WHEREAS,
since 1796, twenty-six (26) lighthouses have been built in Suffolk
County at eighteen (18) different locations, fifteen (15) of which
still stand, giving Suffolk County the distinction of having more
lighthouses than any other county in the United States; and
WHEREAS,
the Long Island Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society (“the
Chapter”), is dedicated to preserving and promoting the lighthouse
heritage of Long Island by working with the public and various levels
of government to preserve the two (2) endangered lighthouses on Long
Island: those at
Plum Island and
Cedar Point Park; and
WHEREAS,
the Cedar Island lighthouse is owned by Suffolk County and has been
the subject of neglect and vandalism since it was burned in 1974; and
WHEREAS,
this lighthouse, built in 1868, like its predecessor, helped many
ships sail safety into and out of Sag Harbor to aid the whaling ships,
which are credited with contributing to the wealth, importance, and
fame that the port of Sag Harbor attained in the early to mid-1800’s;
and
WHEREAS,
the Chapter is negotiating a stewardship agreement with the Suffolk
County Parks, Recreation, and Conservation Department, with the intent
of creating a partnership to restore and preserve this important piece
of Suffolk County history; and
WHEREAS,
the Chapter and County are working on a grant that will allow for a
professional historic preservation architect to assess the structure
for preservation planning;
WHEREAS,
an event in the park for Saturday, March 23, the first Saturday of
this Spring, would be a wonderful opportunity for the County to
publicly proclaim its appreciation for its lighthouse history and its
dedication to preserving the lighthouse it owns for the benefit of the
citizens of Suffolk County; now, therefore, be it
1st
RESOLVED,
that this Legislature hereby declares Suffolk County to be America’s
Lighthouse County; and be it further
2nd
RESOLVED,
that the 1st Saturday of Spring is hereby designated as
“Suffolk County Lighthouse Day” within the County of Suffolk in
recognition of the twenty-six (26) lighthouses built within Suffolk
County since 1796 and the remaining fifteen (15) lighthouses that give
Suffolk County the distinction of having more lighthouse than any
other County in the United States; and be it further
3rd
RESOLVED,
that the 1st Saturday of Spring every year thereafter is
hereby designated as “Suffolk County Lighthouse Day” within the
County of Suffolk; and be it further
4th
RESOLVED,
that this Legislature, being the State Environmental Quality Review
Act (SEQRA) lead agency, hereby finds and determines that this
resolution constitutes a Type II action pursuant to Section
617.5(c)(20) and (27) of Title 6 of the NEW YORK CODE OF RULES AND
REGULATIONS (6 NYCRR) and within the meaning of Section 8-0109(2) of
the NEW YORK ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION LAW as a promulgation of
regulations, rules, policies, procedures, and legislative decisions in
connection with continuing agency administration, management and
information collection, and the Suffolk County Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ) is hereby directed to circulate any
appropriate SEQRA notices of determination of non-applicability or
non-significance in accordance with this resolution.
DATED: March
19, 2002
APPROVED
BY:
/s/
Robert J. Gaffney
County
Executive of Suffolk County
Date
of Approval: March 27, 2002
