la agencia, el horario del Riverbank State Park será reducido en unas 7 horas, de modo que en vez de abrir a las 6 a.m. y cerrar a las 11 p.m., abrirá a las 11 a.m. y cerrará a las 9 p.m.
“La propuesta incluye además el cierre de la piscina al aire libre, la eliminación de clases para personas mayores y los eventos culturas y comunitarios”, dijo Keefe, indicando que todavía no hay una fecha definitiva de los cambios, ya que éstos están siendo evaluados por la legislatura estatal.
Para la activista comunitaria Roberta Gold, la reducción de horarios y servicios en el Riverbank State Park, localizado al final de la calle 145 en West Harlem, impedirá que muchas personas de la clase trabajadora puedan usar el parque.
“El parque Riverbank se consiguió después de muchas luchas. La comunidad aceptó que le instalaran una planta de tratamiento de aguas negras a cambio de un parque para ser usado plenamente. Estos recortes significan desconocer un acuerdo previo entre el estado y Harlem”, explicó Gold.
Aida Nova, quien para evitar la inclemencia del sol se une a un grupo de 50 personas que se ejercitan en la pista de correr del parque, dijo que si abren a las 11 de la mañana, “muchos de nosotros no podremos venir, porque trabajamos”.
Juan Paulino, de 45 años, dijo que él visita el gimnasio del parque cuando sale del trabajo. “Si cambian el horario, me impediré venir”, aseveró.
Otros que se oponen a los recortes son Linett Estrella y Fidel Manzano, quienes acuden al lugar con su familia.
Los asambleístas Herman Farrell, Keith Wright y Daniel O’Donnell, en una misiva dirigida al presidente de la Asamblea Estatal, Sheldon Silver, le piden que rechace el plan de reducir $785,000 del presupuesto operacional del parque Riverbank.
Upset by cuts in park
17 Mar 2010, El Diario, JOSE ACOSTA/EDLP – jose.acosta@eldiariony.com
NEW YORK – Members of Riverbank State Park West Harlem yesterday expressed their opposition to the reduction of the operating hours proposed by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), in order to help the state close the budget deficit of $8.2 billion for fiscal year 2010-11.
Riverbank State Park receives thousands of visitors each year. [JOSE A. RIVERA/EDLP]
Last February, the OPRHP Commissioner Carol Ash announced the plan that includes closing 41 parks and 14 state historic sites and reducing services in 23 parks and historical sites.
Dan Keefe, OPRHP spokesman, said yesterday by telephone that as part of savings plan of the agency, the Riverbank State Park schedule will be reduced by about 7 hours, so that instead of opening at 6 PM and close at 11 p.m., will open at 11 AM and close at 9 PM.
“The proposal also includes the closure of the pool outdoors, the elimination of classes for people elders and community events and cultures, “said Keefe, indicating that there is still no definite changes, as these are being evaluated by the state legislature.
For community activist Roberta Gold, the reduction of hours and services at Riverbank State Park, located at the end of West 145th Street in Harlem, prevents many people from the working class from using the park.
“The Riverbank Park was achieved after many struggles. The community agreed to the installation of a sewage treatment plant in exchange for a park that would be fully used.
These cuts mean ignoring an earlier agreement between the state and Harlem” said Gold.
Aida Nova, who to avoid the intense morning sun joins a group of 50 people who exercise in the
running track in the park, said that if they open at 11 in the morning, “many of us can not come, because of work.
Juan Paulino, 45, said he visits the gym in the the park when he leaves work. “If they change the schedule, that will stop me from coming, “he said.
Others who oppose the cuts are Linett Estrella and Fidel Manzano, who come there with their family.
Assemblymen Herman Farrell, Keith Wright and Daniel O’Donnell, in a letter to the chairman of the State Assembly, Sheldon Silver, asked Silver to reject the $ 785,000 plan to reduce the operational budget of Riverbank Park.
DNAINFO – “Residents and Lawmakers Rally in Defense of Harlem’s Riverbank State Park”
Residents and Lawmakers Rally in Defense of Harlem’s Riverbank State Park
March 16, 2010 4:14pm
Riverbank State Park sits atop a sewage treatment plant along Riverside Drive in Harlem (C. Andrew/Flickr)
By Jon Schuppe
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Local officials and angry residents have joined forces in asking Albany to reject Gov. David Paterson’s planned cuts to Riverbank State Park in Harlem.
The cuts, part of the governor’s deficit-slashing budget proposal, would close the park’s pool, end classes for senior citizens, and shorten operating hours. All at an estimated savings of about $785,000.
Taking that money from the “beloved” park would “prove trivial to the state, yet devastating to an entire community,” three Upper Manhattan lawmakers wrote in a letter to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver this month.
Hundreds of residents rallied at the park on Saturday, accusing the state of reneging on its commitment to the facility, which was built in the early 1990s in exchange for the construction of a sewage treatment facility below it.
Nearly 900,000 people last year visited the 28-acre park, which is state Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation calls “the only one of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.”
Standing 69 feet above the Hudson River — and concealing the treatment plant — the park was inspired by urban rooftop designs in Japan.
Running from West 137th Street to West 145th Street, the park includes a pool, skating rink, theater, pedestrian paths, a greenhouse, picnic areas, ball fields and courts, a gym and a running track.
When the cuts were first announced in February, Paterson, who protested the treatment plant when he was a state senator, stressed that he had to close a $8.2 billion budget gap, and that no state departments would be excluded.
“In an environment when we have to cut funding to schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and social services, no area of state spending, including parks and historic sites, could be exempt from reductions,” he said.
The spending reductions at Riverbank are part of a broader package of proposed cuts, including many complete closures, at dozens of parks and historic sites statewide. Riverbank is the only Manhattan park on the list.
In their letter to Silver, assemblymen Herman D. Farrell Jr., Keith L.T. Wright and Daniel O’Donnell, said Riverbank’s history “begs for its fervent defense.”
That defense begins now, as the state Assembly and Senate being point-by-point budget negotiations.
O’Donnell said the cuts represent “a very small amount of money, but that amount of money carries some very important messages.”
The park, he said, “was put there as a part of an agreement, and we have to honor that agreement.”
Save Riverbank 
NYSR – Is there “pork” in the “pork barrel” for NYS Parks and Riverbank?
May 2, 2010
Lewis Burgess
The Governor is determined to close the $9.2 budget deficit and plans to do so without financial gimmicks or borrowing. The goal is to be reached by spending cuts and additional revenue generating items that are deemed taxpayer friendly. So we can ask: Will member items be allocated for State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2010-2011 while there is a severe deficit? Will these discretionary funds be withheld and used to help balance the budget or will they be allocated by the Governor and Legislature and spent as usual? NY State will have about $120 to $166 million in cash reserves stored in the Community Project Fund for member items in SFY 2010-2011.
For all intents and purposes, this cash reserve will be distributed this fiscal year to and through Senators and Assemblymembers to selected community and non-profit organizations in their districts.
In SFY 2009-2010, Senators and Assemblymembers granted $148,329,525 in discretionary funds to over 7,000 non-profits. Of that amount, $12,531,338 or 8.4% of the total was administered by the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). The latter amount would be sufficient to keep the OPRHP up and running.
If the Senators and Assemblymembers who voted yea for the Senate and Assembly resolutions to restore the devastating cuts to NYS Parks are serious about keeping 91 parks open for tens of millions of New Yorkers, then 10% of these millions of dollars in discretionary funds can be put to good use in tough economic times by earmarking them for the operating expenses of local NYS Parks.
Working as a delegation and combining discretionary member items, these Senators and Assemblymembers who voted for the “one-house” budget resolutions on March 22nd and March 24th can save the NYS Parks and Riverbank from the devastating cuts proposed by OPRHP. All that is required is to direct monetary grants to the NYS Parks to match their budget resolution votes. This should satisfy the Governor’s fiscal requirements.
MEMBER ITEM DEFINITION
A member item is a budgetary allocation made solely at the discretion of the member of the legislature or the governor for the purpose of providing funding for community projects and organizations. Funds are drawn from various agencies and saved in the Community Projects Fund. The Communist Projects Fund was “created pursuant to law to finance discretionary, usually local projects (“member items”) sponsored by individual legislators and the Governor. The enacted State budget typically includes lump sum appropriations for the Governor, the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly to be designated for various grants, awards and contracts with local governments, not-for-profit organizations and community groups. During the fiscal year, the Governor, and the leadership of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly allocate their respective appropriations to the intended recipient organizations and grant amounts. (Source: State of New York 2010-11 Executive Budget Five-Year Financial Plan, p.158-159.)
FIND MEMBER ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL LEGISLATORS (searches can be downloaded into Excel and CSV files)
http://www.seethroughny.net/Expenditures/ReportType/tabid/74/Default.aspx
OPEN LEGISLATIVE BILLS TO REFORM MEMBER ITEMS
http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?by=k&qs=MEMBER+ITEMS
USEFUL SITES FOR FINDING NYS INFO
SeeThroughNY/
SunlightNY.com
WHERE ARE WE NOW?
The one month late state budget is dragging everyone down. Budget news is skimpy. Eyes and minds turn to anti-furlough union rallies, rumor of Cuomo running for election, union and school law suits vs. Paterson and the bomb in Times Square.
Legislators will face a vote on the fifth emergency extender bill Monday or Tuesday that may have a one-day-a-week furlough measure included for 100,000 state workers. If the furlough measure is included, a yea majority vote will furlough 100,000 workers one day a week. If they vote nay in a majority, then state government will shut down (This applies to the Executive Branch agencies including the NYS Parks).
Whatever happens, hopefully, they will get to work in conference committees to reconcile $3.2 billion in spending cuts and revenue plans without the usual opaqueness that surrounds Albany legislative wheeling and dealing.
Pure Fantasy? Perhaps. But there is little time left before NYS runs out of money and becomes insolvent. No fantasy there. Waiting around or getting busy with who is running for Governor or dealing with bills can wait. There is no sense in waiting for the the leadership to get it done. The budget will not pass soon enough doing that. There has to be revolution waged by Senate and Assembly members to get things done. Stand up and pass the budget now or face a miserable near future with all us and with the blame for insolvency coming squarely on the heads of Democrats for not taking the definitive lead with a majority that is on the brink of change and the Rebublicans for being obstructionist in taking advantage of indecisiveness of the Democrats in an election year.
WHAT CAN I DO?
Call – Call Governor Paterson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate majority Leader John L. Sampson and your local legislators to ask what they are doing for Riverbank and how their work is going. Help your family, relatives and friends to make calls to them – Contact info is below for locals electeds – Click here to find your Elected Official if not listed below.
Sign – sign the petition at Riverbank and online – have others do the same
Buy – Buy a “Save Riverbank” t-shirt and wear it – spread the word.
Become a Facebook Fan – http://tinyurl.com/yhmlbb8
VOLUNTEER! – save.riverbank@yahoo.com
GOVERNOR DAVID A. PATERSON
Email/web contact page: http://www.state.ny.us/governor/contact/GovernorContactForm.php
Mailing Address:
State Capital
Albany, New York 12224
518-474-8390
ASSEMBLYMAN SHELDON SILVER
Speaker of the New York State Assembly
Email address:speaker@assembly.state.ny.us
web contact page: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=064&sh=contact
District Office
250 Broadway
Suite 2307
New York, NY 10007
Tel: 212-312-1420
Albany Office
Legislative Office Building 932
Albany, NY 12248
Tel: 518-455-3791
SENATOR JOHN L. SAMPSON
Democratic Conference Leader
Email address: sampson@senate.state.ny.us
web contact page: http://www.nysenate.gov/senator/john-l-sampson/contact
District Office:
1222 East 96th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11236
Tel: 718-649-7653
Fax: 718-649-7661
Albany Office:
409 Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12247
Tel: 518-455-2788
Fax: 518-426-6806
Contact the state legislators at their NYC and Albany offices listed below. Urge them to reject the proposed cuts to Riverbank and to restore all Riverbank funding, hours and programming.
Senator Bill Perkins
212 222-7315
518-455-2795
perkins@senate.state.ny.us
Senator Eric Schneiderman
212 544-0173
518-455-2041
schneide@senate.state.ny.us
Senator José Serrano
212 828-5829
518-455-2795
serrano@senate.state.ny.us
Assemblymember “Denny” Farrell
212 568-2828
518-455-5491
farrelh@assembly.state.ny.us
Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell
212 866-3970
518-455-5603
odonned@assembly.state.ny.us
Assemblymember Keith Wright
212 866-5809
518-455-4793
WrightK@assembly.state.ny.us
Sample Telephone Script 1:
Hi, my name is (your name) and I’m calling from (your address). Please say NO! to ALL of the proposed cuts to Riverbank State Park. Riverbank contributes to our mental, social and physical well-being as well as the local economy. Please know that Riverbank is a part of my way of life and my family’s and not simply a park that we occasionally visit. That’s why I urge you to restore all Riverbank funding, hours and programming. Thank you.
Sample Telephone Script 2:
Hi, my name is (your name) and I’m calling from (your address). Please say NO! to ALL of the proposed cuts to Riverbank State Park. Riverbank was built to compensate the surrounding community for the unsightly and (still sometimes) SMELLY sewage treatment plant, which cuts it off from the Hudson for half a mile. The State MUST HONOR this compact; it’s not a favor! Thanks.