Bill Text: NY S07617 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Requires the development, adoption and implementation of a master plan for the Nissequogue River State Park.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-31 - REFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT [S07617 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S07617-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          7617

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 31, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sen. FLANAGAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government

        AN ACT requiring the  development,  adoption  and  implementation  of  a
          master plan for the Nissequogue River State Park

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1.   Legislative intent. The legislature  finds  and  declares
     2  that  Kings  Park  in the town of Smithtown is home to a large parcel of
     3  land commonly referred to as the Kings  Park  Psychiatric  Center  ("the
     4  center").  The  center was closed in 1996, and in 2001, 155 acres of the
     5  center were designated state parkland, thereby creating the  Nissequogue
     6  River  State  Park  ("NRSP"). In 2006, an additional 364.68 acres of the
     7  center's property was administratively transferred by  and  between  the
     8  office  of  general  services, the department of mental hygiene, and the
     9  office of parks, recreation and historic preservation.
    10    The legislature further finds and declares that the initial  2001  and
    11  subsequent  2006  administrative  actions  taken  to  establish and then
    12  expand the center's property into the eventual NRSP is fully dispositive
    13  of the will of the community and of local and state  elected  officials,
    14  while others believe that a statutory codification is preferable.
    15    The  legislature therefore finds and declares that this legislation is
    16  needed to: (a) codify and ensure that the 2001  and  2006  transfers  of
    17  land  from  the center to establish the NRSP are protected from adminis-
    18  trative changes; and (2) develop a master plan for the NRSP.
    19    § 2. (a) For purposes of this section, "Nissequogue River State  Park"
    20  shall  mean  the  155-acre  portion of the former Kings Park Psychiatric
    21  Center property closed in 1996 and then transferred into  the  New  York
    22  state  park system in 2001, along with the 364.68 acres of former hospi-
    23  tal property administratively transferred by an order of the  office  of
    24  general  services,  dated  December 29, 2006 entitled, "In the Matter of
    25  the Application of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic  Preser-
    26  vation  for  a  transfer of jurisdiction of certain lands located in the
    27  Town of Smithtown, County of Suffolk".

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD06011-06-0

        S. 7617                             2

     1    (b) The commissioner of the office of parks, recreation  and  historic
     2  preservation  (OPRHP),  in  cooperation with the Nissequogue River State
     3  Park Foundation and other interested parties, including but not  limited
     4  to  the  town  of Smithtown, shall develop, adopt and implement a master
     5  plan  for  the  Nissequogue  River  State  Park,  Kings  Park, county of
     6  Suffolk.
     7    (c) The master  plan  shall  take  into  consideration  the  historic,
     8  natural  and  recreational  resources  of the park and respond to recre-
     9  ational needs  and  safety  of  park  patrons,  the  protection  of  the
    10  resources  of the park and principles of sustainability. The master plan
    11  shall include short- and long-term agendas to guide  future  development
    12  of new and enhanced park facilities and shall establish goals concerning
    13  individual  park resources, access, maintenance, operations and develop-
    14  ment.
    15    (d) The plan shall present a series of  "preferred  alternatives"  for
    16  the  future  development  and  operation  of the Nissequogue River State
    17  Park; provided that the initiation of any specific action will be deter-
    18  mined by the level of funding available to OPRHP in future years.
    19    (e) The commissioner of the office of parks, recreation  and  historic
    20  preservation  shall hold such public meetings to gather information from
    21  the general public and other state, local and federal agencies about the
    22  past uses and issues associated with future uses of the park  as  he  or
    23  she deems necessary and/or desirable.
    24    (f)  The  development of such plan shall commence within sixty days of
    25  the effective date of this act and the plan shall  be  completed  within
    26  one year thereafter.
    27    (g)  Details  of the plan shall be made available to the public on the
    28  website of the office of parks, recreation and historic preservation and
    29  on the Nissequogue River State Park website.
    30    § 3. The plan shall include an environmental impact statement prepared
    31  in accordance with the provisions of  article  8  of  the  environmental
    32  conservation law.
    33    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
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