Village of Mastic Beach Wins Grants

Village of Mastic Beach, NY, December 14, 2015 --(PR.com)-- New York State awarded its Consolidated-Funding Application (CFA) grants on Thursday, December 10th. The Village of Mastic Beach won two (2) grants totaling $42,175.

The first CFA grant is for $17,175 through the Local Waterfront-Revitalization Program (LWRP) funded by the New York State Department of State (DOS) Division of Planning (DOP). The LWPR grant will fund part of the Village’s Comprehensive Plan designated for waterfront revitalization. The comprehensive-planning process is slated to begin early 2016.

Mayor Maura P. Spery stated, ”In an attempt to minimize the fiscal impact of the Comprehensive Plan on our residents, I encouraged the Village’s Grant Writer Deborah Slack to apply for the Consolidated-Funding Application (CFA) in June. She did a terrific job on the application. I also want to thank Deputy Mayor Summa and Trustee Manzella for their tremenous support. Their ability to lobby our elected-officals has been the key to securing this grant funding. I would like to thank the Governor’s Office, Senator Croci, Assemblyman Murray, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Suffolk County Legislator Kate Browning and the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council for their support.”

In 2014, the Board passed a resolution to retain Wendel Associates to implement the Comprehensive Plan. Wendel, working with Vision Long Island, will create the document with intensive community input by the Mastic Beach Village residents. To satisfy the conditions of the grant, the Comprehensive Plan will address the issues that affect the Village’s entire waterfront.

By developing this Comprehensive Plan, Village residents will provide direction for revitalization by addressing sustainability, resiliency and energy efficiency. The Village of Mastic Beach, which was severely impacted by Superstorm Sandy, will conduct a studied review of its community’s waterfront, addressing the new dynamics on the waterfront resulting from coastal storms.

The second (CFA) grant won by the Village of Mastic Beach is for $25,000 to implement the Comprehensive Plan which will include strategic planning and a feasibility study to transform the Village’s downtown into a walkable business district. Funded by the Empire State Development (ESD) Strategic Planning and Feasibility Study (SPFS), this grant will be added to the community driven Comprehensive Plan. A condition of this grant is that part of the Comprehensive Plan must focus on the Mastic Beach Village Business District and design it to be safe and enjoyable for pedestrians.

Deputy Mayor Bruce Summa said, “After the hard and arduous task of making the Comprehensive Plan a reality, this administration is moving the Village of Mastic Beach forward. These grants are a testament to the hard work of Mayor Spery and Trustee Manzella. We spent hours at the state level lobbying for our community. When the Comprehensive Plan begins in early 2016, the people will get to decide what the Village will become. Another promise delivered.”

Trustee Elizabeth “Betty” Manzella added, “We have to thank all the officials at the state and county levels who pushed to make the awards a reality. Moreover, let’s not forget Mayor Maura Spery and Deputy Mayor Bruce Summa who both worked extremely hard for us. I applaud their efforts.”