Hello neighbors!

I hope you are enjoying the summer and heading to the beach or to the pool for a cool swim. I was at Overlook Beach a few days ago and it was really lovely.  It's nice to see our hard earned tax dollars at work!

I know everyone has slowed down these past few weeks, so I just want to take this time to update you on where we are with our change.org petition and our legal Article 78 Petition.

The first news is on the Article 78 Petition. After going through nine different judges, we finally were assigned a judge who took the case. On June 20th, Justice Napolitano filed her ruling dismissing our Petition. She determined that our filing to stop the Town of Babylon from moving forward with this project was "premature," given that the Town has not yet adopted the SEQRA (FEIS) study. We were somewhat expecting this, and even though the ruling is not in our favor, it leaves open the possibility to refile our Petition should the Town of Babylon officially adopt the SEQRA study. 

We hope ultimately that the Town does not adopt the study and does not rezone the land parcel. But if the Town chooses to move forward, we will refile our Petition. Now that we know some of the Town's arguments against us, we will be better prepared next time around.

If you would like to review the legal documents tied to the case, please check out our shared Google folder in the very first update (the subfolder is titled LEGAL). You can also access the legal folder directly HERE.

Next up is the change.org petition -- this movement right here!  We are thrilled to have reached over 1000 signatures and are working on hitting two thousand. My team and I have met with some of our local politicians who have all told us that if we want to succeed, we have to create a movement. "Get your signatures into the thousands and the Town Board will listen to you," is what one politician specifically told us. He recommended getting the support of at least two thirds of the affected communities. This is a tall order but not impossible. If we all continue to share the petition (and please remember you do not have to contribute money to share or sign this petition), talk with our neighbors and other community members, and call or write the Town Board voicing our displeasure, we will keep engagement up and continue to grow our cause. Please note, any monies you do contribute on this website go directly to change.org to help distribute the petition, so we are very appreciative! Just know it is not mandatory for you to do so. 

My last note is to share a new and exciting development. My team and I have started a non-profit organization, with the goal of protecting the environment and history of our shared communities. We received our certification from the New York State  Department of State last month. Our non-profit is officially titled The Historical Conservation Society of Wheatley Heights and Wyandanch, Incorporated.  The mission is to engage in environmental and historical conservation for the Wheatley Heights and Wyandanch hamlets and surrounding areas in the Town of Babylon through free seminars and educational information sessions. Through this process, we have learned so much wonderful history of our shared communities. We have visited the Civil War graves located directly on the property in dispute. We have learned about the Native American history that ties our community to its historical roots. We want our neighbors to know and appreciate what we have, and conserve this for our children and for other families who choose to move to this lovely area.  Our long term goal is to work with Pinelawn Cemeteries to save this land for a much better use -- whether it is a real park, an historical center, or something in between -- whatever they are willing to do to work with us. We know ultimately that Pinelawn needs to make this land sustainable financially, and we are willing to work with them to find a project from which both they and the surrounding communities can benefit. This is our long term goal and we hope you are with us and can support us in this endeavor.

Please have a wonderful weekend -- and stay tuned for more updates in the coming months.

Best,

Love